What is a Contact Directory Site?
A contact directory or contact list website is a digital list of individuals or organizations, complete with their names, phone numbers, addresses, and other relevant information. These directories are commonly used in businesses, schools, or non-profits to organize contact data in a way that is easy to search and update.
Why Use an Online Contact Directory?
Online contact directories simplify the process of managing, updating, and searching contact information. By putting this data online, users can access up-to-date contact details anytime, anywhere. It’s an essential tool for teams, customer management, and professional networking. Additionally, an online directory ensures better organization, transparency, and communication.
What a Contact List Website Should Include
When building a WordPress contact directory, it’s important to include essential fields that gives the most important information to the visitors.
The most important information in a contact list site includes:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Physical address
- Social media handles or websites
- Business or organizational roles
How to Build a WordPress Contact Directory
All you need to start is WordPress and a contact list WordPress plugin. Below are the steps for creating your contact directory site using WordPress and Listdom. Listdom is a WordPress directory plugin that lets you create a business directory site for different purposes. From creating a hotel directory to setting up a pet classified ads site, Listdom enables you to build a functional directory website.
1. Install WordPress on Your Hosting Server
Before adding any plugins, make sure you have WordPress installed on your hosting server. This CMS serves as the foundation for your contact directory site. Although most of the host providers install WordPress, you can download WordPress and ask a developer to install it on your host.
2. Install and Activate the Listdom Contact List WordPress Plugin
Visit the WordPress plugin repository to install the free version of Listdom. Once installed and activated, Listdom provides a robust directory platform with plenty of customization options to build the best contact list website.
3. Configure Listdom Settings
Once Listdom is activated, go to Listdom > Settings to configure your directory’s basic functionality. Listdom allows you to define general settings, including styling, user roles, submission forms, and more.
4. Create Categories, Locations, and Tags for Contacts
To manage the contacts lists better, you need to use the taxonomy options of the Listdom directory plugin to organize them. Listdom has 5 free taxonomies e.g. categories, locations, tags, features, and labels. Navigate to the Listings menu in the WordPress dashboard and click on each taxonomy to create new ones.
Let’s say you want to create a contact business directory site displaying the companies’ info of a state. You can categorize these listings on this contact directory site based on the companies’ industries. Also, you can create several locations for the cities the companies are located in. Each taxonomy can be assigned to a listing on the Add/Edit listing page.
5. Create Listings for Your Contacts
After configuring the basics, it’s time to start adding your contact listings. Go to Listings > Add New to create individual listings for each contact. Each listing will have fields such as Name, Email, Phone, and Address. This contact list WordPress plugin has plenty of features for each listing e.g.
- Price Options
- Work Hours
- Contact Details
- Remark (Owner Message)
- Gallery
- Address
- Map
- Comments
Use Style 4 – User Directory
For a contact directory format, Listdom’s Style 4 – User Directory is ideal. It displays contact details in an organized, professional format that makes it easy for users to browse and search contacts. Select this style in the display settings to ensure your contact directory site has the right layout.
6. Create Skin Shortcodes to Customize the Directory Page
Using the WordPress block editor or your favorite page builder, create a new page where your contact directory will be displayed. Insert the appropriate Listdom shortcode, such as [listdom id="6897"], to display your contact listings. Customize the look and feel using Listdom’s built-in style options or CSS to match your site’s branding. The best skins to display the directory in a contact listing site are Table skin and List skin.
7. Add Search and Filter Forms to Your Contact List Website
Make sure to include a search and filter form when creating a contact list site. You can use Listdom’s Search and Filter Builder to easily create a form for your directories. Go to Listdom > Search and Filter Builder to create a form for the directories. Once the form is created, you can insert its shortcode to enable the search functionality on any page of your site.
8. Enhance Your WordPress Contact Directory with Listdom Addons
Listdom offers additional features through various add-ons. Take these add-ons in action to add valuable new features to your contact directory site and even start monetizing it.
- Pro Addon: The main Listdom addon that levels up the Listdom with various features.
- Subscriptions Addon: This allows you to monetize your directory by charging users to add or upgrade listings.
- Claim Addon: Enables users to claim existing listings.
- Top Up Addon: Provides users the ability to top up their account credits.
- Labelize Addon: This lets you add labels to listings, categorizing them for easier browsing.
- Booking Addon: Useful if you want to allow users to schedule appointments directly through your directory.
Explore the full Listdom Addons suite to add more functionality to your contact directory.
Set up Frontend Dashboard
When you want to allow users to add new contact lists to your contact directory website, it’s essential to utilize the Listdom frontend dashboard. The dashboard is included in the Pro add-on.
Monetize the Directory
Use the Listdom and its addon to make money from your contact list site. Monetizing your directory site can be done in various ways, turning your site into a revenue-generating asset. You can offer premium listings where businesses pay for higher visibility or enhanced features like images, videos, or priority placement. Implement subscription models that allow users to access exclusive sections of the directory or additional tools. Advertising space, such as banner ads, can also generate steady income. Additionally, affiliate marketing or sponsored listings from related services or products can diversify your income streams further.
10. Manage and Optimize Your Directory
Once your contact directory site is live, make sure to periodically update contact details, add new listings, and remove outdated ones. You can also optimize your directory for SEO by using relevant keywords such as “WordPress contact list plugin” and “business directory contacts” in your listings and metadata.
Test and Launch Your Contact List Website
Before officially launching your WordPress contact directory site, thoroughly test all its features, including registration, search functionality, listing submission, and payment gateways. Ensure mobile responsiveness and page load speed are optimal. Test different user roles to confirm permissions and workflows are accurate. Once testing is complete, it’s time to launch. Use your domain name, update any temporary URLs, and make sure SSL is active for security. Announce the launch through email, social media, and any existing networks to attract users and listings.
Optimize Your Directory Website for SEO and Marketing
Optimizing your directory website for SEO ensures it ranks high on search engines, attracting more users. Start by researching relevant keywords like “contact directory” and including them in your content, meta descriptions, and alt text. Use an SEO plugin like Yoast to enhance on-page SEO. Fortunately, the contact list WordPress plugin introduced in this article is fully compatible with SEO plugins.
For marketing, leverage content marketing, social media, and email campaigns to build awareness. Consider running targeted ads to attract users. Consistent blogging, social proof (like testimonials), and backlinks from reputable sites will further strengthen your site’s visibility.
WordPress Contact Directory Website Maintenance
Maintaining your contact directory site is crucial for smooth operation and long-term success. Regularly update WordPress, themes, and plugins to avoid security vulnerabilities. Backup your site frequently using a reliable backup plugin to prevent data loss. Monitor site performance, fix broken links, and optimize slow-loading pages. Keep the directory updated with fresh listings and encourage users to stay active. Regularly review SEO analytics to improve traffic and user experience. Proper maintenance ensures your directory remains secure, fast, and relevant to your audience’s needs.
Conclusion
Creating a contact business directory with WordPress and Listdom is an efficient way to organize and present valuable contact information in a professional, user-friendly format. By using the various features and customization options provided by Listdom, including its Style 4 – User Directory layout, you can build a highly functional contact list website that suits your organization’s needs. Whether you’re building it for internal use or as a public business directory, Listdom offers the tools to make your contact directory site stand out.
For more information on Listdom and its add-ons, visit Webilia’s Listdom page.
