Business Directory Plugin – Bulk Edit, Export, Import Listing Directories

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress is a plugin that allows you to create business directories on your WordPress site. That is great. But when it comes to managing hundreds or thousands of listings, the plugin comes short of bulk actions. So, in this guide, we will show you how to bulk edit business directory listings using an intuitive spreadsheet.

Install WP Sheet Editor – Post Types

We will use the WP Sheet Editor – Post Types plugin. It allows you to view and manage WordPress post types using intuitive spreadsheets. You can manage posts, pages, and custom post types created with custom post type plugins or added by plugins like Business Directory Plugin.

WP Sheet Editor brings lots of benefits to your business directory listing management:

• Simplified management – Use a spreadsheet to update the data of your business directory listings and create new listings.
• Easy duplicates – Create hundreds of copies out of a single listing and then update the data using the spreadsheet to create different listings.
• Advanced search – Use any field as a search filter to find specific groups of listings (status, category, address, zip code, etc.)
• Easy bulk edits – Apply changes to hundreds or thousands of business directory listings. Update any field on thousands of items.
• Export/import – You can export your directory listings to a CSV, as well as import listings from a CSV.

Here’s how you can install and activate the WP Sheet Editor – Post Types plugin on your website:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
2. Click on Upload plugin.
3. Click on Choose file.
4. Locate the file on your computer.
5. Click on Install now.
6. Click on Activate plugin.
7. Enter your license and click on Activate License.

Set up the directory listings spreadsheet

To generate the directory listings spreadsheet, go to WP Sheet Editor > Setup spreadsheet, tick the Directory post type, and click on Save.

You’ll see all the available fields/columns, and you decide which columns you want to view in the spreadsheet (Enabled) and which you want to hide (Disabled). Once you have selected the columns, click on Save to generate the spreadsheet.

Now you will see all your business directory listings displayed in the spreadsheet.

Edit business directory listings in the spreadsheet

The first way to boost your productivity is to edit the business directory listings using the spreadsheet. You can edit any column according to the field type.

For example, if you want to edit cells containing a Text editor field, you should click the “Edit” button.

When you click the “Edit” button, the plugin will open the text editor in a popup.

If you want to edit values in Date fields, you just need to click on the calendar icon and the date/hour selector will be displayed as a popup.

To update Dropdown fields, you need to double-click the cell and it will display the options for you to select one.

IF you want to edit Checkbox fields, you just need to check or uncheck the checkbox.

File upload fields allow you to paste file URLs as simple text or click on the Upload button to open the media library as a popup or upload the files from your computer. For example, the Featured Image field allows you to open the media library in a popup.

You’ll see the Add media popup where you can select any image from your media library.

If you want to edit Taxonomy term fields, you can select the terms by double-clicking the cell. You can even add new taxonomy terms like categories, tags, custom taxomomy terms, etc.

Once you finish editing values in the cells to update multiple business directory listings, you need to click on Save to apply the changes.

Business directory listings advanced search

WP Sheet Editor allows you to use any field as a search filter to find specific groups of business directory listings.

To do this, you need to use the Search tool.

Once you’re in the Search tool, you can use the available fields to search for your business directory listings. In this example, we will show you how to search for business directory listings by category and status, so you need to select these values:

• Enter the directory category in the Enter Directory Categories field.
• Tick the Enable advanced filters checkbox and select these values:
  • Field: Status
  • Operator: =
  • Value: Published, or you can select any other value.
• Click on Run search.

After running the search, you’ll see all the business directory listings that match the search terms displayed in the spreadsheet.

Bulk update multiple business directory listings at once

If you don’t want to use the spreadsheet to edit data in several fields and rows, you can change values for any field in thousands of listings.

You can bulk delete thousands of listings, move listings from one category to another, bulk update listing address and zip code, bulk upload featured images, etc.

For example, let’s say you want to append new categories to your listings. You just need to open the Bulk Edit tool.

Once you’re in the bulk edit tool, you will need to select at least three basic things for any bulk change you want to apply:

1. The rows/listings you’ll edit: This is what you’ll edit. You can edit all the rows from a specific search, all the rows, or all the rows you select manually in the spreadsheet.
2. The field you’ll edit: Since you can edit any field, you can select the field you want to update. In this case, we’ll edit the Directory categories field.
3. The type of change you’ll apply: There are different types of edits available, so you need to select the one you want to apply.

Let’s see this when it comes to appending new categories to our business directory listings:

• Select the rows that you want to edit: Edit all the rows from my current search (including non-visible rows)
• What field do you want to edit: Directory categories
• Select the type of edit: Append
• Terms: Select the terms here. You can add new terms if you want.
• Click on Execute Now.

This is how you can bulk edit your business directory listings.

Duplicate business directory listings

If you want to duplicate business directory listings to create many copies of one listing or of multiple listings, you need to use the Duplicate tool.

Once you’re in the Duplicate listings in bulk popup, you need to select these values:

• Duplicate this item: Select one or multiple listings that you will duplicate.
• How many copies do you want: Enter the number of copies you want to create of each selected listing.
• Click on Execute.

As you can see in the screenshot below, we have created three copies from each listing we selected in the duplication tool. This is the way you can create hundreds or thousands of copies, modify them with the spreadsheet and publish quickly.

Remove duplicate listings

If you want to remove duplicate business directory listings, you can easily do it with the Bulk Edit tool. We take listings with the same title as duplicate listings.

As you can see here, we have three duplicates of Business 1 and three duplicates of Business 2, so we will remove the duplicates and keep one of each only.

You just have to open the Bulk Edit tool.

Now select these values:

• Select the rows that you want to update: Edit all the rows from my current search
• What field do you want to edit: Title
• Select type of edit: Remove duplicates
• Which duplicates do you want to delete: You can delete the newest items and keep the oldest, or vice versa.
• Click on Execute Now.

As you see now, we have removed the duplicates and kept one item only.

Export business directory listings to a CSV file

WP Sheet Editor allows you to export your business directory listings to a CSV file.

You can start by opening the Export tool.

Once you’re in the Export tool, you need to select these values in order to export your business listings:

• What columns do you want to export: Select the columns/fields you want to export.
• Which rows do you want to export: All the rows from my current search.
• What app will you use to edit this file: In this example, we will select Microsoft Excel (Office 365)
• Name of this export: You can add a name and reuse these settings in the future.
• Click on Start new export.

After running the export, you’ll get a CSV file containing the data of your business directory listings. You can edit the existing data and add new data to create new listings. After you edit the data in the CSV file, you can import the listings, which we’ll see in the next section.

Import business directory listings

If you want to import business directory listings from a CSV file into your WordPress site, you need to open the Import tool.

Now you need to select the following values in the Import tool:

• Source: CSV file from my computer.
• Click on Choose File and locate the CSV on your computer.
• Click on Next.

You can Import all the columns or Select individual columns to import.

Select if you want to update or create items.

In this example, we will create new items and update existing items, so we will match the existing items by ID.

Once you select the values, click on Next.

Finally you’ll see a preview. If everything is OK, you need to click on The preview is fine, start import.

This is how you can bulk edit your business directory listings using the WP Sheet Editor – Post Types plugin. This will boost your productivity and help you save a lot of time.