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Listdom Business Directory Toolkit Documentation

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The Listdom Business Directory Toolkit is a complete WordPress plugin that bundles everything shown in the Business Directory demo of Listdom and the Listdomer theme. It contains all of the features normally provided by multiple add-ons, such as reviews, favorites, compare, business-focused labels, search and filter presets, and directory-friendly layouts, so you don’t have to install them separately.

With this toolkit, you can launch a business directory that looks and works exactly like the demo, with all the required functionality built in. It’s tightly integrated with the Listdomer theme’s Business Directory demo, ensuring the same design, structure, and user experience right from activation.

The toolkit includes the Advanced Portal Search (APS) addon, which improves how multi-select filters work in your search forms. By default, if a user selects multiple options in a taxonomy filter, listings matching any of those options will show (OR logic). With APS, you can switch to AND logic for specific taxonomies. This means users can find listings that match all selected terms simultaneously. For example, you could require a listing to have every selected amenity to appear in results instead of just any one of them. Administrators can configure each taxonomy’s matching logic under Listdom > Settings > Addons > Advanced Portal Search. The default is OR logic, suitable for broad searches, but enabling AND logic yields narrower, more precise results.

In addition, APS lets you define a Fallback Image for listings without a featured image. Instead of the default “no image” icon, you can upload a custom placeholder image. This improves the look of your directory by ensuring a consistent visual for listings missing photos.

The Business Toolkit bundles the Advanced Map addon, which supports multiple map providers and clustering. In Listdom > Settings > General, you’ll find a Map Provider setting that lets you choose between providers like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap (Leaflet) for your listing maps. If Google Maps is selected, you can enter your API key and even apply a custom Map Style (JSON style code) to match your site’s design. The addon also enables Marker Clustering to group close-by markers on the map. You can toggle clustering on or off; if enabled, you can select a cluster “bubble” style (several predefined image sets for clustered markers). Clustering is especially useful when many listings are in the same area, it improves map readability by showing a single cluster icon with a count, instead of overlapping markers.

Another enhancement is Map Search mode. When Map Search is on, users can filter listings by panning/zooming the map, the listing results will update automatically to show only listings in the current map bounds. This provides an intuitive “draw area” style search experience for users exploring listings geographically.

Finally, the map settings include Map Limit, which is the maximum number of listings shown on the map at once. By default this is 300. You can increase it, but note that very high values may slow down the app or map loading. The default limit is usually sufficient and keeps performance optimal.

The Category Icon (Symbol) feature lets you assign unique icons or markers to each listing category, making your directory visually distinctive. In your WordPress dashboard under Listings > Categories, you’ll see an option to upload or select an icon for each category (e.g., a fork/knife icon for restaurant category, a bed icon for hotels, etc.). Once set, these category icons will appear on listing cards, maps, and other elements, replacing the default pin or marker. They help users immediately recognize the type of listing. If a category icon is not set, Listdom will fall back to the standard marker or first letter of the category name. Category Icons are part of the Business Toolkit’s Symbol addon and require no extra configuration beyond assigning the icons to categories.

The Business Toolkit includes the Labelize addon, allowing you to highlight listings with custom text badges. For example, you might want to mark certain listings as “Featured”, “New”, or “Verified”. Labelize lets you create such labels and display them prominently on listing thumbnails. Labels can be configured in the Listdom settings and are tied into WooCommerce for monetization. You can create a WooCommerce product for each label and assign it to the label in Listings > Labels (this section appears after activating Labelize). This means you could charge listing owners to apply special labels like “Featured”, a great way to monetize your directory. When a listing owner purchases a label product, the system will automatically apply that label to their listing.

By default, Auto Order Complete is enabled for label purchases. This setting (found under Listdom > Settings > Addons > Labelize) will automatically mark the WooCommerce order as completed once the payment is successful, instantly activating the label on the listing. You can turn this off if you prefer to manually verify orders. The Labelize settings page will also remind you to create corresponding WooCommerce products for each label and link them.

With the Business Toolkit, you can enable a full reviews and ratings system for listings (via the Reviews addon). When activated, users can rate listings on a 5-star scale and leave feedback comments. On each listing’s detail page, a Reviews section will appear, showing the average star rating and all user-submitted reviews. Users can click a Write a Review button (usually displayed if they are logged in) to submit their own review. As the site admin, you can moderate incoming reviews from the WordPress dashboard (Listings > Reviews), approving genuine reviews and trashing spam or inappropriate content.

Each listing’s average rating is calculated automatically based on approved reviews, and this rating can be displayed on listing cards and in search results to indicate popularity or quality. For example, a listing might show “4.5 ★ (12 reviews)” at a glance. Higher-rated listings could even be featured or sorted towards the top (depending on your shortcode or widget settings). The reviews feature greatly enhances user engagement and trust, as visitors can see community feedback before choosing a business.

The Rank addon provides tools to rank or score listings based on certain criteria. In combination with Reviews and Stats, Rank can be used to showcase top-performing listings (e.g., “Top 10 Restaurants this Week”). The Business Toolkit’s Rank feature automatically calculates a “rank score” for listings, often using metrics like number of reviews, average rating, views count, or other engagement factors. You might see a special badge or number on listings indicating their rank (for example, #1, #2, #3 in a category). The exact ranking algorithm can be adjusted in settings or defaults to a formula built into Listdom Rank.

One common use is to create a “Popular Listings” or “Highest Rated” section on your site. Using Listdom’s shortcodes or widgets with Rank filters, you can display listings ordered by their rank score. This encourages healthy competition among listing owners to gather positive reviews and interactions. It’s an excellent way to surface quality content to your visitors and keep your directory dynamic. Ranking is maintained automatically by the system; as an admin you mainly decide whether to display ranks and how they factor into your listing displays.

This toolkit incorporates the Favorites addon, allowing users to bookmark listings they love. Logged-in users will see a “Add to Favorites” heart icon on listing cards and detail pages. By clicking the heart, that listing gets saved to their personal favorites list. Users can view all their saved favorites in the front-end dashboard under a “Favorites” section (typically, a Favorites page is provided or you can use the [listdom-favorites] shortcode to create one). The favorites feature makes it convenient for visitors to keep track of businesses or listings they are interested in and revisit them later.

Favorite listings are private to each user (unless you as admin configure any public display). From the admin side, there’s not much to configure, it works out-of-the-box. You might choose to style the favorite heart icon via CSS or ensure the Favorites page is added to your site menu for easy access. This small but powerful feature increases user return visits, as people will come back to check their saved list.

The Compare addon included in Business Toolkit lets users select multiple listings and compare them side by side. For example, in a directory of services, a user might want to compare three different professionals or businesses. With Compare enabled, each listing card will have a “Compare” checkbox or button. Users can select (check) up to a certain number of listings (commonly 2–4) and then click a Compare link to see a comparison table.

The comparison page (available via [listdom-compare] shortcode or a dedicated page in the theme) will display the selected listings in columns, with their details (fields) in rows. This allows an at-a-glance comparison of features, e.g., pricing, ratings, location, etc. Any custom fields or taxonomy terms of the listings will also be compared. As an admin, you can configure which fields appear in the compare table (usually done in Listdom settings or via template overrides). The Compare feature is excellent for helping users decide between similar options and adds an interactive, user-friendly touch to your directory.

For directories that list businesses or places not initially added by their owners, the Claim Listing addon is invaluable. It allows the actual business owners to claim and take ownership of a listing. When active, each applicable listing’s detail page will show a “Claim this listing” button or link (usually for listings that are not yet claimed/verified).

If a user clicks “Claim this listing, ” they’ll be prompted to fill out a form proving they are the owner (for example, providing contact info, business credentials, or a message). Upon submission, the site admin is notified and can review the claim under Listings > Claims in the dashboard. As admin, you can approve or reject claims. Approving a claim will assign that listing to the user who made the request (usually changing the listing’s author to that user) and often mark it as “Verified”. You might also choose to display a “Verified” badge or label on listings that have been claimed and approved, to increase trust.

  1. Visitor finds their business listed on your site and clicks Claim this listing.
  2. They fill out the claim form with details confirming ownership.
  3. You receive the claim request in your WordPress admin. Verify the information provided.
  4. If everything checks out, approve the claim. The listing is now assigned to that user’s account.
  5. The user can now edit and manage the listing as the owner. Congratulations, a new engaged user!

Claiming listings encourages business owners to engage with your directory and keep information up to date. It’s a win-win: owners get control of their presence, and you get verified listings with potentially richer content.

The Business Toolkit also brings the Stats addon, which tracks detailed statistics for each listing. Listing owners (and admins) can see how their listings are performing through metrics like:

  • Views Count: how many times the listing has been viewed.
  • Clicks/Interactions: e.g., how many times users clicked on the phone number, website link, or made an inquiry (if such integrations exist).
  • Bookmarks: how many users favorited the listing.

These stats are typically visible in the front-end owner dashboard under a “Statistics” or “Analytics” tab for each listing. There might be charts or graphs showing trends over time (daily/weekly views). As the site admin, you don’t need to configure much, stats collection happens automatically once the addon is active. You may find a settings page under Listdom > Settings > Addons > Stats where you can reset stats or toggle what to track.

For directory owners, stats provide insight into user engagement. For listing owners, stats are a value-add: they can gauge interest in their listing. For instance, an owner might see that their listing got 1000 views last month and decide to upgrade to a Featured label or membership plan (another monetization opportunity for you).

The Business Directory Toolkit ships with Listdom Pro, unlocking the premium capabilities outlined in the dedicated addon guide. Key areas you can take advantage of include:

  • Frontend submission upgrades: Offer the standalone [listdom-add-listing] form, add custom dashboard menus, and decide whether guests can submit listings (with safeguards like “create user after approval”).
  • Display and layout controls: Switch archives to Side-by-Side, Mosaic, or Accordion skins, override the single-listing layout per listing or category, choose how archive clicks behave (lightbox, sliding panels, new tabs), and embed featured videos or external widgets.
  • Advanced search tooling: Build forms with hierarchical dropdowns, radius searches, numeric range sliders, and filters that target your custom fields so visitors find the exact businesses they need.
  • Interactive mapping: Swap to OpenStreetMap/Mapbox tiles, let users draw on the map to limit results, surface nearby listings via GPS search, and keep results synchronized with the map viewport.
  • Data and developer utilities: Activate advanced directory slugs for SEO, import/export listings through JSON, assign Schema metadata to taxonomy terms, and integrate with other systems through the REST API.
  • Expanded payment options: Pair Membership packages with recurring billing tiers and process on-site card payments using the Stripe gateway that Pro adds to the Payments settings.

Review the Listdom Pro addon documentation for setup guidance on each feature. Most controls live under Listdom → Settings once the addon is active.

The Business Directory Toolkit supports monetization through the Membership addon. This allows you to create tiered membership plans for listing owners. For instance, you could offer a Free Plan (1 listing, basic features), a Silver Plan (5 listings, includes ability to add a video, for example), and a Gold Plan (unlimited listings, featured status, etc.), each for a monthly or annual fee. Owners purchase a plan and then can publish listings according to that plan’s limits.

Head to Listdom → Memberships to configure the packages. Every package must be linked to something that supplies payment information: choose the matching WooCommerce product when you rely on WooCommerce checkout, or attach one or more Listdom Payments plans if you run the native payment engine. Remember that the payment plan is only responsible for billing details (price, one-time vs. recurring duration), while the package settings define the listing-side limits such as listing quotas, tag caps, or which dashboard modules stay enabled.

Memberships are managed via WooCommerce products or Listdom Payments plans behind the scenes. After activating the addon, you’ll get a Memberships menu in Listdom where you can define plans (each plan corresponds to the payment item you linked). Key options per plan include:

  • Number of listings allowed (or “unlimited”).
  • Duration of the plan (e.g., 30 days, 1 year, recurring).
  • Price (set in the linked WooCommerce product or Listdom Payments plan).
  • Feature enhancements (e.g., listings in this plan can have a YouTube video, or are automatically marked Featured).

Once you have plans set up, the front-end dashboard’s Memberships page will list every package so users can compare options and purchase the one they need. After purchase, their account is associated with that plan, and they can add/edit listings up to the allowed number. The addon will automatically track usage—for example, if a user on the Silver Plan (max 5 listings) tries to add a 6th listing, they’ll be prompted to upgrade.

Memberships are a convenient way to ensure recurring revenue. They encourage users to upgrade for more features or capacity. Make sure to configure WooCommerce with a payment gateway (e.g., Stripe or PayPal) or complete the Listdom Payments setup so you can collect payments for these plans. The addon handles expiring listings or plans by disabling the user’s listings or marking them pending if a membership expires (configurable in settings).

In addition to (or instead of) memberships, the Business Toolkit can enable the Top-Up addon so listing owners can pay a one-time fee to bump an individual listing back to the top of the directory. (Top-Up ships with the Real Estate Toolkit by default, but it also works great alongside the Business Toolkit when you want a pay-per-listing boost option.)

Here’s the typical flow once Top-Up is enabled:

  • Create a WooCommerce product for “Listing Top-Up” (or a similar name) that represents the price of a single boost.
  • Owners trigger Top-Up from their dashboard on the specific listing they want to promote. Listdom adds the Top-Up product to the cart and sends them through checkout.
  • After payment, the listing’s Top-Up Date is refreshed, causing it to float to the top anywhere you sort by Top-Up Date. Even if your default sort is publish date, users can switch to “Latest Top-Up” to see the most recently promoted listings.

Top-Up is ideal when you want to sell visibility without managing complex plan tiers. It lets occasional advertisers pay only when they need extra attention for a listing, while recurring customers can still rely on memberships for ongoing access. Consider setting the default sort on key directory pages to Top-Up Date so paid bumps are immediately visible.

Local Business Directory with Claims & Reviews: A city directory site enables the Claim Listings feature so business owners can take control of their pages. Combined with user reviews, this builds trust. Owners who claim their listing often upgrade to a Featured label for more visibility. The result is an up-to-date directory with active owner participation.

Advanced Search for Niche Services: A professional services directory uses the Advanced Search (APS) to implement AND logic on specialties. Users can filter doctors who are both “Pediatricians” and “Accepting New Patients”. This precise search capability (made possible by APS) improves user satisfaction by showing highly relevant results.

Monetization Through Membership: A nationwide listings portal offers tiered membership plans. Small businesses use the Free plan, while larger ones pay for Pro plans that allow more listings and a custom badge. Using the Membership addon, the site owner earns recurring revenue. Additionally, the Topup addon gives sellers a quick way to pay for a visibility boost when a specific listing needs extra attention.