Better Random Redirect
by Robert Peake · Uncategorized
Also makes 4 other plugins · 51.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Based on the original Random Redirect, this plugin enables efficient, easy random redirection to a post. Supports setting a category for all random re …
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 63/100
Stale · Open vulnerability
Active installs
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
+28%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “random”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.2%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 27.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,786 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 526 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12; the current branch is 7.1
4.6★ over 10 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 526 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| random your tag | #15 | #19 | down 1 |
| random page | #21 | #20 | — |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 9 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “random”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “category” and “post” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 928 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
1.4y ago
latest release · v1.3.20 · 26 May 2025
16
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 38 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 27 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ relivin1.4y ago
Didn’t work for me
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ leafssuck5.1y ago
Excellent plugin, does exactly what it says and does it well. Thank you.e
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ majidmad5.2y ago
It is not working with randomizing pages. It keeps directing to a specific page rather than a number of pages in that category, and there is no support from the author for more than a year.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ximbor5.2y ago
Thank you for taking the time to create such an awesome plugin 🙂 added this to two of my sites and works great on each to add some fun funcionality This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by ximbor.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ diEfoRyoU6.5y ago
Hi working good! Thank you. Can you add options.. add more than 1 category. choose more than 1 category.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ RussWilley7.9y ago
If your information-packed website has a lot of pages (maybe 100+) it’s a good idea to offer visitors the opportunity to move around the site at random. And this plugin is an excellent way to facilitate that. I’ve been using it for a few years now and it’s always worked perfectly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ angeljs9.6y ago
I was looking for a plugin that will re-direct members to a special offer upon logging in, and this does it, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sonofbruce11.6y ago
If you have a site with a ton of good content in the archives and want to add a Stumbleupon-like link to your header or sidebar, look no further. Unlike its competitors, this won’t suck down your CPU. I expect it will be added to Jetpack at some point, but until then, this stand-alone plugin is your best option. The author keeps it updated, too.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.3.20). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 4.4 Better Random Redirect <= 1.3.20 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-06-19 CVE-2025-50021 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.3.20 No patch available
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Based on the original Random Redirect, this plugin enables efficient, easy random redirection to a post. Su..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 633 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-26 700+ → 600+ down after 349 days in tier
- 2025-10-12 800+ → 700+ down after 155 days in tier
- 2025-05-10 900+ → 800+ down after 274 days in tier
- 2024-08-09 1K+ → 900+ down after 1509 days in tier
- 2020-06-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1334 days in tier
- 2016-10-27 200+ → 2K+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Bulk Move 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Require Post Category 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Category Featured Image 400+ installs · 3.4★ · 2 shared tags B -
Related Products for WooCommerce 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag B -
Random Post Plugin – Redirect URL to Post 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag C - B Better REST API Featured Images 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Random Redirect into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-random-redirect" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Random Redirect — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Random Redirect: 600+ active installs, 4.6★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-random-redirect
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