Random Content

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.

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

1. 

   Adding the widget to a sidebar.

2. 

1.6.5

• Fixed compatibility issue with Elementor and other page builders where editor content would not display

1.6.4

• Fixed multiple posts displaying in chronological order instead of random order

1.6.3

• Fix bug for memory exhaustion from infinite recursion

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.