The easiest way to build an online directory website on WordPress is to install Web Directory plugin. As well it is really easy to convert any existing site into a fully featured directory business website with the directory plugin. WordPress directory plugin for any purposes, and examples would be classifieds, events directory, cars, bikes, boats and other vehicles dealers site, restaurants, pets, real estate portal, wedding site, yellow pages, local directories, map store locator.
Moreover, it also features location based directory. Maps & map markers functionality gives users fast and easy ability to find nearby places by powerful search system.
Renders frontend buttons: submit new listing, my favourites button and these buttons on single listing page: edit listing, print listing, put in/out favourites list, save listing in PDF:
Displays breadcrumbs in the place of this shortcode. This shortcode need when you build custom home page:
[webdirectory-breadcrumbs]
Displays category, location or tag title in the place of this shortcode. This shortcode need when you build custom home page.
[webdirectory-term-title]
Displays category, location or tag description in the place of this shortcode. This shortcode need when you build custom home page:
The plugin offers tons of features. Print listing, save in bookmarks, download in PDF, SEO friendly pages, images, YouTube and Vimeo videos attachments, custom fields, custom icons, customize colors and much more customization options.
Features of wordpress directory plugin
Directory shortcodes, including: listings, maps, categories, locations, search box, slider and their widgets
Compatibility with page builders, like WP Bakery Visual Composer and SiteOrigin
Ability to build Custom Home pages
Demo data import tool
Restrict ads by listings levels
Sticky and featured listings options
Raise up directory listings
Renew expired listings
Upgrade/downgrade listings levels
5-star ratings for listings
Customizable content fields of different types
Font Awesome icons for custom content fields
Category-based content fields
Order directory listings by date, title, distance, content fields
Powerful search by content fields
Adapted for the Relevanssi search plugin
Icons for categories
Search by categories and locations
SEO friendly – fully compatible with Yoast WordPress SEO plugin
Locations search in radius – results displaying on map
Multiple locations for one listing
Google Maps and MapBox (OpenStreetMap) integrated
Search form on a map
Custom map markers
Draw search area on a map
YouTube and Vimeo videos attachments for listings
Images AJAX uploading
Contact listing owner form + integration with Contact Form 7 plugin
Bookmarks functionality
‘Print listing’ option
‘Get listing in PDF’ option
Adapted for reCaptcha
Fully customizable and easy in configuration
The plugin uses custom post types and taxonomies
Responsive design based on Twitter Bootstrap
Custom Google Map styles
Supports RTL (Right To Left) – layout, functionality, UI widgets
CSV import/export/bulk update with ability to import images files
Features of full version
PayPal payment gateway including PayPal subscriptions
improvement: MapBox styles were updated and new styles added
improvement: radius search filter now can be displayed as a selectbox
improvement: new parameter ‘start_listings’ for directory, map and listings shortcodes. Display specific listings by default, then directory searches as usual.
improvement: categories and locations grids styles improved
improvement: better compatibility with Yoast SEO plugin in “Imitation mode” for some themes
new feature: hide listings with passed dates by date-time content field
improvement: map infoWindow max width responsive to map width
improvement: search reset sets the radius slider to its default value instead of zero 0
bug fix: address line autocomplete option did not work
bug fix: fixed error “Call to undefined function is_plugin_active()” at the frontend
bug fix: 404 error on taxonomy pages in Imitation mode on some WP themes
bug fix: special HTML characters decoded in keywords search auto-suggestion output
bug fix: “no listings” error when random sorting
bug fix: date-time content field range parameters were corrected
bug fix: load scripts and styles for directory elementor widgets
bug fix: error messages while create/edit listings under “editor” user role
Version 1.6.8
improvement: better compatibility with PHP 8.2
improvement: better performance when custom home shortcodes are used
improvement: do not include radius search in URL when no address was entered
improvement: adapted for new versions of Elementor plugin
new setting: Images required
new setting: The farest zoom level. How far we can zoom out: 1 – the farest (whole world) – min_zoom parameter
new setting: The closest zoom level. How close we can zoom in: 19 – the closest – max_zooom parameter
new parameter [webdirectory-map enable_infowindow=1]
new parameter [webdirectory-map close_infowindow_out_click=1]
bug fix: ‘Show more listings’ button gave wrong results when ‘Display all map markers’ mode was enabled on the map
bug fix: compatiblity issues with some themes were fixed
bug fix: listings carousel did not update on search request
Version 1.6.7
bug fix: security update
Version 1.6.6
improvement: display locations with same coordinates in one scrolling infoWindow using clusters on the map (Google Maps and MapBox)
new setting: The farest zoom level. How far we can zoom out: 1 – the farest (whole world) – min_zoom parameter
new setting: The closest zoom level. How close we can zoom in: 19 – the closest – max_zooom parameter
new parameter [webdirectory-map enable_infowindow=1]
new parameter [webdirectory-map close_infowindow_out_click=1]
bug fix: listings carousel did not update on search request
bug fix: search by phone numbers in search forms
bug fix: 768px min width incorrect CSS on list view mode
Version 1.6.5
new feature: sorting date metabox at admin dashboard to edit listings sorting date manually
improvement: follow custom_home parameter on taxonomy pages (categories, locations, tags)
Version 1.6.4
improvement: do not auto-scroll to listings on search forms when clicking reset buttons
improvement: whatsapp number link opens in new window
bug fix: broken string/textarea fields search
Version 1.6.3
improvement: added distance from center when search by radius
improvement: address search visible parameter was added
improvement: added ‘use_wrapper’ parameter in [webdirectory-dashboard] shortcode
improvement: edit “Try to search” and “Search in radius” labels in search forms options
improvement: “Page Header” WP widget and Elementor widget was added
improvement: now decimal values available when search by radius
bug fix: problem of mapbox directions on single listing page was fixed
bug fix: search radius slider field value by default
bug fix: adapted for latest Elementor plugin
bug fix: 5-columns layout of a search form could not be saved
bug fix: missing subcategories search in single dropdowns
bug fix: show listings by categories/locations at the admin backend
bug fix: search field select dependency terms problem
bug fix: hierarhical and multi-select search fields reset error
Version 1.6.2
improvement: search by opening hours field
improvement: sticky-scroll search forms on map now have fixed position in the map sidebar
improvement: pan the map to entered address when search in radius
improvement: now users can enable WooCommerce subscription directly on listing upgrade checkout
improvement: bounce map markers on address hover
improvement: 24 Elementor widgets added
new shortcodes:
[webdirectory-listing-header]
[webdirectory-listing-fields]
[webdirectory-listing-gallery]
[webdirectory-listing-map]
[webdirectory-listing-videos]
[webdirectory-listing-contact]
[webdirectory-listing-report]
[webdirectory-listing-comments]
use with [webdirectory-listing-page]
improvement: placeholder setting implemented into taxonomy search fields
new setting: Use Zip or Postal code label
new settings: Categories & Locations tables colors – links, hover links, terms and heading terms background colors
improvement: select color for the taxonomies terms in search forms
improvement: new search mode for taxonomies – checkboxes and radios buttons
bug fix: disable to open links in new window setting, did not work for keywords search results
bug fix: scroll to results after search submission did not work for maps
bug fix: misprint in the name of search shortcode [webdirectory-search] in Search Forms table
bug fix: missing WPSEO_Frontend class error
Version 1.6.1
bug fix: broken post types functions on the last update
Version 1.6.0
improvement: new search system
improvement: new Google Maps style: No default Points Of Interest on the map
improvement: follow miles/kilometers setting on directions/route panel in MapBox
improvement: listing title on a single listing page now displays again
new shortcode: [webdirectory-page-title]
new settings: order categories and locations tables by default (drag & drop on admin pages), alphabetically or by count
improvement: MapBox GL version was updated
improvement: ‘hide_listings’ parameter in listings shortcode to hide listings on load before search
bug fix: noindex meta enabled in Yoast SEO plugin in Imitation mode
bug fix: [webdirectory-listings] shortcode ‘order_by’ parameter did not follow on search
Version 1.5.3
security update
Version 1.5.2
new feature: Imitation mode – some themes require imitation mode to get working listings/categories/locations/tags pages
improvement: better compatibility with popular themes
bug fix: slider shortcode was not working after previous update
bug fix: show search button by default on custom home pages
bug fix: close button at the map marker info window did not work on MapBox maps
bug fix: “Save listing in PDF” button was not working in Chrome
Version 1.5.1
new setting: hide search button on the form
new setting: auto-scroll to listings on search submit
improvement: adapted for Elementor
improvement: map marker info window generated in template now
bug fix: wrong content on categories pages
bug fix: do shortcodes on [webdirectory-listing-page]
Version 1.5.0
improvement: custom post type pages used now
improvement: MapBox geolocation service follows language
improvement: display sibling categories and locations when current term does not have neither children, nor listings
improvement: added levels parameter into the [webdirectory] shortcode
improvement: additional map marker info field was added in CSV import
improvement: custom sorting of Categories and Locations items
improvement: reCAPTCHA v3 was added
bug fix: sticky-scroll maps have not been resized after page load
bug fix: PDFmyURL service URL repaired
bug fix: wrong CSS in grid columns on iPad
bug fix: listings did not apply from listings packages
bug fix: wrong UK address autocomplete code for the MapBox geocoder
bug fix: php errors on listings level creation
bug fix: wrong categories and locations listings counts
Version 1.4.1
bug fix: missing database columns in installation
Version 1.4.0
new feature: added directory shortcodes, including: listings, maps, categories, locations, search box, slider and their widgets
new feature: compatibility with page builders, like WP Bakery Visual Composer and SiteOrigin
new feature: ability to build Custom Home pages
new feature: demo data import tool
new feature: specify which users can see listings by user roles
new setting: enable/disable HTML in the listing description field
improvement: ability to limit number of tags per listings level
improvement: added scroll to the map when “show on map” icon was clicked on a listing
improvement: better compatibility with the new version of Yoast SEO plugin v14+
(robots metadata, content fields snippets support, follow default titles of taxonomies items, canonical URLs, Open Graph meta tags)
improvement: load bxslider on single listing only when multiple images
improvement: ability to set post status along with the listing status in CSV file
improvement: MapBox library version was updated
bug fix: broken comments counter at the single listings page
bug fix: wrong “select map marker” dialog
bug fix: duplicate listings when order by ratings
bug fix: listings comments template appear in regular WP posts and pages on certain occasions
bug fix: empty places when “No Maps” selected
bug fix: compatibility with wpDiscuz plugin
bug fix: RTL support on delete image button
bug fix: jQuery deprecated methods were removed
bug fix: lighbox gallery did not open on some mobile devices
bug fix: separate translation strings of expiration email notification subjects
integration_hooks.php file explaining some w2dc filters
our plugins section updated
Version 1.3.2
bug fix: breadcrumbs have left a home link even disabled
bug fix: do not auto-zoom on a map when auto-geolocation enabled
bug fix: website content fields type was broken after v1.3.1
Version 1.3.1
improvement: text value instead of ID in the checkboxes/select/radio content fields CSV export
improvement: Contact Form 7 post shortcodes compatibility
improvement: take listings map markers icons from the most relevant category on the search
improvement: adapted for the new version of Yoast SEO plugin v14
new setting: hide listing title on a single listing page
new setting: enable/disable map on a single listing page
bug fix: map AJAX search on certain occasions
bug fix: CSS issue on checkboxes on mobile devices
bug fix: 0 value in CSV import of digital content field was missed
bug fix: contact form does not appear on certain occasions
Version 1.3.0
new feature: Ratings & Comments addon
new feature: checkboxes content field has ability to add icons near items
new feature: new content field type “phone”, allows to add special meta tags to make call by click or open needed app (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram)
new feature: content fields groups on submission page now have own metaboxes and could be sorted
new feature: added images metadata info (file size and dimensions) on the submission form
new feature: import images by URLs in CSV file
new setting: setting to change the size of Font Awesome map markers
new setting: PDF page orientation – either portrait or landscape
improvement: images slider was updated
improvement: upload own image icons to content fields
improvement: ‘more filters’ search section appears only when filters ready for the search
improvement: the plugin was adapted to work with Ratings & Reviews plugin for WordPress
improvement: ‘search nearby’ label was added in addresses search dropdown
improvement: ‘w2dc-listing-level-{LEVEL_ID}’ CSS class was added
improvement: Vafpress Framework was updated to avoid conflict with select2
improvement: MapBox library version was updated
improvement: listings counter in checkboxes search field follows directory parameter
improvement: added notice to enable maps first when no maps is used for the maps shortcode
improvement: Google Places autocomplete service displays more relevant suggestions
improvement: layout wraps images gallery by the first fields group
improvement: removed empty space when all fields names are hidden in fields group
improvement: avoid broken lazyload images of some optimization plugins
improvement: dashboard notice on how many listings a user has in his packages
improvement: bounce map markers on hover a listing
improvement: listing-thumbnail (800×600) image size was added into WordPress
improvement: breadcrumbs micro-data schema was improved
improvement: scroll to search input top on click on touch devices
improvement: highlight map markers on hover a listing
bug fix: submit and manage images on Android devices
bug fix: conflict with WooCommerce Admin plugin
bug fix: hide empty categories does not work on certain occasions
bug fix: hidden content fields metabox on certain occasions
bug fix: php warning on tags pages
bug fix: missing search field on the mapbox full screen mode
bug fix: images upload AJAX response was not converted into JSON for some reason
bug fix: search input reset did not work on certain occasions
bug fix: force to convert json input into UTF-8 on AJAX responses
bug fix: the setting to hide Listing ratings metabox did not work
bug fix: breadcrumbs micro-data schema issue on sertain occasions
bug fix: REST API and Loopback Request issues were fixed
bug fix: listings links in WPML
bug fix: avoid conflicts in WP Query from another plugins on sertain occasions
Version 1.2.1
improvement: more userfriendly listings sorting links
improvement: select specific levels for a content field on its own settings page
improvement: ability to translate and switch languages MapBox Directions widget
improvement: MapBox map tiles follow browser language
improvement: better compatibility with PHP 7
bug fix: improvements in categories and locations widgets CSS
bug fix: miles instead of kilometers in visible search params
bug fix: Yoast SEO plugin meta description compatibility issue
bug fix: page header shortcode subcategories/sublocations featured images
bug fix: limit images upload and videos attachment
bug fix: incorrect decimal numbers search
bug fix: date-time content field in the map marker info window
Version 1.2.0
new feature: sort listings images by drag & drop
new feature: listing report form
new feature: sort listing tabs
improvement: display site logo on listings print and pdf, invoices print
improvement: better responsiveness of listings sidebar on the map
improvement: search prices and numbers content fields by min-max numbers into the text inputs
improvement: MP4 mime type added for file upload content fields
improvement: CSS of listings tabs for Enfold theme
improvement: better responsiveness of search checkboxes and radio items
bug fix: import CSV locations coordinates without addresses
bug fix: image upload AJAX request does not call success in admin on certain occasions
bug fix: date-time field incorrect end date when empty
bug fix: page header shortcode subcategories/sublocations featured images
bug fix: limit images upload
bug fix: incorrect decimal numbers search
bug fix: duplicated map markers on certain occasions
bug fix: page content was displayed instead of listing summary on certain occasions
bug fix: missing w2dc_dashboardUrl() function
Version 1.1.4
new option: checkboxes columns on single listing page
new feature: show contact form only for logged in users
improvement: images gallery swipe on touch screens
improvement: double-click zoom on map enabled
improvement: increased speed of the search by text content fields
bug fix: remove map canvas when maps are not used on frontend pages
bug fix: error on missing locations levels
Version 1.1.3
new feature: visible search parameters
new feature: settings to edit Sticky and Featured listings labels
new feature: ability to export listings status in CSV files
improvement: MapBox clusters zoom in on click
improvement: wp_remote_get() instead of cURL functions
bug fix: disable hyphens to dashes conversion in listings search autosuggestions
bug fix: PHP Notices on Email Notifications settings tab
Version 1.1.2
new feature: demo data import
new feature: ability to import listings status in CSV files
new feature: option to hide content fields from another users except admins and listing author
new feature: MapBox Custom Map Style
new option: Number of listings columns for mobile devices