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Version 6.1 · 43 chapters

PHP Business Directory User Manual

The complete guide to configuring and running a business directory website with PHP Business Directory: the public website, the user panel for business owners and the admin panel, explained page by page with screenshots.

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DesignFive templates and your own brand colors Set upThe checklist for launching your directory EarnPackages, payments and banner advertising Use AIWriting assistant, AI search and summaries

Getting Started

What PHP Business Directory is, how this manual is organised, and the first settings to make. 2 chapters

  1. 1Introduction to PHP Business DirectoryAn overview of PHP Business Directory 6.1: the public website, the user panel and the admin panel, the main concepts, and how to use this manual.
  2. 2Quick-Start Checklist: Setting Up Your DirectoryA practical checklist for launching a new business directory with PHP Business Directory: branding, template, categories, locations, packages, payments and SEO.

The Website (Visitors)

Everything visitors can do on the public directory: search, browse, review, book, add and claim listings. 10 chapters

  1. 3The Home Page, Classic Search and AI SearchHow visitors search a PHP Business Directory website: the home page, keyword and location search, live suggestions and AI search in plain language.
  2. 4Search Results, Category and Location PagesHow search results, filters, sorting, category pages and location pages work in PHP Business Directory, and how visitors browse businesses by category or city.
  3. 5The Business Listing PageWhat a business listing page shows: description, photos, video, opening hours with an open now badge, map, contact form, reviews and similar businesses.
  4. 6Reviews and RatingsHow visitors write reviews and star ratings in PHP Business Directory, how ratings are calculated, the reviews page and the AI summary of what customers say.
  5. 7Booking an Appointment OnlineHow visitors book appointments with a business directly from its listing in PHP Business Directory: choosing a date, a staff member and a time slot.
  6. 8Adding a Business Listing from the WebsiteStep by step: how a business owner chooses a package, fills in the listing form with the AI writing assistant, pays, and later edits the listing with its code.
  7. 9Claiming an Existing ListingHow business owners claim a listing that was added by the directory, how the claim is verified by the administrator, and what happens after approval.
  8. 10The Explore MapThe Explore Map page shows every business with map coordinates on an interactive map, with search, category and rating filters and a Use My Location button.
  9. 11Blog, FAQ and Contact PagesThe content pages of a PHP Business Directory website: the news blog, the frequently asked questions page, the contact form and your own custom pages.
  10. 12Registration, Login and Password RecoveryHow visitors create an account on a PHP Business Directory website, log in to the user panel, activate their account by email and recover a forgotten password.

The User Panel (Business Owners)

The private area where business owners manage their listings, messages, appointments and banners. 5 chapters

  1. 13The User Panel: Dashboard and MessagesAn overview of the business owner user panel in PHP Business Directory: the dashboard, the menu, listing statistics and messages received from customers.
  2. 14Managing Your ListingsHow business owners add new listings, edit details and photos, add a video, follow pending listings and renew expired listings in the user panel.
  3. 15Managing Appointments and EmployeesHow business owners set up employees, working hours and appointment lengths, and confirm or cancel the appointments that customers book online.
  4. 16Buying Banner AdvertisingHow registered business owners choose a banner area, upload a banner, link it to their listing or website and manage their banners from the user panel.
  5. 17Profile, Password and AccountHow users update their contact details, change their password and delete their account in the PHP Business Directory user panel.

The Admin Panel (Administrators)

Running the directory: listings, users, settings, payments, AI, content, design, SEO and statistics. 23 chapters

  1. 18Admin Panel OverviewA tour of the PHP Business Directory admin panel: login, the dashboard, the menu, quick links, page search, messages, login logs and changing your password.
  2. 19Approving, Adding and Editing ListingsHow administrators approve new listings, add listings, edit every field, set featured and dofollow status, renew expired listings and use AI for SEO texts.
  3. 20Handling Listing ClaimsHow administrators review claims for existing listings, verify the claimant, approve the claim and transfer the listing to its owner in PHP Business Directory.
  4. 21Managing Directory UsersHow administrators search, add, edit and delete the registered users of a PHP Business Directory website, and how user accounts relate to listings.
  5. 22Moderating ReviewsHow administrators find, edit, delete and add reviews in PHP Business Directory, and how reviews update listing ratings and AI review summaries.
  6. 23Bulk CSV Import and ExportHow to import hundreds of business listings from a CSV file into PHP Business Directory, the column format, and how to export listings to a spreadsheet.
  7. 24Directory Configuration OptionsEvery directory setting explained: display and layout, listing approval and expiry, claims, home page sections, email texts, SEO title suffixes and reCAPTCHA.
  8. 25Listing Packages and Pricing PlansHow to create free and paid listing packages in PHP Business Directory: price, duration, number of photos, categories, featured status and dofollow links.
  9. 26Payments: Stripe, PayPal and Bank TransferHow to accept payments in PHP Business Directory: Stripe Checkout and its webhook, PayPal, bank transfers, the payments log and approving paid listings.
  10. 27Setting Up the AI FeaturesHow to enable the AI writing assistant, AI search, AI review summaries and admin AI tools in PHP Business Directory with Groq, OpenAI, DeepSeek or another API.
  11. 28Managing Categories and Category ImagesHow to create, rename, reorder and translate categories and subcategories in PHP Business Directory, and how to add images to category tiles.
  12. 29Managing Locations and Location ImagesHow to edit the location tree of countries, states and cities in PHP Business Directory, limit it to your region, and add images to location tiles.
  13. 30Custom Listing FieldsHow to add your own fields to the listing form in PHP Business Directory, such as price range, languages spoken or parking, with free text or a list of values.
  14. 31Banner Areas, Banners and Ad ZonesHow to create paid banner areas, choose where they appear, manage banners bought by users, and show AdSense or other ads in the ad zones of your directory.
  15. 32Website Pages and MenuHow to add pages to your directory website, arrange the menu by drag and drop, edit content with the visual editor and AI, and set page URLs and SEO titles.
  16. 33News (Blog) and FAQ ManagementHow to publish news and blog articles with cover images and AI drafts, and how to add, order and edit the frequently asked questions in PHP Business Directory.
  17. 34Templates, Logo and AppearanceHow to choose one of the five front-end templates, preview it safely, upload your logo and favicon, and apply your own brand colors and fonts.
  18. 35Languages and Interface TextsHow to run your business directory in several languages, add a new language version, and change any text or label on the website without editing code.
  19. 36System Settings, Tracking Codes and Social LinksSystem settings in PHP Business Directory: website name, SEO URLs, time zone, company details, maintenance mode, Google Analytics, pixels and social links.
  20. 37SEO: URLs, Titles, Sitemap and Structured DataHow PHP Business Directory handles SEO: friendly URLs, titles and meta descriptions, custom category and location texts, the XML sitemap and schema.org data.
  21. 38Statistics and Traffic ReportsHow to read the built-in statistics of PHP Business Directory: page views, unique visitors, top pages, referrers, devices, browsers and the live activity log.
  22. 39Admin Users, Groups and PermissionsHow to give your team their own admin panel logins, create groups such as editors or moderators, and choose exactly which pages each group can access.
  23. 40Database BackupsHow to create, download and delete database backups from the PHP Business Directory admin panel, and how to back up uploaded images and restore a backup.

Customization and Troubleshooting

Template customization, extensions and custom tags for developers, and solutions to common problems. 3 chapters

  1. 41Customizing TemplatesFor designers and developers: the files of a PHP Business Directory template, site tags, placeholders, theme.json, and how to create your own template.
  2. 42Extensions and Custom TagsHow developers add custom PHP features to a PHP Business Directory website with page extensions and custom tags, without changing the core files.
  3. 43Troubleshooting and Common QuestionsSolutions to common problems with PHP Business Directory: pages not found, emails not arriving, image upload errors, AI connection failures and more.

About this manual

This manual describes PHP Business Directory version 6.1. The screenshots show the default Business template with demo data; your website will look different once you choose another template and add your own logo, colors and content. Text in bold refers to buttons, fields and menu items exactly as they appear on screen, and paths such as Admin Panel › Directory › Users show where to find a page.

The whole manual is also available as a printable PDF. For questions that the manual does not answer, please contact NetArt Media support.