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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “utf 8”

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 “utf 8”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

LLMs.txt and LLMs-Full.txt Generator shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ 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

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568) wp.org #1 2 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #2 3 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 CompressX — AVIF & WebP Converter, Media Replacement 40K+ · 5.0★ (197) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #6 ↑13 1 too low 6 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too low 10 Z zipaddr-jp 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (276) wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 Bulk Media Register 8K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 LLMs.txt and LLMs-Full.txt Generator 4K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413) wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 Lenix Leads Collector 10K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Export Products, Orders & Customers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) wp.org #20 21 WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too high 23 Compress, Resize & Lazy Load Images – WPvivid Image Optimization 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓4 2 too high 24 Cyrillic Permalinks 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓6

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.