1.1. What is Directorist?

Welcome to the official documentation of Directorist, the most powerful WordPress directory plugin designed to help you create any kind of listing and directory website with ease—whether it’s for local businesses, service providers, classified ads, real estate, restaurants, job boards, or directory of any kind.

This documentation is designed to guide you through every step of using Directorist, from installation to advanced customization. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, you’ll find everything you need to get started and make the most out of your directory website.

1.2. Key Features Overview

• 12+ Niche-Specific Themes – Choose from a growing library of pre-built themes designed for various directory types.
• 30+ Extensions – Enhance functionality with a rich library of premium and free extensions.
• Multi-Directory Support – Manage multiple directory types from a single website.
• AI Directory Builder – Quickly generate a full-featured directory using AI prompts.
• Directory Builder (Drag & Drop) – Create and customize directories visually by dragging and dropping.
• Multiple Layouts (Grid/List/Map) – Choose from different layout styles for listing and archive pages.
• Unlimited Custom Fields – Add text, dropdowns, checkboxes, and more to customize your listing forms.
• Advanced Search Filters – Enhance user experience with powerful AJAX-based filtering options.
• Featured Listings – Highlight premium listings for better visibility.
• CSV Import & Export – Bulk upload or export listings with custom field support.
• SEO Optimized – Schema-ready listings and SEO-friendly URLs.
• RTL & Multilingual Ready – Directorist is compatible with WPML, Polylang, and Loco Translate.
• Popular Integrations & Page Builders – Seamless compatibility with WooCommerce, Mailchimp, Oxygen, BuddyBoss, WPML, PayPal, Stripe, and modern page builders like Bricks, Elementor, and Gutenberg blocks.
• Booking System (Pro) – Allow users to book services or appointments directly.
• Paid Listings (Pro) – Monetize your directory website by charging users to submit or renew listings through the Pricing Plan extension.
• Live Chat (Pro) – Enable communication between listing owners and visitors.
• Claim Listings (Pro) – Let businesses claim and manage their listings.
• Android & iOS App (It requires a separate pro plan) – Transform your WordPress directory into a native Mobile App.

Directorist is a plugin for the WordPress platform, therefore, we assume you already have WordPress installed on your system. You may contact your hosting provider for assistance in regards to WordPress installation and ensure to meet the requirements below:

Installation

Directorist can be installed in two simple ways, depending on your preference:

Install from WordPress Dashboard (Recommended)

This is the easiest and fastest way to install Directorist:

• Go to your WordPress site Dashboard
• Navigate to Plugins → Add Plugin
• In the search bar, type “Directorist” and hit the Install Now button.

Once installed, click Activate to enable the plugin.

1.3.2. Manually Install via ZIP File

You can also install the plugin using the downloadable ZIP file. You can download it from WordPress.org or the Directorist Downloads page.

• Go to your WordPress site Dashboard
• Navigate to Plugins → Add Plugin
• At the top, next to the “Add Plugins” heading, click the “Upload Plugin” button.

• Now you’ll see an upload form. Click “Choose File” to select the Directorist ZIP file from your computer, or simply drag and drop the file into the upload area. Then click “Install Now”.

• After successful installation, you need to activate the plugin. This will complete your installation process.

• After activation, a new menu labeled Directory Listings will appear in your WordPress admin sidebar, giving you access to all plugin settings.

After activation, the Directorist Setup Wizard will launch automatically to guide you through the basic configuration. Alternatively, you can skip it by clicking the “Not Right Now, Exit to Dashboard” button, but it is highly recommended for beginners.

• Step 1: Choose a preset directory type or start from scratch.

• Step 2: Select a default location by dragging the map marker or entering your city name in the search bar.

• Step 3: Activate monetization, set up your fees, and choose your preferred payment gateways. You can also skip this step if you wish.

• Step 4: Import demo listings content, and set your data sharing preferences.

• Step 5: Finally, you can either go to the WordPress dashboard or create a listing all by yourself. For now, select the “Create Your First Listing” button.

Create Your First Listing

Now, you will be taken to the “Add Listing Page” option to create your first listing. However, if you returned to the WordPress Dashboard, navigate to the Directorist Listings > Add New Listing > Input Listing Data > Publish.

Please note that as an admin, you are creating this listing manually but later the users or visitors will be able to sign up and submit their listing from the frontend. You can also turn it on or off.

To unlock advanced features like premium themes and extensions, there are two simple ways to access them:

From Your WordPress Dashboard (Recommended)

This is the easiest and most convenient way:

• Go to WP Dashboard > Directory Listings > Themes & Extensions.
• Now connect with your Directorist.com account credentials

• Once connected, you can browse, install, and update premium themes and extensions right from your dashboard.

Manual Download from Directorist.com

You can also manually install your purchased items:

• Log in to your Directorist account.
• Download the themes and extensions files from here.

Themes:

Directorist offers 14+ professionally designed premium themes, each tailored for specific industries and directory niches such as:

• OneListing (free)
• OneListing Pro(Business directory theme)
• dClassified
• dRealEstate
• dRestaurant
• dService
• dHotels
• dDoctors
• dLawyers
• dPlace
• dJobs
• dCar
• dList
• …and more!

• You can generate all pages required/recommended by Directorist by clicking on the Upgrade/Regenerate button shown in the following screenshot. Upgrade/Regenerate button performs two actions.
  
• Regenerate and set unassigned pages.
  
• Replace the assigned page content with default shortcodes. (custom changes will be overwritten)Please note, “Upgrade/Regenerate” will only set the core Directorist pages.

If you are using extensions, then you are required to set the pages manually. Also remember, if you already have pages created with proper shortcode, then clicking on the Upgrade/Regenerate button will create duplicate pages. So, it is better to click this button if you have no pages assigned to the settings. Otherwise, creating all pages manually with the given shortcodes would be a wiser option.

With Directorist, you can also manage the categories for the listings your users upload on your website.

Creating Categories

At first, you need to create a listing category before assigning a listing to it. You can create a listing category in two ways:

1. From the WP Admin Dashboard → Directory Listings → Add New Listing page, while adding a listing as an admin

2. From the Directory Listings → Categories page.

The primary difference between the two methods is that you will be able to add an icon and an image to any listing category in the Directorist Category page(2nd method) while you can not do the same in the Add New Listing page. This is why we recommend creating all listing categories from the Directorist Categories Page.

Go to Directory Listings → Categories page and give a name to your chosen category.

Adding a slug is optional as WordPress will generate this from the name field automatically.

Choose a parent category if you want to organize it by a parent-child hierarchy.

The description field is optional.

From the Category Icon dropdown, select an icon for the category. You can also search for an icon. Directorist uses Font Awesome icons so, you can search a category icon by Font Awesome icon names.

If you wish, you may add an image to the category by clicking the ‘Add Image’ button on that page. The category image will be visible only on the page with the shortcode [directorist_all_categories] and Grid view layout ( you may also display categories in a list layout. Keep reading for more info on this later in the page).

Once you have created the number of categories you wanted, you can assign them to any listing during adding a listing either from the front-end or the backend dashboard.

Adding a location allows the customers to get to their desired listing with ease. This also allows the visitor to filter his or her search.

Adding a listing Location in Directorist

There are two ways to create a listing location-

1. From Directory Listings →  Add New Listing page while adding a listing as an admin,

2. From Directorist Listings → Locations page.

The primary difference between the two methods is that you will be able to add an image to any locations on the Directorist Locations page while you are unable to do the same on the Add New Listing page. This is why we recommend creating all listing locations from the Directorist Locations Page (Method 2).

Name: Go to Directory Listings → Locations page and add the name of the location.
Slug: Adding a slug is optional as WordPress will generate this from the name field automatically.
Parent Location: Choose a parent location if you want to organize it by a parent-child hierarchy.

Description: The description field is optional. You may add an image to a location by clicking the ‘Add Image’ button on that page.

Image: The location image will be visible only on the page with the shortcode [directorist_all_locations] and the Grid view is active(You can display locations in the grid or list, keep reading to learn more about them).

Once you have created the number of locations you wanted, you can assign them to any listing during adding a listing either from the front-end or the backend dashboard.

Adding a tag allows visitors to filter and find listings based on specific attributes. Tags make your directory more searchable and improve the browsing experience.

Method 1: From the Add Listing Form

You can assign tags to a listing while creating or editing it. This is useful if you want to organize listings on the go without navigating to the Tags page.

1. From your dashboard, go to Directory Listings → Add New Listing (or edit an existing one).
2. Locate the Listing Tags panel and type a tag name into the input field.
3. Click Add or press Enter to attach the tag.
4. To add multiple tags quickly, separate them with commas.
5. Click Choose from the most used tags to pick from tags you’ve already created.
6. Simply click a tag name, and it will be added to your listing.

Method 2: From Tags Page

You can create and manage tags centrally from the Tags page. This is helpful if you want to prepare tags in advance or manage them in bulk.

From your dashboard, go to Directory Listings → Tags.

Fill in the required fields:

1. Name – how the tag will appear on your site.
2. Slug – the URL-friendly version of the name (auto-generated if left blank).
3. Description – optional, some themes may display it.
4. Click Add New Tag to save.

On the right side, you’ll see a list of existing tags. From here you can Edit, Quick Edit, Delete, or View any tag. You can also apply Bulk Actions to manage multiple tags at once.

Best Practices

• Use tags for specific attributes (e.g., “Pet-friendly,” “24/7 Service”) rather than broad categories.
• Keep slugs short and descriptive.
• Avoid creating too many overlapping tags, as it may confuse users.

Create the Pages

1. Go to WP Dashboard → Pages → Add New.
2. Create two pages: Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
3. Add your content according to your directory type.

Assign the Pages

1. Navigate to Directory Listings → Settings → Page Setup.
2. Assign Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy pages

Add to the Submission Form

1. Go to Directory Listings → Directory Builder → Add Listing Form.
2. Drag and drop the Terms & Privacy field into your preferred spot in the form.

Configure the Field

• Required – Toggle on to make agreement mandatory. Users must check the box before submitting a listing.
• Optional – Leave unchecked if you only want to display the checkbox without forcing acceptance. You can also change the text.

CSV Import/Export

The CSV Import/Export lets you manage large volumes of listings efficiently. You can bulk upload thousands of listings at once, migrate data from another site, or back up your existing listings in just a few steps. 

Go to Directory Listings → Settings → Import and Export

Before you begin(Skip if you have listings less than 500): 

A CSV file of 25000 records isn’t a problem for Directorist itself, but it may overflow the memory of most hosting services during import. We would recommend you break your CSV file with a smaller number of records — start with about 500 records and see how that goes. You may need to adjust the numbers depending on your hosting plan.

If you do not have any CSV file then you can get started with a sample CSV file–it’s WAY easier than typing it from scratch and helps to avoid common errors. Download it from Directory Listings → Settings → Import and Export → Run Importer and Download a simple CSV.

How to import using Directorist CSV Tool

Step 1: Navigate to WP-Admin Dashboard → Directory Listings → Settings →Import and Export→ click on “Run Importer” and upload the CSV file.

Step 2: In the next window, you will see the column mapping section wherein you need to map the CSV fields to the Directorist listing fields. The left column represents the CSV file’s field names and the right column Directorist field names. To map your CSV field, select the field from the field dropdown in the “Map to field” column.

For example, say, you have a field “name” in your CSV file and you want to display the name as the title of the listing. Map the “name” field to “title” by selecting it from the dropdown next to the “name” field and then, repeat the process for the rest of the fields. If you do not want to import a field simply select the “Do not import” option. Click “Run the Importer” button when you are done.

Note: External URLs are imported into the media library and attached to the post if you map them correctly. Also, If your CSV file contains the same “Category” and “Location” names that you already have on your site then Directorist CSV tool will not create the category and location to avoid duplication. For example, suppose, you already have a category “Food” and if your CSV file contains the same then the contents will be saved in “Food” but no new category will be created.

Step 3: Directorist CSV tool will start the import process and upon completion, you will get a confirmation message.

How to export using Directorist CSV Tool

Navigate to WP-Admin Dashboard → Directory Listings → Settings →Import and Export and click on “Download Export File” to download the CSV file.

Import/Export Settings

In addition to managing listings, Directorist lets you back up, transfer, or restore your plugin settings. These settings are exported and imported as a JSON file. This is useful when moving configurations between sites or creating backups before making changes.

Export Settings

1. Go to Directory Listings → Settings → Import and Export.
2. Under Settings → Export, click Download Settings File.
3. A .json file will be saved to your computer. This file contains all your Directorist configuration.

Use this file as a backup or to replicate the same setup on another site.

Import Settings

1. Go to Directory Listings → Settings → Import and Export.
2. Under Settings → Import, click Upload Settings File.
3. Select the .json file you previously exported.
4. Directorist will apply the imported settings to your site.

Note: Importing will overwrite your existing settings. Always back up your current configuration before uploading a new one.

Restore Default Settings

If you need to start fresh, click Restore under Restore Default Settings. This will reset all settings to their original defaults.

FAQ

Q: Is there any file size limit or how many listings can I import?

Ans: There is no upper limit on the number of records that can be imported using the CSV file process, though your hosting plan may have some effect on the process. This is typically something that your hosting company can help you with, including reading any error logs that have been produced.

Q: Can I upload fields that have multiple values?

Ans: Yes, indeed you can upload multiple values in a single listing. (i.e. multiple categories or locations).

Q: Can I have external URLs in my CSV file?

Ans: Yes, external URLs are imported into the media library and attached to the post. For example, if you have a URL for the preview image, then the image will be saved in the media library as well as will be displayed as a preview image.

Q: Does the field names have to match with the Directorist fields?

Ans: No! You can import all sorts of fields in Directorist. You simply need to map the fields correctly.

Q: Can I bulk edit listings through importer?

Ans: Bulk edit listings through importer is unavailable at the moment.

Q: Can I bulk export listings as CSV? 

Ans: Yes, you can bulk export listings as CSV with Directorist. It provides functionality to export listings in bulk to CSV format, which can be useful for various purposes.

Developers Note

Number of listings imported on every cycle

Directorist imports 20 listings on every cycle of the importing process and, if you are having trouble importing 20 listings due to memory issues of your server, try reducing the import batch size to 5 or 1 and then re-attempt. This will result in a longer batch import time but will increase the chance of success on shared hosting platforms and other resource-constrained servers.

To reduce the number of listings per import cycle add the following snippet in themes functions.php

function listing_import_limit_per_cycle(){
return 20;
}
add_filter('atbdp_listing_import_limit_per_cycle', 'listing_import_limit_per_cycle');