Everything from installing the plugin to a live directory: pages, settings, categories, listings, CSV import, and the review / enquiry / claim workflows.
Upload demfilz-business-directory.zip under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and activate it. A Directory menu appears in the admin holding Listings, Categories, Locations, Tags, Enquiries, Claims, Import / Export and Settings.
Create three normal WordPress pages and put one shortcode on each:
| Page | Shortcode | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Directory | [dbdir_directory] | The searchable, filterable listing grid with pagination and the grid / list toggle. |
| Submit | [dbdir_submit] | The front-end submission form (and front-end editing for owners). |
| Dashboard | [dbdir_dashboard] | The owner dashboard: their listings, statuses, views, ratings and recent enquiries. |
Optional extras you can place anywhere: [dbdir_search] (a standalone search bar), [dbdir_categories] and [dbdir_locations] (linked term grids), [dbdir_featured] (featured listings) and [dbdir_listing id="123"] (a single listing card). Four widgets ship too: directory search, categories, featured and recent listings.
Open Directory → Settings and work down the page:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pages | Pick the three pages you just created so buttons and links point at them. |
| Permalinks | The URL slugs for listings, categories, locations and tags (defaults: listing, listing-category, listing-location, listing-tag). |
| Who can submit | Logged-in users only, or anyone including guests. |
| Moderation | Hold new submissions for review, or publish immediately. |
| Listing lifetime | Days until a listing expires and reverts to draft; 0 means never. Owners are emailed when a listing expires. |
| Listings per page / columns / layout | How the directory grid renders; visitors can switch between grid and list themselves. |
| Directions link | Google Maps, OpenStreetMap or none - a plain link, nothing is embedded. |
| Features | Toggles for reviews (plus review moderation), the enquiry form (plus admin copies), claims, and whether uninstalling deletes data. |
Under the Directory menu add your listing categories (what the business does) and locations (where it is). Both power the directory filters; tags are freeform extras.
Create listings in the admin - the Listing Details meta box covers phone, website, a private contact email for enquiry relay, address, opening hours, price range, social profiles, gallery, featured / verified flags and an optional expiry date.
Have existing data? Directory → Import / Export accepts a CSV with the columns title, description, category, location, tags, phone, email, website, address, suburb, state, postcode, price_range, featured, verified. Categories, locations and tags are created automatically; multiple values in one cell are comma-separated inside quotes. Export produces the same format.
Reviews: visitors leave a star rating and text - one review per email per listing. With moderation on, approve them under Comments; averages recalculate automatically.
Enquiries: the form on each listing relays the message by email to the listing's private contact address and stores a copy under Directory → Enquiries. No email address ever appears on the site.
Claims: a logged-in owner claims their listing from its page; approve or reject under Directory → Claims. Approval transfers ownership and awards the Verified badge.
Featured: tick Featured on any listing - it gets a badge and sorts first. Every listing page prints LocalBusiness JSON-LD with address, hours and the review rating.
Listing links 404 after changing slugs: the plugin flushes permalinks when you save settings; if a stale rule persists, visit Settings → Permalinks and click Save once.
Submissions arrive but no emails: notification and relay emails use wp_mail like the rest of WordPress - if your site's other emails work, these will; if not, add an SMTP plugin.
Reviews not appearing: with review moderation on they wait in Comments → Pending; the listing's average updates when a review is approved.
Paid submissions and featured upgrades via Stripe are available as a Pro add-on, and we build custom directory features on request.