wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “visual hook”
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 “visual hook”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
WebChange Detector: Visual Regression Testing & Visual Checks After Updates shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Visual Composer Website Builder 30K+ · 4.6★ (220) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Astra Theme Visual Hooks 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #13 ↑8 6 too low 8 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
Astra Hooks 20K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 10 too high 14 
Favorites 10K+ · 4.6★ (133)
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291)
wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
VRTs – Visual Regression Tests 800+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
AddQuicktag 100K+ · 4.7★ (44)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #24 ↓4 4 too low 21 
YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too high 22 
Gutenify – Visual Site Builder Blocks & Starter Templates 5K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23 WebChange Detector: Visual Regression Testing & Visual Checks After Updates 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 too high 24 V Visual Recipe Index 300+ · 4.4★ (10) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.