Imagine creating a website where users are eager to submit their own listings.
Over the years, we have encountered numerous individuals who have successfully developed directories that benefit their communities and provide a reliable source of income.
Web directories address two key needs: they assist visitors in finding exactly what they are looking for while also generating sustainable revenue for the site owners.
Whether you’re building a local business directory, a hub for professional services, or a specialized resource center, these websites naturally draw in both users and search engines. Additionally, they require minimal maintenance once properly established.
This comprehensive guide is designed to help you create a professional web directory using WordPress from the ground up. We will explore everything from selecting the right plugins to setting up payment systems, enabling you to launch a directory that benefits your community and generates income for your business.
Why Should You Create a Web Directory Using WordPress?
A web directory functions as a catalog that showcases businesses or individuals.
Each listing includes essential information, such as the business’s location, email address, and the services they provide.
Popular online directories like Yellow Pages, Angi, and Yelp assist users in locating services and businesses.
These well-known directories enhance user experience by organizing their content into topics, categories, tags, and various characteristics, as illustrated in the image below.
Web directories represent a lucrative online business opportunity, allowing you to generate income through user-generated content.
Many tutorials focus on building a directory with a specific web directory theme, which can limit your design options in the long run.
Instead, we suggest using a web directory plugin that is compatible with any WordPress theme of your choice.
With this in mind, let’s explore how to set up a web directory in WordPress. You can use the quick links below to navigate directly to your preferred method:
- Method 1: Build a Directory Using the Recommended Business Directory Plugin
- Method 2: Create a WordPress Directory with Formidable Forms
- Bonus Tip 🌟: Incorporate a Review Feed into Your Business Directory
Let’s dive in!
Method 1: Build a Directory Using the Recommended Business Directory Plugin
The simplest way to create a directory is by utilizing the Business Directory plugin. This comprehensive plugin provides all the tools necessary to build a directory, manage your listings, and process credit card payments within WordPress.
A free version of the Business Directory plugin is available, but the premium version offers enhanced features, including support for payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net. For this guide, we will be focusing on the premium version.
First, you need to install and activate the plugin. If you require assistance, please refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Configure Your Directory Pages
Once the plugin is activated, navigate to Directory » Settings in the WordPress dashboard. A popup will appear requesting your permission to create a new page.
The Business Directory plugin requires this page to function correctly, so click on ‘Create required pages for me.’
The plugin will then generate a new page titled ‘Business Directory.’
By default, this page includes all the necessary controls for visitors to browse your various listings and submit their own entries.
To begin, it’s advisable to review the plugin’s settings by going to Directory » Settings.
Explore the various sections available:
- Directory Listings
- Contact Email
- Payment Options
- Design and Appearance
We suggest reviewing each tab and adjusting the settings as needed.
For instance, in the Listings section, you can modify the number of listings displayed per page.
Once you have made your adjustments, remember to click ‘Save Changes’ to apply your settings.
Personalize the Directory Listing Form
The Business Directory provides a default form for visitors, but you can enhance it by adding your own logo, branding, or custom content.
To customize the form, navigate toDirectory » Directory Contentand select ‘Form Fields.’
This page displays all the fields included in the standard form.
To rearrange a field’s position in the form, simply click the up and down arrows in the ‘Order’ column.
To delete a field, click on its ‘Delete’ link.
If you wish to modify a specific field, click on its ‘Edit’ link.
This will take you to a page where you can change the field label, set the field as required, add an optional description, and more.
Once you have completed your changes, remember to click the ‘Update Field’ button to save your updates.
Establish Business Categories
Next, it’s beneficial to create categories for users to select when submitting their listings. These categories will enhance the browsing experience for visitors, making it easier for them to find what they need, much like the categories and tags in WordPress.
The plugin initially includes a single ‘General’ category, but you can add more by navigating to the ‘Categories’ tab.
Then, click on ‘Add New Category’ to proceed.
In the popup window that appears, enter a name for your new category.
You can also structure the categories into parent-child relationships, similar to how child pages function in WordPress.
To designate a category as a subcategory, simply open the ‘Parent Category’ dropdown and select a parent category.
To finalize the creation of the category, click on ‘Add New Category.’
You can continue adding more categories to your business directory by following the same steps outlined above.
Begin Accepting Directory Listings
Now, visitors can create a new listing by going to your Business Directory page and clicking the ‘Add Listing’ button.
This will direct them to a page where they can enter all the relevant information for their listing.
Next, users should click the ‘Complete Listing’ button located at the bottom of the page to submit their listing.
Each time a visitor submits a listing, you will need to approve it manually.
To do this, navigate to Directory » Directory Content in your WordPress admin dashboard.
You will now see a list of listings awaiting approval.
To view a listing in detail, simply click on its ‘Preview’ link.
This action will open the listing in a new tab.
To modify the listing, click on ‘Edit.’
Once you are satisfied with the listing’s appearance, click on ‘Publish.’
As an admin on WordPress, you can also create listings directly from the dashboard. For instance, you may want to create listings for your affiliate marketing partners to ease their workload.
To create a new listing, go to Directory »Directory Content and then click on ‘Add New Listing.’
This will open a screen where you can enter all the necessary information.
After completing the details, click on ‘Publish’ to make the listing live.
Processing Payments for Directory Listings
There are numerous ways to generate income online with WordPress, such as charging fees for listing submissions.
The Business Directory plugin initially supports only the Authorize.net payment gateway, but you can also accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, and Payfast by upgrading to the premium version.
To configure Authorize.net, navigate to Directory » Settings and select the ‘Payment’ tab.
Next, choose ‘Authorize.net’ as your payment option.
Activate the ‘Enable Authorize.net’ toggle to turn it on.
This will reveal additional settings where you can enter your Authorize.net login ID and transaction key.
After completing that, click on the ‘General Settings’ tab.
If you’re not ready to process payments yet, ensure you enable the ‘Put payment gateways in test mode’ option.
The plugin defaults to accepting payments in US dollars, but you can select a different currency from the ‘Currency’ dropdown menu.
You can also customize a thank you message that will be displayed to users after they make a payment.
Once you’ve finished setting up the payment options, remember to click ‘Save Changes’ to apply your settings.
Establish Payment Plans
To start accepting payments, you must first create at least one payment plan.
First, navigate to Directory »Directory Content and click on ‘Plans’ located in the left-hand menu.
The plugin includes a free plan as well as a default plan priced at $1.00 for a full year.
To modify either plan, simply click the ‘Edit’ link associated with it.
This will take you to a page where you can make various adjustments to the plan.
You can change the pricing or even set different prices for specific categories.
Once you are satisfied with your adjustments, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to activate your plan.
You can follow these steps again to create more payment plans.
Method 2: Build a WordPress Directory Using Formidable Forms
You can also set up a business directory with Formidable Forms.
Formidable Forms is the leading WordPress form builder plugin available, allowing you to create a variety of forms, including surveys, payment forms, booking forms, and more.
We have personally tested this plugin and highly recommend it. Be sure to read our comprehensive review of Formidable Forms for more information!
Formidable Forms includes a robust ‘Visual Views’ feature that allows you to showcase user-submitted content on your website. With this feature, you can effortlessly create directories, real estate listings, job boards, event calendars, and much more.
Now, let’s build a business directory using the Formidable Forms plugin.
Create a Form to Gather Information for Your Directory
The first step is to install and activate the Formidable Forms plugin. For comprehensive instructions, refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
You will also need to install Formidable Forms Lite. This free plugin serves as the essential foundation for the advanced features of the premium version.
After installation, navigate to the Formidable Forms » Global Settings page and select ‘Click to enter a license key manually.’
You can find your license key in your account on the Formidable Forms website.
Once you’ve entered this information, click the ‘Save License’ button.
Integrate a Payment Gateway
Many website owners charge visitors for submitting listings. If you aim to create a premium web directory and accept credit card payments, you will need to install an add-on and set up a payment gateway.
Formidable Forms allows you to accept payments through popular gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net.
This guide will demonstrate how to accept payments via PayPal, with similar steps applicable to other payment gateways.
In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Formidable » Add-Ons. In the ‘PayPal Standard’ section, click on ‘Install.’
Later in this guide, you’ll utilize ‘Visual Views’ to showcase all the information submitted by visitors through your form.
With this in mind, locate the ‘Visual Views’ add-on and click the ‘Install’ button, as you’ll need it later.
Once you’ve completed that, go to Formidable » Global Settings.
Next, select ‘PayPal’ from the left-hand menu.
On this screen, enter the email address associated with your PayPal account.
You can also modify the currency and set the URLs that will be redirected after a visitor completes their payment or cancels their order.
After filling in this information, click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
Create a Form
Now you are ready to create a form by going to the Formidable » Forms page.
Here, click on ‘Add New.’
This will display a list of all available form templates.
For instance, we will create a real estate directory by selecting the ‘Real Estate’ category.
You can now view all the various templates within this category, including several mortgage calculator options.
To preview a template, simply hover your mouse over it and click the eye icon.
To utilize a template, hover over it and click the ‘+’ icon. We will be using the ‘Real Estate Listings’ template for all our images.
After that, enter a title in the ‘Form Name’ field and include an optional description. This information is for your reference, so feel free to use anything you like.
Next, click the ‘Create’ button.
This will launch the template in the Formidable Forms editor.
From this point, you can easily click to customize any field in the form. For example, you might click on the ‘Brief Blurb’ field and enter new text in the ‘Field Label.’
You can also add additional fields by selecting ‘Add Fields’ from the left-hand menu.
Then, drag any fields onto the form layout. For instance, you may want to include a field for visitors to enter their name.
To further customize the template, simply repeat these steps.
Once you’re satisfied with the form setup, click the ‘Update’ button located in the top right corner of the screen.
Add an Optional Payment Action
If you wish to accept payments, you will need to include an action in your form.
To do this, click on the ‘Settings’ tab and choose ‘Actions & Notifications.’
Then, click on ‘PayPal’ to incorporate the action into your form.
Next, navigate to the ‘PayPal’ section.
To charge users a fixed fee for creating a new listing, click on ‘Set Amount.’
You can now enter the amount you wish to charge.
Additionally, you can select whether this will be a one-time payment, a donation, or a recurring payment using the ‘Payment Type’ dropdown menu.
If you choose ‘Subscription’, you can use the controls to define how frequently the user will be billed.
This way, you can generate ongoing revenue from your listings. You can also provide customers with a free trial subscription.
After configuring PayPal, remember to click ‘Update’ to save your changes. Now, users will be required to make a payment before submitting the form.
2. Publish Your Form in WordPress
Once you are satisfied with the appearance of the form, it’s time to integrate it into your WordPress site.
For demonstration purposes, we will add the form to a new page by navigating to Pages » Add New in the WordPress dashboard.
You can now assign a name to the page, upload a featured image, and include any additional content you wish to display.
Then, click on the ‘+’ icon and search for ‘Formidable Forms.’
When the appropriate block appears, click on it to add it to the page.
Next, simply open the ‘Select a form’ dropdown menu and choose the real estate listing form.
Formidable Forms will then insert the form into the post and provide a preview in the block editor.
When you’re ready to publish the form, go ahead and publish the page.
After publishing, it’s advisable to add this page to your WordPress navigation menu for easy access. You may also want to notify your email subscribers so they are aware that they can now submit listings to your website.
3. Create Your Web Directory with Formidable Views
Next, you will want to establish a web directory so that user-submitted content is displayed on your WordPress site.
You can accomplish this using the Visual Views feature, so head over to Formidable » ViewsNext, click on ‘Add New.’
A popup will display various layouts available for your directory.
Select ‘Classic’ to create a new layout from the ground up.
On the following screen, open the ‘Use Entries from Form’ dropdown and select the real estate form we created earlier.
Formidable Forms will automatically assign a name to your view based on the form used as the data source, but you can modify this if desired.
Once you are satisfied with the information provided, click on ‘Create a view.’
You can enter any information you wish to display above and below the listing. For instance, you might want to include your contact details at the bottom of the page.
To do this, simply click on ‘Add Before Content’ or ‘Add After Content.’
This will open a popup where you can enter any text you want to appear above or below the listing’s content.
On the right, you will find additional parameters available for use.
Formidable Forms will replace these parameters with actual values on your website. For example, it will substitute [siteurl] with your website’s URL.
Once you’re satisfied with the details you’ve entered, click ‘Update’ to save your changes and return to the main editing screen.
After that, you can start designing the layout for the various listings on your directory page.
To begin, click on the central ‘+’ icon.
You can now enter text in the main text editor and choose different options from the menu on the left.
In the following image, we are creating a straightforward layout that displays a brief description of each property, along with its price and type.
Finally, we will include the complete description.
The next image illustrates how this simple layout will appear on your WordPress site.
To enhance this basic layout, simply continue adding more options and text following the same steps outlined above.
You will probably want to include a photo of each property.
To do this, click on the ‘Advanced’ tab in the ‘Customization’ panel.
Next, click ‘Show Image’ to display any images submitted by visitors.
While you are designing your layout, you can preview how it will appear to visitors by clicking the ‘Update’ button.
This will take you back to the main editor, where you can see a preview of the layout you are creating.
Once you are satisfied with the appearance of your directory, you can easily embed it into any page or post by using the shortcode available in the left-hand menu under ‘View Name.’
Locate this code and click the ‘Copy’ button to save it.
For detailed instructions on how to insert the shortcode, please refer to our guide on adding shortcodes in WordPress.
After completing that step, simply navigate to the page or post to view your completed web directory.
Bonus Tip 🌟: Enhance Your Business Directory with a Review Feed
In some business directories, displaying customer reviews alongside the listings can be beneficial.
For instance, if you have created a directory for local restaurants or hotels, showcasing Yelp reviews can enhance the experience for your visitors.
Smash Balloon’s Reviews Feed Pro is the top-rated customer review plugin for WordPress.
This single plugin enables you to display reviews from various platforms, including Yelp, Facebook, Google, WordPress.org, Trustpilot, and TripAdvisor, eliminating the need for multiple plugins.
If you’re interested in exploring the features of this plugin, check out our comprehensive review of Smash Balloon!
Reviews Feed Pro also seamlessly integrates with your website’s existing design.
This ensures that the reviews seamlessly integrate with your WordPress theme, making them appear as a natural extension of your business directory instead of content sourced from another platform.
Additionally, Smash Balloon automatically retrieves new content, ensuring that your business directory consistently displays the most recent reviews.
For detailed instructions, please refer to our guide on displaying your Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews in WordPress.
We hope this article has assisted you in creating a web directory with WordPress. You might also be interested in our expert recommendations for the best online order form plugins for WordPress and our comprehensive guide to using WordPress forms.
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.
