Business Directory Plugins for WordPress

 

A lot of clients have been asking me about setting up a vendor directory on their site.  Most of these are wedding blogs, and they would definitely help their readers a lot if they had a directory of recommended vendors.  It’s also a great way to monetize your site if you can charge a fee for every vendor who wants to be included.  Ideally, the plugin should also make it possible for these vendors to log into your site, create an account, and edit their own listings themselves (but without getting access to your wp dashboard).

I’ve searched through the web for plugins that meet these criteria.  Please note that after you install the plugin, a bit of additional styling might be necessary to make the entries and the archives look good.  You should get in touch with your web designer, just in case.

These are my top 3 picks.

1. Business Directory Plugin

Business Directory Plugin allows you to build local directories, business provider listings, Yellow-Pages style business directories, Yelp-like review sections, build an address book and more.  Form fields are fully customizable, you can accept payments for listings (and even have recurring payments), users can post listings without access to your dashboard, is mobile responsive, and SEO friendly.  This is by far the most popular of all directory plugins with more than 20,000 installs.  (This is a free plugin and is available via the WP plugins repository.)

2. GeoDirectory

Easily turns any WordPress theme into a single-location business directory (multi locations add-on available), with maps, user reviews and more. It allows you to build a Yelp or TripAdvisor clone by simple drag and drop. Listings can be filtered by proximity, rating, reviews or date.  You can add more features by purchasing premium add-ons, which include events, prices & payments, multiple rating categories, etc. (The basic plugin is free, but if you need more features, you need to pay for them.)

3. WordPress Directory

Directory adds a full-featured directory to WordPress complete with ratings, reviews and payments.  It enables you to charge users to list their business in your directory, or build a trusted network of elite services that require a subscription to access.  It also promises to be compatible with any theme.  (This is a premium plugin and is available via membership.)