Random Post on Refresh
by Micah Wood · Uncategorized
Also makes 7 other plugins · 10.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Show a random post on every page load.
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 · Few reviews
Active installs
500+
≈510 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “random post”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
63 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.8%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 8.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,767 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 524 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 524 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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| post rotation your tag | #8 | #15 | down 1 |
| refresh | #11 | #15 | down 1 |
| random post your tag | #13 | #20 | up 2 |
| random | #17 | #21 | down 1 |
| random posts | #19 | #21 | down 1 |
| random content | #24 | #19 | down 2 |
| post refresh | #23 | #19 | down 2 |
| different post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
17 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 10 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “random post”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “different post” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. 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 493 · 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
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 · v1.2.3 · 25 May 2025
7
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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 35 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 500.
Install history since 17 Jan 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mrtoddkennedy1.0y ago
Exactly what I was looking for, works perfectly every time, easy to implement!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jericho4.4y ago
Thanks for this plugin! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ unruly3335.6y ago
Feels light weight and does exactly what it says it does.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ loupiloop5.8y ago
thanks for this plugin !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jodirogers6.1y ago
Works like a charm, does exactly what I wanted it to do! Thanks Micah!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeffw2036.4y ago
Does exactly what it says it does. Be sure to suppress caching on the pages that you use it.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 1 at 90% or more
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description is 38 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ! 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 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 508 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "post rotation" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-26 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-25 500+ → 400+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-22 400+ → 500+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-09-17 500+ → 400+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-09-13 400+ → 500+ up after 40 days in tier
- 2026-08-04 500+ → 400+ down after 45 days in tier
- 2026-06-20 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-19 500+ → 400+ 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).
-
WP Post of the Day 40+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
Random Post Plugin – Redirect URL to Post 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag C - R Random Post for Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Random Posts and Pages Widget 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B -
Random 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag C -
Vi Random Post Widget 100+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Random Post on Refresh into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/random-post-on-refresh" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Random Post on Refresh — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Random Post on Refresh: 500+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/random-post-on-refresh
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