wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “www redirection”

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 “www redirection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.

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

Simple SSL Redirects shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

IP2Location Redirection 7K+ · 4.3★ (43) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3

Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136) wp.org #3 ↑1 4

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5

SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6

All In One Redirection 1K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #2 ↑1 4 too high 7

All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292) wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9

Multiple Domain Mapping on Single Site 6K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #8 ↑6 1 too high 10

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #21 9 too low 13

Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #13 ↑2 14

Solid Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Video Testimonials & Customer Reviews 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #16 2 too low 15

WP SSL Redirect 600+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16

SiteSkite – Secure MCP & AI WebOps. Connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Any AI Agent via MCP 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #20 4 too low 17

SecureFusion – Security and Firewall by Fyndsoft 10+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #17 18

Rank Bix SEO – Lightweight SEO Toolkit with Multi-AI 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #15 3 too high 19

Simple SSL Redirects 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20

Easy Redirect — Advanced Redirection, 404 Manager and Domain Name Redirection — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 A Apex Digital Toolbox 60+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22

Linkstraight Redirect Fixer — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23

WPMazic SEO Lite — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24

Nexal SEO — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #24

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.