How to Make a Listing a Featured Listing

Introduction

The Featured Listings section is one of the best ways to highlight your premium listings and increase their visibility on your website.

Many customers think there is a special "Featured Listings" feature that needs to be enabled. In reality, displaying featured listings is very simple—you only need to configure the Vertical Cards widget.

The Vertical Cards widget allows you to display listings (or other content) anywhere on your website, including your homepage. By configuring this widget, you decide:

• Which module will be displayed.
• How many listings will appear.
• Whether listings remain fixed or rotate automatically.
• How the listings are selected.
• How they are ordered.
• Whether only certain listings under categories or locations should be displayed.

This guide will walk you through every available option.

Before You Begin

Before configuring the Featured Listings Widget, make sure you have:

• An eDirectory site manager account.
• At least one published listing.
• Listing levels already created.
• Categories and locations configured (optional, if you plan to filter by them).

Step 1: Open the Page Editor

Navigate to Design → Page Editor. Locate the page where you'd like to display Featured Listings and click Edit.

Step 2: Locate the Vertical Cards Widget

On every new eDirectory installation, the homepage already includes a Featured Listings section. Although visitors see the title Featured Listings, the widget's real name is Vertical Cards.

The title displayed on your website is simply the Widget Title that you configure.

If you want to add another Featured Listings section to the homepage or to any other page, simply click Add a Widget, search for Vertical Cards, and add it to the page.

Step 3: Configure the Widget

Hover over the widget and click the Pencil (Edit) icon. The widget configuration window will open.

You'll now configure each available option.

3.1. Widget Title

The Widget Title is the heading visitors will see on your website.

Examples:

• Featured Listings
• Featured Businesses
• Top Companies
• Recommended Businesses

This title can be changed at any time.

3.2. Pick a Module to Show in this Widget

Next, choose which type of content this widget will display. Examples include:

• Listings
• Events
• Articles
• Classifieds

For this example, select Listings.

3.3. Columns

Choose how many columns should be displayed.

For example:

• 2 columns
• 3 columns
• 4 columns

The more columns you choose, the more listings will appear side by side.

3.4. Link Label

This field controls the text displayed below the widget that visitors can click to see additional results. Example: All listings

You can enter any wording you prefer.

3.5. URL

Choose the page where visitors will be redirected after clicking the Link Label. For Featured Listings, select: Listing Home.

This means that clicking More Listings will take visitors to your Listings homepage.

Step 4: Choose How Listings Will Be Displayed

The Vertical Cards widget offers two different ways to display listings. You can either display:

• Fixed Listings
• Dynamic Listings

Option 1: Fixed Listings

Choose this option if you always want the same listings to appear. These listings will remain permanently displayed and will never rotate automatically. Select: Pick items individually.

Adding Fixed Listings

• After selecting Pick items individually, click the + button.

• A search field will appear.
• Start typing the name of an existing listing.
• As you type, eDirectory will display matching listings.
• Simply click the desired listing to add it.

• Repeat this process for every listing you'd like to feature.
• Click Save changes

These listings will always remain in the widget until you manually remove or replace them.

Option 2: Dynamic Listings

If you prefer your Featured Listings to rotate automatically, choose: Customize rules.

Instead of selecting individual listings, you'll define rules that determine which listings should appear.

4.1. From Which Product Would You Like to Display These Items?

Choose the Listing Product (listing level) whose listings should appear.

For example:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Diamond

Only listings assigned to the selected products will be eligible to appear.

4.2. Items Displayed

Choose how many listings should appear in the widget. Examples:

• 4 listings
• 8 listings
• 12 listings

4.3. Choose How Results Are Ordered

The widget allows you to choose two ordering criteria.

Available options include:

• Alphabetical
• Highest Rated
• Product
• Most Viewed
• Random
• Recently Added
• Recently Updated

These rules determine which listings appear first.

4.4. Filter by Categories (Optional)

If you'd like the widget to display listings from only one or more specific categories, select the desired categories here. If left blank, listings from all categories may appear.

4.5. Filter by Locations (Optional)

If you'd like to display listings only from a particular location, select the desired location here.

For example:

• United States
• Florida
• Miami

If left blank, listings from all locations may be displayed.

4.6. Save Your Changes

After finishing the configuration, click Save Changes.

Verifying the Widget

Visit the page where the widget was added.

Verify that:

• The widget title appears correctly.
• The desired listings are displayed.
• The "All Listings" link redirects to the correct page.
• The selected number of columns is correct.
• The listings follow the rules you configured.
• Category and location filters are working correctly (if used).

If everything appears correctly, the widget has been configured successfully.

Troubleshooting

My listings don't appear.

Verify that:

• The listings are Active.
• The listings belong to the selected Listing Product.
• The selected category contains listings.
• The selected location contains listings.
• The widget was saved after configuration.

My widget is empty.

This usually happens because:

• No listings belong to the selected Listing Product.
• The selected category has no listings.
• The selected location has no listings.

Try removing the filters temporarily to verify the widget.

My listings don't rotate.

Verify that Customize Rules is selected. If Pick Items Individually is enabled, the widget will always display the same fixed listings. Select the option Customize Rules instead.

I can't find the Featured Listings widget.

The widget is actually named Vertical Cards inside the Page Editor. Simply click Add a Widget, search for Vertical Cards, and add it to the page.

Conclusion

Congratulations!

You have successfully configured the Vertical Cards widget to display Featured Listings on your eDirectory website.

Whether you choose Fixed Listings that remain permanently visible or Dynamic Listings that rotate automatically based on customizable rules, the Vertical Cards widget offers a flexible way to showcase your most important businesses and improve their visibility throughout your website.

By combining listing levels, ordering criteria, category filters, and location filters, you can create featured sections tailored to your directory's needs.

If you need any assistance, please contact our support team at support@edirectory.com.