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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “text readmore”

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 “text readmore”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

nnax ReadMore shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 210 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (86) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 Easy Custom Auto Excerpt 6K+ · 4.5★ (151) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Newsletters 2K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 Gwolle Guestbook 20K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too low 7 Cision Block 70+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too low 8 Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #24 16 too low 9 Clickit Readmore 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 8 too high 10 WPLP Cookie Consent – Cookie Banner & Consent Management for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 9K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #16 ↓11 6 too low 11 IdeaPush 700+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 ACF Recent Posts Widget 500+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 LAPDI Featured Posts 70+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 nnax ReadMore — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 SKT Addons for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Post Sliders 200+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Simple Expand – Lightweight Read more toggle 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 Civic Cookie Control 2K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Gum Addon for Elementor 50K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 12 too high 23 UiCore Elements – Free widgets and templates for Elementor 40K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 Gosign – ReadMore Toggle Text Block 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.