Online directories used to be more popular. They were spots on the internet where users could find businesses, websites, niche blogs and more. They were seen as places that businesses must be listed on in order to boost search engine juice. Although Google has since decreased the need for companies to be listed on these directories, many of the niche sites are still running strong. Why? Because the good ones actually provide value for the customers. For example, a directory site like Yelp offers information that you can’t find anywhere else, and people are constantly looking for good restaurants and local businesses to check out. When it’s all said and done, you still have a chance to make a decent amount of money by creating your own online directory. How? It all starts with finding the right niche.
Many directories focus on a single type of restaurant or location. For example, you may have a more credible directory in your small town than Yelp can offer. On the other hand, a directory for certain businesses like marketing firms in the area could perform well. Directories are all over the internet, so the key is to find a niche that either hasn’t been tapped, or the people who are running the directory aren’t doing a good job. There’s no reason to build your directory from scratch, because quite a few WordPress directory themes are sold from third party vendors. We put together a solid list so you don’t have to go searching all over the internet. The main goal is to find a responsive, clean directory theme with filtering and search tools. A map is always nice to have, and compatibility with plugins comes in handy. Keep reading to learn about the top directory themes on the market, and feel free to bookmark this page for future reference.
Cuisine
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The Cuisine WordPress theme presents a powerful and responsive solution with support for restaurants in your area. Basically, it organizes the restaurants you want to have in your directory and lets you categorize them by cuisine. Installing the theme only takes a few minutes, and the various page templates are nice for quickly constructing pages throughout your website. For example, the homepage has a map embedded for users to quickly make searches and find the restaurants they’re interested in around their area. The People page has options for talking about the people who work behind the scenes at your company. It’s also possible to feature folks from the businesses listed on your directory. Feel free to talk about what the people do in your business, and show images of their smiling faces to make your website seem more personable. Each restaurant gets a details page to talk about what they offer in the shop. The user profile page is for both users and restaurants.
Visitors have the chance to bring the map into a full screen view, cutting out all of the distractions that would prevent people from finding the restaurants they want to eat at. The theme is completely ready for mobile interfaces, making it much easier for people on the go to access the listings. It may not seem like a huge deal right now, but a mobile interface is essential for directories, considering so many people are going to look up restaurants while in their car or while walking around. Customizing the theme comes into play when you’d like to change around the colors and fonts. This is all managed on the backend, so there’s no need to touch any source code. We assume that most webmasters are interested in monetizing their directories, so the Cuisine WordPress theme includes a wide set of options for doing so. For example, there’s a setting for creating unlimited pricing packages. So, when a business wants to list on your site, you can just send over the plans. Recurring payments are useful, while the ad banners serve as an alternative way to get the word out about local restaurants. Along with “claim your business” tools, featured business charging and membership packages, the Cuisine WordPress theme is a moneymaking machine.
DirectoryEngine
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Check out the DirectoryEngine WordPress theme if you’re interested in starting from a point that isn’t catered to a single industry. For example, you could make a directory that is focused on restaurants or auto repair shops. It doesn’t matter what the site ends up as, because the DirectoryEngine WordPress theme delivers the settings needed to make it all happen. Featured listing support boosts the amount of money you can make, while the variety of pricing plans are essential for bringing in different types of businesses. Local payment gateways are given to you when purchasing the theme, so you can implement payment gateways like PayPal and Authorize.net. Quite a few others are included, so you can complete your own research to see which one is going to give you the best return. The frontend customization mode has what you need to make modifications without touching the source code. However, more advanced coders still have the ability to get their hands dirty with their own coding.
The built-in content blocks and customizable widgets are the heart and soul of the DirectoryEngine WordPress theme, making for a rather intuitive visual interface. Beginners and advanced users have been known to really enjoy the look and feel of the DirectoryEngine theme, considering it provides tools for both types of people. Maximizing traffic is a large part of running an online directory, and the search engine optimization settings are all packaged into the theme to ensure that you don’t have to do much work on your end. For example, built-in schema support gives search results a more visual view, convincing more users to click through and view your listings. The theme has an SEO friendly directory structure, which runs on both mobile and desktop platforms. An engaging event listing module brings several opportunities into the mix, including the fact that you can share events that your own company is running. The theme suggests certain locations when people are in the area, and the social sharing buttons are sure to improve the amount of exposure you receive online.
Explorable
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The Explorable WordPress theme is from the folks at Elegant Themes, meaning that the support is solid, and you won’t have to worry about poor coding. Browser compatibility improves how many people can see your directory, while the mobile responsiveness helps out those who are on the move. Think about how many people are looking for restaurants and businesses on their phones nowadays. If you don’t have this functionality, your competitors are going to blow right past you. Complete localization is a handy tool for connecting with people who may not speak your language. For example, they can choose the language of their choice, even if the majority of your content is listed in English. The Google Maps integration leaves little markers all over the map, guiding users to the spots that are closest to them. This map is the first module that people are going to see when landing on your site. Therefore, it’s essential to fill it with a decent amount of businesses. Otherwise, users aren’t going to think that it’s worth sticking around. The visitor ratings system increases your site credibility, because people can stop by and see that some of the businesses are rated high, while others aren’t considered that good.
The Explorable WordPress theme includes unlimited colors to choose from, so we recommend uploading your logo and using the color picker to match up the rest of your site with your branding strategy. One of the standout features is the filterable search. For example, if someone wants to locate a Chinese restaurant, they may also want one that is somewhat affordable. In order to do that, they need to have the right filtering tools. Several shortcodes are packaged into the Explorable theme, cutting down the amount of time it’s going to take to make items like buttons and columns. Along with page templates, your options for speeding up the development process are rather vast. As with most of the themes on this list, the Explorable solution provides a beautiful blog, boosting your search engine rankings, as long as you create valuable content for your visitors.
GeoTheme
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GeoTheme is an all in one directory solution with similar elements to Yelp. The geo-location works nicely for both the mobile and desktop versions, and the expandable Google Maps module is ideal for those users who are more used to searching on a map. Social connections are given to you through social media buttons and sharing tools. Places and events are created through custom posts, while the new listings on your site will receive certain badges to let people know that a new establishment has gone up in their town. Listings are organized by categories, and users can go in there and filter when searching for the business they want to find.
Along with coupon management, transaction management and reviews, the GeoTheme solution is one powerful choice.
DirectoryS
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DirectoryS is a powerful directory theme that’s sure to impress anyone who lands on your website. It’s one of the most feature-rich themes on this list, with new features constantly being added as theme updates roll out. The homepage features a large map and a search form which lets your users easily find the information they are looking for. You can also include featured listings in several categories as well as ads from various third parties as an additional way of monetizing. Add ratings and reviews to any of your listings and use geolocation features to power Google Maps that are displayed on your website.
Use customization features to change colors, fonts, upload your own logo, and much more. Create unlimited sidebars and take advantage of numerous shortcodes to easily add buttons, accordions, and other design elements to your pages. Highlight particular listings with FontAwesome icons or display featured listings in a stunning slider. Finally, you can rest assured your website will always display at its best thanks to the responsive and retina-ready design.
Directory Theme from Premium Press
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Directory from PremiumPress is a feature-rich directory theme that includes more than 50 child themes which make it easy to create a truly unique website. This also makes it a true multipurpose theme as you can create listings for all sorts of niches. Furthermore, each of the child themes can be customized through the theme options panel. Other features include the ability to display both free and paid listings, maps, and content filtering. There is also a dedicated user area where users can send and receive private messages as well as subscribe to categories for which they will receive emails when new listings are added, and much more.
Visitors can submit their own ratings and comments while payments are easily collected via PayPal or one of 20 other payment gateways. The theme is fully responsive as well as SEO optimized so you can be sure your website will look good on all devices as well as be visible to search engines. On top of that, Directory has support for multiple languages so you can easily translate your website into any language and attract a wider audience.
Directory by Templatic
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Directory is a responsive theme that lets you create, manage, and monetize a local or a global directory website. Directory theme comes with one-click install built-in. Simply activate the theme and it will import all of the demo content and the settings so all you have to do is replace the content with your own. The header area is reserved for a large map and various listing categories are neatly displayed right below it in a list format which makes it easier for your users to find what they are most interested in. Your visitors can also use the search form to browse the listings as well as add their own reviews to particular ads.
This theme can be easily customized through the theme options panel which lets you style any aspect of your website. Naturally, the Directory theme also features a responsive design. When it comes to monetization features, you can charge for featuring a business, sell membership packages, display third-party ads, setup recurring payments, and much more. Directory is truly a powerful theme that won’t disappoint.
YellowPages
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GeoDirectory
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Superlist
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Listable
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Search & Go
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Ultimate Directory
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eList Directory WordPress Theme
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MeshJobs
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Explore
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Globo
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Point Finder
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Atlas Directory
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Vantage
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Listify
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Business Finder
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Nightlife
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Events v2
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Javo Directory
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Business Directory Theme from Premium Press
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