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Submit and approve a business listing

How business owners add a listing through the six-step front-end form and how you approve the pending submission.

The front-end submission form lets a business owner add their own listing in guided steps, and the listing waits as Pending until you approve it. It is for site owners who want businesses to build the directory for them, without giving anyone admin access.

A business owner completes the six-step form, then an admin approves the pending listing from WordPress.

Before you start

  • Put the form on a page with the shortcode [sdp_submit_listing]. The demo page is /submit-listing/.
  • In Directory > Settings > General, tick Enable Submissions. It is on by default.
  • Choose who can submit. Guests can only submit if Allow guest submission is ticked, otherwise visitors are asked to log in.
  • Add at least one category, because the Category field is required.

How the owner submits a business

  1. Open the page with the form. The header reads “Step 1 of 6” on a local directory and “Step 1 of 5” on a digital one (the Location step is left out).
  2. Step 1, Basic Information: enter the Business Name and choose a Category. Both are required.
  3. Add optional Tags by typing and pressing Enter or comma.
  4. Write the Description. It must be 50 to 500 characters, and a live counter shows “0 / 500”.
  5. Click Next. Step 2, Contact Details: add Phone, Email and Website. Email is required for guests and optional for logged-in users.
  6. Leave “Show email address publicly on my listing” unticked to keep the email private. Guests are also asked for their full name.
  7. Click Next. Step 3, Location (local directories only): enter the Street Address and City, then State / Region, Country and Postal Code. Street address and city are required.
  8. Optionally click the map to drop a pin at the exact location.
  9. Click Next. Step 4, Social & Media: add any of the seven social links (Facebook, Instagram, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest). Each must be a full URL.
  10. Add a Logo / Featured Image and Gallery Images. Logged-in owners click Upload Logo or Add Gallery Images and pick from the media library.
  11. Click Next. Step 5, Hours & Facilities: set each day’s hours or tick Closed. “Copy Monday to all” fills the rest of the week.
  12. Click preset facility chips such as WiFi or Parking, or type a custom facility and add it.
  13. Click Next. Step 6, Review & Submit: check the summary card.
  14. Tick “I agree to the terms above”, then click Submit Listing.
  15. The form is replaced by a confirmation: “Your listing has been submitted for review. You’ll be notified when it’s approved.”
Submission form step 1, Basic Information Step 1 of 6 – Basic Information Basic Information Let’s start with the basics about your business. Business Name * Juniper Demo Studio Category * Advertising agency Tags Type a tag and press Enter… Press Enter or comma to add a tag. Description * A fictional design studio for this directory demonstration… 118 / 500
Step 1. The progress bar and “Step 1 of 6” label sit above the heading.
Submission form step 6, Review and Submit Step 6 of 6 – Review & Submit Review & Submit Almost done, check your details then hit Submit. Juniper Demo Studio Summary of your entries appears here By submitting this listing you confirm the information is accurate and you have the right to list this business. v I agree to the terms above Submit Listing Back
Step 6. The green Submit Listing button replaces Next on the last step.
Confirmation shown after submitting v Your listing has been submitted for review. You’ll be notified when it’s approved.
What the owner sees after Submit Listing when approval is required.

How you approve it

  1. If Admin notification is on (Directory > Settings > Emails), you get an email titled “New Listing Submission” with a link to review it.
  2. Go to the listings screen in WordPress and open the Pending view.
  3. Open the listing and check the details, or click Quick Edit on its row.
  4. Set Status to Published and click Update. The listing goes live.
  5. To reject it instead, move it to Trash or set it to Draft.
Pending listing row with Quick Edit status set to Published Juniper Demo Studio – Pending Edit | Quick Edit | Trash | Preview QUICK EDIT Status Published Update Cancel
Quick Edit on the pending row, with Status changed to Published.

Good to know

  • New listings go live “After I approve them” by default. Change this in Directory > Settings > General under “New listings go live”; choose “Immediately” to skip review.
  • Submitted listings are not automatically marked as claimed. Submission does not set the claimed flag, which is only set when a claim request is approved. A listing an owner submitted themselves is still a normal listing until a claim is approved.
  • When you approve or reject a listing the owner submitted from the site, they get an email. Imported or admin-created listings never send it.
  • Spam protection: a hidden honeypot field, a minimum of 3 seconds to fill the form, and a limit of 3 submissions per IP address per hour.
  • Guests can upload one logo (JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP, max 5 MB). Logged-in owners choose images from the media library.
  • Unfinished forms are kept as a draft in the visitor’s own browser for up to 7 days and cleared after a successful submit.
  • You can replace the default terms with your own text in Submission Terms Text.

FAQ

Can visitors submit without an account?

Only if Allow guest submission is ticked in Directory > Settings > General. Otherwise they see a prompt to log in.

Why does my submission say “Too many submissions”?

Each IP address can submit 3 times an hour. Try again later.

Is the owner’s email shown on the listing?

Not unless they tick “Show email address publicly on my listing” in step 2.

Does approving a listing give the owner ownership of it?

Approving publishes the listing. It does not mark it as claimed; claiming is a separate request that you approve on its own.

In section: Core Features Updated September 29, 2026
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