Getting Started — Local Directory Documentation

Requirements

Before installing Local Directory, make sure your environment meets these minimum requirements:

WordPress 6.0 or higher
PHP 7.4 or higher
A WordPress theme — any theme works (block themes and classic themes are both supported)

Installation

Option A: Upload via FTP / File Manager

1
Upload the local-directory folder to your plugins directory:
```
/wp-content/plugins/local-directory/
```
2

In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and activate Local Directory.
3

A new Listings menu appears in the WordPress admin sidebar. You are ready to go.

Option B: Install from the WordPress Plugin Directory

1

In the WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
2

Search for Local Directory.
3

Click Install Now, then Activate.

First-Time Setup

After activation, follow these three steps to get your directory page live:

1
Create a Directory Page

Go to Pages > Add New, give it a title (e.g., "Directory"), and add the following shortcode to the page content. A shortcode is a special tag wrapped in square brackets that WordPress replaces with dynamic content when the page loads:
```
[local-directory]
```
Publish the page when you are done.
2

Set the Directory Page

Navigate to Listings > Settings > General and set Directory Page to the page you just created.

Why this matters: Setting the directory page ensures all breadcrumbs (including Yoast and Rank Math breadcrumbs) link back to your directory. It also enables correct permalink resolution for single listing pages. A permalink is the permanent URL for a page or listing on your site (e.g., yoursite.com/listing/joes-pizza).
3

Visit Your Directory

Open the page on the frontend. Your directory is now live — it will be empty, but the search bar, map, and layout are all working. Time to add some listings.

Adding Listings

There are two ways to populate your directory with listings:

Manually

Go to Listings > Add New. Fill in the title, description, category, location, and coordinates. Add photos and business hours if you like, then publish.

Bulk Import

Go to Listings > Import and upload a Google Maps JSON export. Photos, ratings, business hours, and addresses are imported automatically. See the Import Guide for details.

Configuring Maps

Local Directory ships with two map providers. The default is free and requires no configuration.

Provider	API Key Required	Cost
OpenStreetMap (Leaflet)	No	Free
Google Maps	Yes	Free tier available

OpenStreetMap (Leaflet) is the default provider and works out of the box with no API key. This is the recommended option for most directories.

To switch to Google Maps:

Go to Listings > Settings > Maps
Select Google Maps as the map provider
Paste your Google Maps API key — a unique code that identifies your site to Google's services (free to create with a Google account)

Google API requirements: Your API key needs the following APIs enabled in the Google Cloud Console: Maps JavaScript API, Places API, and Geocoding API.

What's Next

Now that your directory is up and running, explore the rest of the documentation:

Shortcodes Reference

All available shortcodes and their attributes.

Settings Reference

Every option in the settings panel explained.

Import Guide

Import listings from Google Maps JSON exports.

Templates & Styling

Override templates and customize the look.