Sign in Get Smart Directory ProGet it

Save listings and send enquiries to businesses

Let visitors save listings to a personal list and message businesses by email from the listing page.

Visitors can save any listing to a personal list and send the business a message from its page. The enquiry form appears when the listing has somewhere to send it, and the message arrives by email with the visitor set as the reply address.

A visitor saves a restaurant, sends an enquiry, checks the Saved businesses page, and the owner receives the email.

Before you start

  • Both features are on by default. To check, go to Directory > Settings > General and look for “Enable user favourites / saved listings” and “Enable "Contact this business" enquiry forms”.
  • Create a page for saved businesses and add the shortcode [sdp_favourites] to it.
  • For the enquiry form to show, the listing needs a claimed owner with a valid account email, or a valid email on the listing itself.

How to use it

  1. Open any listing page. The Save button sits at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Press Save. The heart fills, the button turns rose and the label changes to Saved.
  3. Press it again to remove the listing from your saved list.
  4. If you are not signed in, pressing Save sends you to the login page. After you sign in you come back to the same listing.
  5. Scroll down the sidebar to the “Contact” form for the business.
  6. Fill in your name and email. If you are signed in, both are filled in for you from your account.
  7. Add a phone number if you want to (optional), then type your message.
  8. Press Send enquiry. A green message confirms it: “Thanks, your message has been sent to the business.”
  9. Open your Saved businesses page to see every listing you have saved, newest first.
Before Save After Saved Guests who press Save are sent to the login page and returned to the listing. The rose colour is the default favourite colour and can be changed in your theme styles.
The Save button in its two states.
Contact Four Pillars Indian restaurant Your name Sam Visitor Your email sam@example.com Phone (optional) 07700 900123 Message Hi, do you have a table for 8 this Saturday at 7pm? Send enquiry Your message and contact details go straight to the business.
The enquiry form. Name and email are pre-filled for signed-in visitors.
Thanks, your message has been sent to the business. Errors appear in the same place on a red background (#fef2f2).
The confirmation appears under the form and the message box is cleared.
Four Pillars Indian restaurant Milton Keynes Saved Empty list: “You have not saved any businesses yet. Press Save on a listing to keep it here.” Signed out: “Sign in to see the businesses you have saved.”
Each row shows a thumbnail, the business name, its city and a Saved button that removes it.
To: the claimed owner, or the listing email Reply-To: Sam Visitor <sam@example.com> Subject: [Your directory name] New enquiry from Sam Visitor You have a new enquiry for Four Pillars Indian restaurant via Your directory name. Name: Sam Visitor Email: sam@example.com Phone: 07700 900123 Hi, do you have a table for 8 this Saturday at 7pm? Reply to this email to answer them directly. Your listing: (link to the listing page)
The email layout. If no phone number is given, the line reads “Phone: not given”.

Good to know

  • Enquiries go to the claimed owner’s account email first. If the listing is unclaimed, they go to the listing’s own email (checked in the order _sdp_email, _business_email, _sdp_contact_email). With no valid address, the form is hidden.
  • Messages need at least 10 characters. Names are limited to 100 characters and messages to 3,000.
  • A message with more than one link, or with words such as crypto, casino or forex, is refused.
  • By default each visitor can send 5 enquiries in an hour, with a site-wide cap of 300 an hour. Administrators are not limited. Developers can change this with the sdp_rate_limit filter.
  • Each delivered enquiry adds one to a count stored on the listing. Each save adds one to a favourites count.
  • Each visitor can save up to 500 listings.
  • Only published listings can be saved or sent enquiries.

FAQ

Do visitors need an account to send an enquiry?

No. Anyone can fill in the form. Saving a listing needs an account, because the list is stored against the user.

Why does a listing show no enquiry form?

Either enquiries are switched off in Directory > Settings > General, or the listing has no claimed owner and no valid email. Add an email to the listing, or have the owner claim it.

Where do I put the Saved businesses list?

Add [sdp_favourites] to any page. It shows the signed-in visitor’s saved listings, and a sign-in link to everyone else.

Can I show the Save button or the form somewhere else?

Yes. Use [sdp_favourite_button id="123"] and [sdp_enquiry_form id="123"], replacing 123 with the listing ID. Without an id they use the current page.

Can I send enquiries to a CRM or helpdesk instead of email?

Developers can. The sdp_enquiry_send_email filter lets you skip the built-in email, and the sdp_enquiry_sent action fires after each enquiry.

In section: Core Features Updated September 29, 2026
AI Search Optimized by AEO God Mode (opens in a new tab)