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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “track outbound link”

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 “track outbound link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 plugins are 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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

AnyTrack Affiliate Link Manager shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 391 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1318) wp.org #1 2 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.1★ (147) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics 60K+ · 5.0★ (244) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Track The Click 7K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3151) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 600K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #6 7 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 SlimStat Analytics 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (391) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Easy Affiliate Links 7K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Linker – URL shortener & track outbound link clicks 2K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Link Manager – Analyze, Automate, and Monitor Links 1K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (173) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Mailgun for WordPress 80K+ · 3.8★ (49) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Atlant Security 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 GT Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 External Links Overview 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Simple URLs Legacy 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 LinkMesh: Semantic AI Internal Links for SEO 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Royal Links – Affiliate Link Cloaking, Shortener & Tracker 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 AnyTrack Affiliate Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 12 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.