Random Posts
by RobMarsh · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 2.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Displays a list of random posts.
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈360 estimated
Momentum
+91%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “post plugins”, “posts” and “random” 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.
43 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 72.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 2.6.2, well behind 6.8.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 2.6.2; the current branch is 6.8
2.0★ over 1 review, smoothed to 4.06★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| post plugins your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| random your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| random posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “post plugins”, “posts” and “random” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 264 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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
18.2y ago
latest release · v2.6.2.0 · 9 Sep 2008
25
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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 59% of the way through.
Install history since 20 Jul 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Bradford12.3y ago
Plugin works, but hasn’t been updated in many years. May have been the POE on a client’s site that was hacked. Will return and comment my findings after reviewing plugin’s code.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 62 languages, 0 at 90% or more
Plus 38 more locales with partial translations.
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 32 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! 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 22 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,631 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "post-plugins" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-05 400+ → 300+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-05-31 300+ → 400+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2026-05-15 400+ → 300+ down after 325 days in tier
- 2025-06-24 500+ → 400+ down after 273 days in tier
- 2024-09-24 600+ → 500+ down after 43 days in tier
- 2024-08-12 700+ → 600+ down after 10 days in tier
- 2024-08-02 800+ → 700+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2024-07-22 900+ → 800+ down after 31 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 Post for Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
- R Random Posts Widget 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
- A Advanced Random Posts 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
- R Recent Posts Plus 900+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Random 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C - R Random Posts from Category 200+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Random Posts into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/random-posts-plugin" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Random Posts — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Random Posts: 300+ active installs, 2.0★ (1 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/random-posts-plugin
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