Random Post for Widget
by Shashi Dhar Kumar · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 1.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
This simple plugin is a widget that displays a list of random posts on your sidebar. You can exclude certain posts by ID.
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
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.9K estimated
Momentum
-4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “posts”, “random” and “random 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.
46 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.2%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 19.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
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 1323 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1323 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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| random your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| random post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| random posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| simple plugin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “posts”, “random” and “random 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 580 · 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
3.6y ago
latest release · v5.0 · 18 Mar 2023
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 8% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 20 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 2K.
Install history since 27 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ robtcyn6.0y ago
I use this to generate ten random recipes for those who are not sure what to cook for dinner. I love it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alex Nguyen13.0y ago
Tried a few other plugins, but only this one works. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kylomylo13.8y ago
It’s woking fine, that’s what I was looking for. keep updated.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.1.1
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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This simple plugin is a widget that displays a list of random posts on your sidebar. You can exclude certai..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 2 headings and 1 list.
- ! Enough to quote 324 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-12 2K+ → 1K+ down after 602 days in tier
- 2024-12-18 3K+ → 2K+ down after 28 days in tier
- 2024-11-20 2K+ → 3K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-11-18 3K+ → 2K+ down after 57 days in tier
- 2024-09-22 2K+ → 3K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2024-09-18 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-17 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-16 3K+ → 2K+ down after 7 days in tier
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).
- R Random Posts 300+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Random 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags C - R Random Posts Widget 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
- A Advanced Random Posts 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
-
Random Post Plugin – Redirect URL to Post 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C -
Random Posts and Pages Widget 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Random Post for Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/random-post-for-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Random Post for Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Random Post for Widget: 1K+ active installs, 4.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/random-post-for-widget
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