wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “url delete”
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 “url delete”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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
Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129)
wp.org #3 4 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #4 5 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 
Simple Revisions Delete 10K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #11 12 
Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94)
wp.org #12 13 
WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 
Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More! 4K+ · 4.2★ (41)
wp.org #20 21 
Bing URL Submissions Plugin 40K+ · 3.3★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
Auto Post Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Cron Setup and Monitor – Get URL Cron 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Delete Posts By URL 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.