Sharing articles has never been easier with our article directory WordPress plugin. Learn how to get started with it in just three steps!
If you’re looking to share articles with your audience, picking the right software is essential. However, choosing an article directory WordPress plugin isn’t always easy. It can be tough to find one that balances powerful features with easy-to-use settings.
Fortunately, we've got you covered with our Business Directory Plugin. With the help of this tool, you can build an effective article directory without breaking a sweat.
What is an article directory?
Before getting started, let's talk about article directories. An article directory is a website with a collection or roundup of articles. They can be about a wide variety of topics or a narrowed down, niche article directory.
These articles can be sourced from all over the web. It's a great way for publishers to get additional backlinks and traffic. Even for a hobby blogger, an article listing site can be a huge help. Submitting articles to directories has great potential to grow their audience.
When you create your own article directory, you'll need to spend time building great Domain Authority and SEO. A valuable site like this will offer the most valuable backlinks and traffic. And of course, if your website offers a ton of value, it's also easy to monetize.
In this post, we’ll show you how to create an article directory in just three steps. We’ll also give you a few tips to help you maximize its benefits. Let’s go!
Step 1: Customize your article listings
Let's start by setting up your basic directory. First, make sure you've installed and activated the premium version of our plugin. Then, adjust your core settings as necessary.
Afterward, you'll need to create your directory pages. Our plugin will offer to do this for you:
Alternatively, you can create your own by adding a [businessdirectory] shortcode to a page. You can also add a submission page the same way with the [businessdirectory-submit-listing] shortcode.
Next, you can edit the default form fields that you want to apply to your articles. For example, you might want to add options for users to include their pen names, external links, or brief descriptions. You can do so by going to Directory → Form Fields → Add New Form Field:
If you're looking to build a niche article directory, using unique form fields can help you get more specific. For example, if you're collecting articles about movie stars, you can add a field that asks which film the author is writing about.
Add the required information and save your changes. To modify the order that these form fields appear in, you can go back to the Form Fields to rearrange them.
Step 2: Enable visitors to submit articles
Now, you can make it easier for users to send in their own articles. Start by deciding on the payment plan: you can either set up plans or stick to free submissions.
Then, you'll need to set up your front-end submission form. Go back to the listing page you created in step one. After you publish it, you should see a form that looks like this, but includes the fields you chose:
Now visitors can send their articles to be included in the directory. If you want to read these posts before they go live on your site, go to Directory → Settings → Listing and make sure that the default listing status is set to Pending.
Step 3: Add a powerful organizational system
At this point, you should have used our article directory WordPress plugin to build a simple site. Nevertheless, you may also want to add a few organizational features to take it to the next level.
For example, we recommend setting up categories. These can make it easier for users to browse your website. You can start by installing the category add-on, then navigating to Directory → Directory Categories:
Fill in the fields on the left-hand side to add your new category. You can also create hierarchies to make finding specific articles even easier for your users.
We also recommend that you add a search function, which is an essential directory tool for any website. Simply use our built-in shortcodes to display simple or advanced search fields:
For more information on this tool, you can check out our knowledge base article on search functions.
Conclusion
Sharing articles shouldn't be a struggle. Fortunately, if you'd rather focus on the content than the setup, Business Directory Plugin has got you covered. With the help of our software, you can build a top-tier article directory in no time.
In this article, we showed you how to use our article directory WordPress plugin in three steps:
- Customize how you want to display your article listings.
- Enable your users to submit their own content.
- Add organization features like categories and search systems.
Business Directory Plugin has all the functions you need to kickstart your new directory. Check out what our premium plans can help you do today!
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