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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “utms”

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

WP Consent API shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 2107 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1072) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #14 ↑3 3 too low 12 Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) wp.org #23 ↓3 11 too low 13 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics 70K+ · 5.0★ (245) wp.org #20 ↑4 6 too low 15 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169) wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 E Easy UTM tracking with contact form 7 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Push Notifications for WP – Self Hosted Web Push Notifications 6K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 UseStrict’s Calendly Embedder 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 LeadSource – UTM Tracking & Lead Source Attribution for Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too high 23 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 UTM Tracker for Gravity Forms 90+ · 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.