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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “template import”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “template import”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 383 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #1 2 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #2 3 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #3 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #4 5 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (276) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! 300K+ · 5.0★ (383) wp.org #22 ↑1 11 too low 12 WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Import Users from CSV 10K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) wp.org #16 17 Template Kit – Import 400K+ · 3.4★ (16) wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18 SKT Templates – 100% Free Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Rank Math SEO 6K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Yoast SEO 20K+ · 2.8★ (11) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 WPZOOM Addons for Elementor – Starter Templates & Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 WP All Import – Job Listing Import for WP Job Manager 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for All In One SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.