wondermill

<p>If you want to graphically display a random list of your posts with their featured image in the side bar, then this is the plugin for you. This plugin allows you to set the category IDs (or all categories) you want to pull the random posts from, the number of random posts to display, the maximum width and height of the featured image thumbnail, the widget title, and the colors of the surrounding box.</p>


Random Posts with Thumbnails

Puts a list of clickable random posts with their featured image in your sidebar as a widget, this list is customizable.

Jeremy Green

<p><strong>Random Content</strong> 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.</p>
<p>Every time a visitor loads the page, they see something different. That means higher engagement, more clicks, and a site that never feels stale.</p>
<h4>What can you do with it?</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Rotate testimonials</strong> — Show a different customer quote on every page load</li>
<li><strong>Randomize banners</strong> — Keep sidebar and header promotions fresh without manual updates</li>
<li><strong>Cycle CTAs</strong> — Test different calls-to-action to see what gets clicks</li>
<li><strong>Display tips or quotes</strong> — Add variety to any page, post, or widget area</li>
<li><strong>Shuffle FAQs</strong> — Surface different questions each visit</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Display random content anywhere with the <code>[random_content]</code> shortcode</li>
<li>Use in posts, pages, sidebars, or widget areas</li>
<li>Organize content into groups for separate rotation sets</li>
<li>Control how many items display at once</li>
<li>Full WordPress editor support — text, images, HTML, shortcodes, embeds</li>
<li>Lightweight and fast with built-in caching</li>
<li>No coding required</li>
</ul>
<h4>Getting started</h4>
<ol>
<li>Create entries under the Random Content post type</li>
<li>Organize them into Groups (works like categories)</li>
<li>Add <code>[random_content group_id="123"]</code> wherever you want random content to appear</li>
</ol>
<p>That’s it. Your content rotates automatically on every page load.</p>
<h4>Need more control?</h4>
<p><strong><a href="https://randomcontentpro.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Random Content Pro</a></strong> gives you complete control over what visitors see and when they see it:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Scheduling</strong> — Set start and end dates so content appears and disappears automatically. Run time-limited campaigns without touching your site.</li>
<li><strong>Visitor targeting</strong> — Show different content based on user role, login status, UTM parameters, referrer, or page type.</li>
<li><strong>Frequency controls</strong> — Prevent the same item from showing twice in a row. Set cooldown periods between displays.</li>
<li><strong>Weighted selection</strong> — Assign weights (1–10) to each item. Higher weight = shown more often. Perfect for A/B testing.</li>
<li><strong>Display rules</strong> — Control visibility per group: logged-in only, specific roles, specific page types.</li>
<li><strong>Fallback content</strong> — Define what shows when all items are filtered out. Never display an empty space.</li>
<li><strong>Automatic updates</strong> — Get new features and fixes delivered directly to your WordPress dashboard.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://randomcontentpro.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Learn more about Random Content Pro <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span></a></p>
<h4>Shortcode usage</h4>
<p>Display a random item from all entries:<br />
    [random_content]</p>
<p>Display from a specific group:<br />
    [random_content group_id=”64″]</p>
<p>Display multiple items at once:<br />
    [random_content group_id=”13″ num_posts=”3″]</p>
<p>Load content via AJAX (useful for sites with page caching):<br />
    [random_content group_id=”64″ ajax=”yes”]</p>
<h4>Widget usage</h4>
<p>Navigate to Appearance <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> 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.</p>


Random Content

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

Random Posts with Thumbnails vs Random Content