[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #63680: Buggy - Add Plugin > Keyword Search - Finding Plugins in the official WP Plugin Repository

[WordPress Trac]

#63680: Buggy - Add Plugin > Keyword Search - Finding Plugins in the official WP
Plugin Repository
---------------------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  terminij                   |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)               |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal                     |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins                    |     Version:  6.8
 Severity:  normal                     |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-patch needs-testing  |     Focuses:
---------------------------------------+------------------------------
Changes (by dd32):

 * keywords:  needs-patch needs-testing reporter-feedback => needs-patch
     needs-testing


Comment:

 Thanks for that @terminij.

 As noted by @JeffPaul the plugin is almost certainly being deprioritised
 in the search results due to it's low install count and not being tested
 with a current version of WordPress.

 The plugin IS in the index (I've checked), but when you combine the low-
 priotisations and using words which are commonly used by other plugins
 ("wp" "multi" "network") those higher installs / more recently updated
 plugins are ranking higher than it in the search results.

 From what I can tell, this plugin wouldn't have been being returned on
 page 1 for quite some time.

 There is an argument to be made that `"I'm using the exact plugin slug, it
 should show that first"` which sounds like a good idea at first..
 unfortunately plugin authors use this to their advantage and will try to
 optimize their slugs to a search term, for example wanting to use
 "gallery" to corner those searches.


 The best option I can provide to solve your specific problem is to use the
 Plugin Favourites functionality - although as you've added
 [https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/favorites/terminij/ almost 350
 plugins as favourites], and there isn't a "search within favourites"
 functionality that's sadly not a great solution.

 In terms of a ticket resolution, potentially the above should be added to
 let searching within favourites, but past that, one of the tickets from
 the WordPress.org trac might be the best path forward:

 https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/query?status=!closed&milestone=Improved+Search

 Specifically related are:
  - https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/3338 (Plugin author search
 doesn't return relevant results)
  - https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/5231 (Increase visibility of
 "old" plugins in Search Indexes)
  - https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/4469 (Prioritize 100% matched
 slug in search)

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63680#comment:5>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform