Web directories are similar to catalogs in that they list businesses or professionals with their details, such as contact information, features, and services.
They enable users to skim through lists of links that are organized according to different topics, areas of interest, and categories.
Web directories are typically designed to help users find specific places, services, or local businesses they are interested in.
Creating a web directory is much easier than you think, as there are now a variety of tools available online that can help you out. For instance, WordPress offers multiple web directory themes that will allow you to create a web directory easily.
Besides, there are numerous plugins that can be used with any theme or design if you want more options for your webpage. To make things easier for you, we’ve put together this helpful guide to show you how to create a web directory in WordPress.
Web Host
Before you create a Web directory, you need to find an attested web host. This is to ensure that your website will directly be up and running with consistent traffic growth.
A web host is responsible for all your website’s documents, so you must choose a highly-secured and reputable hosting service with a reliable track record in hosting and can manage increased traffic.
Moreover, the web host should also be able to help improve your site’s overall traffic and performance. You can search for a web host that offers special WordPress features with numerous security measures that can detect and prevent cyberattacks for a better experience.
A web host that provides round the clock client service with low average latency and rapid page processing times can also be quite helpful.
Choose a Theme
After you install and run WordPress, you need to choose a theme that will determine how your web directory will look like. WordPress provides a variety of themes that can suit your needs.
Many of them are free of charge, however, there are specific ones that you may have to pay for.
To choose the right theme for your web directory, you need to look into how often the theme is maintained and whether it’s receptive to various devices and screen sizes.
You should also know if it has multilingual options and can support your plugins. Additionally, you should also check if the web directory can show up among the topmost Google search results.
To make sure you end up with a good theme, a web design company can help you. Having your own theme for your website is the equivalent of finding your own identity.
Choose a Plugin
Plugins come with a variety of options to aid you in easily customizing your web directory and improving the user experience.
Paired with the best directory listing themes, many plugins can support advanced features that will make your website unique.
Look for plugins that can provide everything you need and are compatible with the existing plugins you already use. You must also make sure they don’t require PHP so that you can add features and can work with vast themes.
Custom Post Types
Custom post types will let you design separate sections on your website. Generally, WordPress has only two initial sections: pages and posts.
To add more, you need to click on your admin, go to “Toolhead dashboard,” then click on “Add new post type.” Enter the “Name” and “Description” of your choice, then click on “Save post type.”
Custom Field Types
Custom fields are used to store information about each listing. For instance, if you are listing a restaurant that you have eaten in, you may want to enter their cuisine type, average prices, services, and contact information.
Every bit of data requires a custom field type. As you edit your listing, you are required to complete all sections so that they will become visible on the front-end after you create your template.
To do that, head to the “Toolset Dashboard” and click on “Create field group” next to the post type. On the following page, you can insert a “Name” for your field and add an optional “Description.”
Press on “Add New Field” to add in the details for your custom field. After you finish, click on the “Save field group.”
Templates
To display your custom post types on the front-end, you need to create a template for each of your listings. Go to “Toolset Dashboard,” and click “Create template” where you will see the “Toolset Layouts” drag and drop editor.
From there, you will be able to freely arrange how you
want to display the content of your website.
Web directories have grown very popular over the past few years. They are of great help for users looking for information on local shops, businesses, goods, and services.
Web directory creators can capitalize on the growing demand and profit from the steadily increasing traffic and regular users.
You might think that creating a web directory is a complicated task, but with WordPress, creating an online catalog couldn’t get any easier, thanks to its various themes, compatible plugins, and versatile templates.
