wpm

random-content

plugin

1.6.2 • public • Published 22 minutes ago

Display random content anywhere on your WordPress site. Rotate testimonials, banners, CTAs, and more with a simple shortcode or widget.

content rotationdynamic contentrandom contentrotating contenttestimonials
Overview Versions Dependencies

Description

Random Content is the easiest way to keep your WordPress site feeling fresh and dynamic. Create content groups, add as many items as you want, and display a random selection anywhere on your site with a single shortcode or widget.

Every time a visitor loads the page, they see something different. That means higher engagement, more clicks, and a site that never feels stale.

What can you do with it?

  • Rotate testimonials — Show a different customer quote on every page load
  • Randomize banners — Keep sidebar and header promotions fresh without manual updates
  • Cycle CTAs — Test different calls-to-action to see what gets clicks
  • Display tips or quotes — Add variety to any page, post, or widget area
  • Shuffle FAQs — Surface different questions each visit

Free features

  • Display random content anywhere with the [random_content] shortcode
  • Use in posts, pages, sidebars, or widget areas
  • Organize content into groups for separate rotation sets
  • Control how many items display at once
  • Full WordPress editor support — text, images, HTML, shortcodes, embeds
  • Lightweight and fast with built-in caching
  • No coding required

Getting started

  1. Create entries under the Random Content post type
  2. Organize them into Groups (works like categories)
  3. Add [random_content group_id="123"] wherever you want random content to appear

That's it. Your content rotates automatically on every page load.

Need more control?

Random Content Pro gives you complete control over what visitors see and when they see it:

  • Scheduling — Set start and end dates so content appears and disappears automatically. Run time-limited campaigns without touching your site.
  • Visitor targeting — Show different content based on user role, login status, UTM parameters, referrer, or page type.
  • Frequency controls — Prevent the same item from showing twice in a row. Set cooldown periods between displays.
  • Weighted selection — Assign weights (1–10) to each item. Higher weight = shown more often. Perfect for A/B testing.
  • Display rules — Control visibility per group: logged-in only, specific roles, specific page types.
  • Fallback content — Define what shows when all items are filtered out. Never display an empty space.
  • Automatic updates — Get new features and fixes delivered directly to your WordPress dashboard.

Learn more about Random Content Pro →

Shortcode usage

Display a random item from all entries:
[random_content]

Display from a specific group:
[random_content group_id="64"]

Display multiple items at once:
[random_content group_id="13" num_posts="3"]

Load content via AJAX (useful for sites with page caching):
[random_content group_id="64" ajax="yes"]

Widget usage

Navigate to Appearance → Widgets, add the Random Content widget to any sidebar, and select a group from the dropdown. Leave the group empty to pull from all entries.

Installation

  1. Upload the random-content folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
  3. Go to Random Content → Add New to create your first entry
  4. Organize entries into Groups under Random Content → Groups
  5. Place the [random_content] shortcode in any post, page, or widget

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I control how often a specific item is shown?

Random Content Pro includes weighted selection (assign weights 1–10 to each item) and frequency controls (prevent the same item from showing consecutively).

Can I schedule content to appear at specific times?

Scheduling is available in Random Content Pro. Set start and end dates for any content item, and it will appear and disappear automatically.

Can I show different content to logged-in vs. logged-out users?

Yes — with Random Content Pro. Pro adds visitor targeting based on user role, login status, UTM parameters, referrer domain, and page type.

Can I show more than one item at a time?

Yes. Use the num_posts parameter: [random_content group_id="13" num_posts="3"]. In the widget, enter a number in the "Number of Posts" field.

Does Random Content Pro require the free version?

No. Random Content Pro is a standalone plugin that includes everything from the free version plus all Pro features. If you have the free version installed, deactivate it before activating Pro.

How do I find the group ID?

Go to Random Content → Groups in your WordPress admin. The ID is listed in the table.

How do I group entries together?

Create a Group under Random Content → Groups, then assign entries to that group. It works just like post categories.

What does the ajax parameter do?

By default, content is rendered server-side with the page for the best performance. If your site uses full-page caching (e.g., WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, or a CDN), the random content may get cached and stop rotating. Add ajax="yes" to load content dynamically after the page loads, bypassing the cache: [random_content group_id="64" ajax="yes"].

Will this slow down my site?

No. Random Content uses efficient PHP randomization and built-in transient caching. No extra database queries on the front end beyond what's needed.

Screenshots

Adding the widget to a sidebar.

Adding the widget to a sidebar.

Changelog

1.6.2

  • Restored server-side rendering as default for better performance
  • AJAX loading is now opt-in via ajax="yes" shortcode parameter
  • JavaScript and REST API requests only load when AJAX mode is active

1.6.1

  • Fixed AJAX content loading on sites without pretty permalinks

1.6.0

  • Added AJAX-based content loading via REST API for full compatibility with page caching
  • Front-end JavaScript loads random content dynamically with noscript fallback
  • Updated Plugin URI to randomcontentpro.com

1.5.0

  • Replaced ORDER BY RAND() with efficient PHP randomization
  • Added transient caching
  • Added multiple code improvements

1.4.1

  • Ensure compatibility with latest WP version

1.4.0

  • Add support for block editor
  • Update widget settings

1.3.2

  • Update tested to version

1.3.1

  • Fix shortcode output so that multiple posts will display

1.3

  • Add rc_content filter for extending the plugin output in both the shortcode and the widget
  • Add content filter to widget output to allow for oembed support

1.2

  • Add localization files for translation support

1.1

  • Add num_posts parameter to old version of shortcode for backwards compatibility

1.0

  • Update shortcode to [random_content] to help prevent conflicts with other plugins
  • Added a num_posts paramenter to the shortcode so that more than one post can show at a time
  • Added the ability to not choose a group in a widget, even if a group exists
  • Added the ability to control the number of posts that show in the widget
  • Rebuilt the plugin using OOP principles based on the WordPress plugin boilerplate
  • Added plugin banner graphic
  • Updated screenshot image

0.4

  • Update input text syntax in widget

0.3

  • Add shortcode functionality.
  • Reset post data after widget query.

0.1

  • First released into the wild.