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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “utm tracking”

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 “utm tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1071 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #1 2 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #2 3 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #9 ↑7 3 too low 7 Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 E Easy UTM tracking with contact form 7 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #13 ↑8 2 too low 12 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #22 ↓4 8 too low 15 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↑1 11 too high 16 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 LeadSource – UTM Tracking & Lead Source Attribution for Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓2 7 too high 20 UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓2 10 too high 21 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 UTM Tracker for Gravity Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 UTM Manager – UTM Tracking, Lead Attribution & Campaign Analytics 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 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.