The main purpose behind this major release is adding a new look and feel to the customization options. This allows the user to significantly change the ClassiPress theme design without custom coding. This means even those without extensive developer knowledge can design a visually appealing classifieds website.

Good news for ClassiPress3 compact design fans – now they can make CP4 look like CP3 just by configuring the options/settings.

For fans of a modern look, version 4.2.0 introduces tiled widget areas and media headers, for building layouts with full-width call-outs, banners and video in headers.

There are also some SEO improvements that have gone into this release. This should be good for the overall search ranking of your listings.

Dozens of new options, hooks, filters, and shortcodes have been added. This will be explained in detail in our blog one by one.

Changes and Additions – ClassiPress 4.2.0

Global Additions:

• From the ClassiPress customizer, you can now globally alter the size and color of your website’s text font.
• The addition of a tiled sidebar allows for widgets of differing widths.
• New Expired listing status.

Header Improvements:

• The header area is now fully customizable. This gives admin the opportunity to have a sticky header or even a video header. In terms of customizing the header of your ClassiPress website, you can now also alter the header: height, color, transparency, and width.
• The search box auto-suggest within the header has also been significantly improved.

There are many different ways admin can customize the header menu to better fit with the purpose and aesthetics of their website.

Footer Improvements:

• The color of your ClassiPress website’s footer can now be easily altered from the ‘Customizer’.
• The ability to turn your footer into a tiled sidebar which allows footer links to be better organized into columns/side by side.

The image below demonstrates how widgets can be used in the footer to organize links/menus into sectioned columns.

Frontpage Additions:

• Implemented Masonry JS lib for Listing categories lists, fixed the category gaps in directory layout.
• Categories can now be configured with custom backgrounds and icons which gives admin the ability to further style their frontpage buttons.
• New Tiled widget areas for building awesome landing pages.
• New options for home page widgets have been added.

A simple widget can be used to display category background images. The background images draw in the attention of website visitors and should relate to the purpose of the category. This is shown in the screenshot below where some categories have background images, whereas others do not.

Search page:

• A better listing search feature with improved performance for location search and order has been added. Now some specific custom forms can be set as default for all listings.

Single Ad page:

• The ‘Ad page’ is now completely customizable. The Banner now is optional and can be disabled or moved to the content area. Tabbed and Tiled areas allow you to configure widgets on the page in any order and place.
• Ad images have got ‘Customizer’ options for Listing Thumbnail Placeholder, Minimum Image Dimensions, and Reordering feature. This ensures that adds listed by visitors to your website all flow nicely together.

Author’s page:

• The ‘Author’s page’ is now completely customizable. It has got a sidebar and tabbed content area, where each tab can be a single widget that displays the author’s listings, blog posts, and anything else of your choosing.

Dashboard:

• The ‘User Dashboard’ design has been refreshed with thumbnail options, search filters, actions in the expandable area, reorganized columns, and colored statuses. This allows admin to monitor the listings on their website by just taking a glance at their website’s dashboard.

Fixes – ClassiPress 4.2.0

Our developers have taken all customer input on board and have completed a number of fixes to address any ClassiPress issues that have been brought to their attention. Some of the fixes that are notable upon updating to the latest version of this AppTheme are as followed:

• The report button has been removed for the owner of an advertisement (still visible for administrators)
• Advertisement block centered in the header
• If ‘Price’ search inputs are empty, results are filtered from the lowest to the highest price
• A number of further improvements to the SEO of ClassiPress

Upgrading from ClassiPress 4.1.0 to 4.2.0

While the decision to upgrade or not is entirely your own decision, we recommend this update as it gives website owners the opportunity to increase their website SEO and makes the customization of ClassiPress a breeze.

Prior to updating your ClassiPress version ensure you complete a full site back-up just as recommended when completing any update on your WordPress website. Once you have your backup saved, you may choose to update the ClassiPress AppTheme automatically via the Appearance ‘Upgrade’ button. If you prefer to download the full version to your computer prior to activating it on your WordPress website (perhaps you have made changes to the core theme), you will need to visit our website to login to your account.

If you are new to AppThemes and you are interested in finding out more about ClassiPress please click here.

Vantage, one of the well-known AppThemes allows you to create a business directory. This makes Vantage an ideal theme for market organizers as this allows them to easily set up a WordPress website and begin data entry of each stall that can be found at a specific location. As many of the stall holders will be unable to afford their own website, the exposure on the main markets website will allow them to get their name across to a variety of users. The admin of the website can decided whether they will list the stalls themselves or allow the stall holders to create their own listings.

Why is Vantage a Suitable Theme for a Market Stall Directory Website?

• It gives admin the ability to create custom fields that each stall holder can be required to answer prior to making a payment
• It allows for hundreds upon hundreds of stall holder entries
• It is an automated system that takes stress away from market organizers
• Vantage allows all market stall payments to be handled online and reduces stress on the day of the market
• If an email address is collected, market operators can contact with the stall owner and let them know where they will be situated prior to the market commencing
• The blog can be used to notify market stall operators of any changes, weather conditions or deals
• The website can encourage more visitors to attend the market if they are interested in checking out one or more stalls that are advertised to be there
• A Vantage website allows admin to create blog posts about having a market stall which may lead to interest from new stall holders

To complete the following tutorial you will need the Vantage AppTheme which can be purchased from here.

Customizing Vantage for Your Market Directory Website

Each AppTheme comes with it’s own customization tools and Vantage is no exception. Customization of the Vantage theme can be completed with the click of a few buttons. To customize the Vantage theme to suit a market directory complete the following:

1. Within your WordPress Dashboard ensure you have the ‘Vantage‘ AppTheme ‘Installed and Activated‘.
2. Click on the WP ‘Appearance‘ menu and then on ‘Customize‘.
3. This will bring you to the Vantage customizer which allows you to make a number of appearance changes.
4. Click on ‘Site Identity‘. Add a ‘Logo‘, ‘Site Title‘, ‘Tagline’, ‘Footer Copyright‘ and ‘Site Icon‘.
5. Click the ‘Publish‘ button to implement the changes.
6. Click on ‘Colors‘. Choose a color scheme for your website.
7. Click ‘Publish‘ to implement the color scheme.

By default the Vantage theme includes a large area at the top of the homepage where an image can be displayed. The image should relate to the purpose of the website. For instance, it may be a birds eye view image of the market you are creating the website for.

To edit the image displayed on the homepage complete the following:

1. Click on the ‘Pages‘ menu from your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on the page titled ‘Home – Front Page‘.
3. On the right-hand side, replace the ‘Featured Image‘ with a large image of your choosing. For the best results, ensure you choose a high definition image.
4. You may also choose to give the homepage a new title. Simply edit the title of that page. For instance, ours will be ‘Welcome to Clover Hill Markets‘
5. Click the ‘Update‘ button to implement the featured image.
6. Go to the front end of your website to view the custom changes you have made.

Find out more on customizing Vantage here. 

Now that we have customized the website to better suit the intended use, it is time to create market stall categories.

Market Directory Listing Categories and Tags

The categories and tags that you create within Vantage should relate to the type of ads that you will post or potential outside users could post. If you are creating a market stall directory some ‘Categories‘ that you may create could include (although are not limited to) the following:

• Baked Goods
• Hot Food
• Art and Craft
• Pet Supplies
• Produce
• Entertainment
• Clothing

To create categories, complete the following:

1. Within your WordPress dashboard click on the ‘Listings‘ menu and then on ‘Categories‘.
2. Add the ‘Name‘ of your category in the appropriate field.
3. Click the ‘Add New Listing Category‘.

More information on adding Vantage Categories and Tags can be found here. 

Now that you have created categories, all that is left to do is to create pricing plans and then advertise your new website to potential stall holders.

Using a Pricing Plan as a Means of Collecting Stall Payment

While the pricing plan is often used in terms of where the business listing will be located on the website, if you intend on using Vantage for a market directory, the pricing plan can be used as a means of collecting payments from stall holders to have their spot at a venue. If there are prime spots at the venue that the stall holder must pay more for, the package could even include further exposure on your website. The beauty of Vantage is that you can create a number of pricing plans so that your market holders can select a package that is right for them. In the example screenshot below, two different pricing plans were created. One plan is suitable for vendors with one market tent while the other is suitable for vendors with two market tents.

If you have regular stall holders, you may even choose to do a subscription style pricing plan so that they are billed weekly/monthly a set market stall fee.

Prior to creating pricing plans, you’ll need to ensure that you have complete the basic set up of Vantage. You will need to ensure you have enabled one type of payment method from the ‘Payment Settings‘ menu. PayPal is among the easiest gateway to install.

To create your first pricing plan, complete the following:

1. Click on the ‘Payments‘ menu in your WordPress dashboard and then click on ‘Listing Plans‘ and ‘Add New‘.
2. Give your listing plan a ‘Title‘, ‘Description‘ and ‘Price‘.
3. Choose whether this plan will be recurring or not.
4. Choose how long the plan will last and choose whether the advertisement will be listed on the homepage of the website. If you are mainly using Vantage to collect a payment you may not wish to feature the adds on the homepage or you may only wish to feature the adds for superior listing plans.
5. Click the ‘Publish‘ button to add the listing plan.

Learn more about Vantage Pricing Plans here. 

Now that you have created a listing plan, it is important to edit your form to ensure you collect enough data from stall holders so that you can create a directory listing for them on the website (this is completed automatically after a successful payment).

Custom Fields for Market Directory

Depending on what data you wish to collect about each stall holder, the ability to add custom fields allows you to do so.

1. Click on the ‘Forms‘ menu and then on ‘Add New‘.
2. This will allow you to create a custom form with custom fields.
3. You can use the ‘Form Builder‘ to add in different types of fields.
4. Ensure you give your form a ‘Title‘.
5. For each field that you add, you can choose to make it ‘Required‘ or ‘Not Required‘. If the information is vital, then ensure you make the field required.
6. Ensure you apply the fields to the listing categories that will need to answer the questions.

Once a user creates a listing, if they click on a category where the custom form has been applied, they will see the fields you have created. If you have marked certain fields as required, then your customer will need to supply an answer prior to moving on.

How Will the Stall Holders Pay for their Ground Location and Advertisement

Once your stall holders come to your website and create a listing, they will be asked to choose from your pricing plan, then asked to fill in the required fields to create the directory listing and then the third step will involve them needing to make a payment through your desired payment gateway. In the case of the screenshot below, PayPal has been enabled.

The way in which the following pricing plan has been set up gives the stall holder the option to make a one off payment for a one week stall pass or sign up for recurring payments so that they do not need to re-enter payment details the following weeks. This is a seamless process for the stall holder and allows admin to sit back without needing to do much more than ensure the stall holders know where they are situated on market day.

Structured Data has been added by our developers to the following pages:

• Front Page Website and Organization
• Blog Posts
• The Author’s Page
• Static Pages

The developers have added basic schemas that can then be extended using actions and filters.

If you are now wondering why this feature is worth noting, adding this feature to the JobRoller AppTheme allows those with the latest update (1.9.1) the ability to:

• Be Included in Enriched Google Search Results 
  If eligible one or more of the job listings on your website will be featured with your logo, reviews and further details.
• Be Found Through an Exact Google Location Search
  For instance someone searching ‘Barista Jobs in Los Angeles’ may come across one of your Job Listings for that exact location. Clicking on the listing further will direct the user to your website.
• Increase Conversion through Further Traffic
  If one or multiple of the Job Listings found on your JobRoller website are included in an enriched Google search results popup or interactive feature, this may increase the traffic to your website and in turn increase conversion.

Upgrading from JobRoller 1.9.0 to 1.9.1

While the decision to upgrade or not is entirely your own decision, we recommend this update as it gives website owners the opportunity to increase their website traffic.

Ensure you have completed a full site back-up prior to updating to the latest version of this AppTheme just as recommend when completing any update on a WordPress website. Once you have your backup saved, you may choose to update the JobRoller AppTheme automatically via the Appearance ‘Upgrade’ button. If you prefer to download the full version to your computer prior to activating it on your WordPress website (perhaps you have made changes to the core theme), you will need to visit our website to login to your account.

If you are new to the JobRoller AppTheme and you are interested in finding out more or making a purchase please click here. 

In this blog post we will take a look at how someone who wishes to offer a promotional code to their customers can do this easily on a website using a coupon WordPress theme (such as the Clipper AppTheme). Implementing Clipper allows a social media influencer to create a neat and organized website that allows their codes to be categorized for ease of use.

What is a Social Media Affiliate or Discount Code?

In short, the way that an affiliate program works is that a company supplies the affiliate with a dedicated promotional code that they can then share with their followers, associates, friends and family. The affiliate then receives a percentage for each transaction where the affiliate code was used. For many ‘social media influencers’ they will have discount codes for a variety of online websites. The websites may either be small local businesses or large scale online businesses. The affiliate code may be something simple such as ‘SALE50’ which gives followers a fifty percent discount or it may be something more personal to the influencer such as ‘BEC20’ which will give those who follow Rebecca’s social media a 20% discount.

Coupon codes are an effective tool to move purchasers from one company to another with as little as a 30% discount proving to be sufficient. While many owners of a large social media account will advertise their codes directly on their social platform, many are branching out and creating websites as well. Online coupon codes can be located by potential customers in seconds with a Google search (if you have set up a website) and then directly used on a website to redeem the reward.

Effective Affiliate Marketing for Social Media Influencers

If you have become an affiliate for a number of companies it is now times to advertise the coupons you have been given to ensure you reap the return. While advertising the coupon codes you have on offer directly from your social media channel is a great way to expose your followers or friends to the brand, an even better way to offer your coupons is from a website. In the bio of your social page you can link your website but furthermore, those searching the web for certain codes for a particular brand may stumble upon your website as well. Creating a WordPress website where you can use the Clipper AppTheme allows you to better manage the coupon or discount codes that you have on offer.

Why Should I Create a WordPress Website for my Promotional Codes?

Having a social media platform is a great start although directing your traffic to a website will open up even more opportunities and increase revenue for you. From a website, in particular a WordPress website creating blog content and publishing the content for the world to see is a breeze. Once you create blog content if you see the number of visitors to your website is significantly increasing, the opportunity to also use Google Adsense on your website may see you open your doors to even more revenue. While having a place to direct your social following to is ideal, and adding blog content and Google Ads may increase revenue, most importantly having a website will allow you to categorize and neatly sort your coupons. Once you categorize your coupons, visitors to your website are much more likely to be able to locate a coupon for an item they wish to purchase.

1. A website allows you to produce multiple forms of content.
2. Each coupon you create will look of a similar style adding to the aesthetics of the website.
3. Creating a WordPress website allows you to install and activate the Clipper AppTheme.
4. From a website you can create a contact page where visitors can contact you directly to your email account.
5. A website allows you to earn ad revenue through Adsense (or similar) and Coupon advertising.
6. A website allows you to categorize your coupons into groups of similar offers.

Consider how many times you have heard someone mentioning that their main source of revenue is their social media account. The answer is probably little to none. The majority of income for online entrepreneurs will come directly from their website. 

Tips and Tricks for Advertising Coupon Codes on Your WordPress Website

If you have 1 coupon code or a 100 coupon codes you wish to offer on your website, following the tips and tricks below will ensure that your user base is happy and that your website continues to thrive.

1. Create a Page Especially for Coupon Codes
   If you have a website where the main focus is to push your coupon codes, display the most sought after codes on your homepage.
2. Categorize Your Coupons
   Categorize your coupons with other similar offers.
3. Describe Your Coupon
   Outline when the coupon will expire and if there are any clauses to using the coupon. For example, ‘This coupon will only work if you have spent $100.00’.
4. Remove Expired Codes
   Keep on top of which codes are soon to expire and remove them as soon as possible once they can no longer be used. There is nothing more frustrating than coming across a coupon only to find out that it has expired.
5. Create a Page for Seasonal Promotions
   Keep on top of seasonal promotions as this is when many online shoppers will be seeking out coupon codes to give them a discount on large sales.

What is the Best Theme for Displaying and Offering Coupons on my Website

While we may think our very own Clipper AppTheme is the best, rather than tell you, we will explain what features make it useful for those wishing to offer coupons on their website, in particular those who wish to offer social media affiliate coupons.

When you become an affiliate you can somewhat track how well your coupons are doing by how much revenue you are earning. While this is great, Clipper allows you to also view the click rate of each coupon on your website. If you find that a lot of visitors are clicking on the coupon although not proceeding to use the coupon you may be able to implement tactics to increase your revenue. Using clipper you can see the total number of coupons clicks, the total number of daily views and how many people have ‘up’ or ‘down’ voted the coupon code. Allowing visitors to the site to leave feedback about a coupon will entice others to use the coupon if it has a high success rate.

The Clipper AppTheme is ideal if you have a number of coupons. Categorizing coupons allows visitors to search and find just the code they are looking for with ease. Clipper has two separate pages that you can display on your websites header which allows users to locate a code by category or by the shop where the code can be used. If you are an affiliate for a number of stores, having a page where your users can locate a code by store may even entice them to use a number of different coupon codes.

If you are someone who is only new to the online website world, customizing a website can sound daunting. For those who fear customization, Clipper allows the use of the appearance menu to change the look and feel of the coupon website with only a few alterations. For those with better website knowledge, advanced customization can be completed. It is important to add your personal touch to your coupon website especially in terms of social media icons who have followers who only trust them. Ensure you add branding if you are well known to your followers to add to the authenticity of the site.

Using Clipper to Promote Social Media Affiliate Codes

Step 1) Configure a WordPress Website and Activate the Clipper AppTheme

As mentioned earlier, to use Clipper you will need a WordPress website. WordPress is a free software although you will need to purchase a domain name and some website hosting. The hosting you choose will ultimately depend on your budget and on how much traffic you anticipate your site will receive.

Once you have your WordPress website up and running, it is time to install and activate the Clipper AppTheme. If you do not own this theme already, you will need to head over to our website and make a purchase prior to continuing. Take a look at Clipper Pricing Plan here.

To activate Clipper;

1. Click on the ‘Appearance‘ menu in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on ‘Themes‘ and then on ‘Add New‘.
3. You will now see the option to ‘Upload Theme‘. Locate the file that you purchased.
4. Choose to ‘Install‘ and then ‘Activate‘ Clipper.
5. Once Clipper is activated on your WordPress website, you will see four menus that relate to the AppTheme: Clipper, Payments, Coupons and Forms. 

Step 2) Configuring Clipper Settings

To use the Clipper AppTheme on your website, you will need to complete the required settings. At this stage you might also like to edit the appearance of the AppTheme to better suit your website by using the appearance customizer.

Settings and Appearance Options Configured to Create a Website for Social Media Coupon Advertising

To set up our very own test website to offer social media affiliate coupons we completed the following:

1) Clipper > Settings Menu
Color Scheme: Chose the ‘Red Theme’
Slider: Chose to Display a Featured Slider
2) Clipper > Coupons
Prune Coupons: Chose to Remove Expired Coupons
Coupon Code: Chose to Only Display Coupons Once Clicked On
Views Counter: Chose to Display Number of Views
3) Appearance > Customize
Site Identity: Edit site title, tagline and selected site icon
Header Image: Uploaded a Graphic for the Top of Website
4) Appearance > Widgets
Image Widget: Added image for homepage sidebar
Blog Widget: Added blog widget to homepage sidebar

While in our setup we will not be allowing outside users to post their coupons and charge for listings, this is a major feature of Clipper that many website owners use. This feature allows the website owner to once again add to their revenue. It is your choice if you will use Clipper purely for your own social media affiliate coupons or if you will use it to also allow others to advertise their coupons (for an advertising cost). If you intend on using Clipper to allow others to post coupons, you will also need to configure the ‘Payment Settings‘ and the ‘Forms‘ menus.

Step 3) Add Your Coupons/Affiliate Discounts

Now that you have configured the basic settings of your Clipper website and altered the appearance it is time to add your social media discounts. This can all be achieved through the ‘Coupons‘ menu in your WordPress admin dashboard. You will need to add categories for your coupons and tags for your coupons.

Step 1) Click on the ‘Stores‘ menu under ‘Coupons‘. Add the names of stores where your coupons can be used. For each store, add their online URL and an image.

Step 2) Click on the ‘Categories‘ menu under ‘Coupons‘. Add appropriate categories that your coupons can be listed under.

Step 3) Click on the ‘Tags‘ menu under the ‘Coupons‘ menu. Add tags that relate to your intended coupons.

Step 4) Click on the ‘Add New‘ menu under the ‘Coupons‘ menu.

Step 5) Add a ‘Title‘ and ‘Description‘ for your coupon.

Step 6) Choose a ‘Duration‘ in which the coupon will remain active.

Step 8) Add the ‘Destination‘ of the coupon. This would generally be the URL of the site that this coupon can be used.

Step 9) Choose the ‘Type‘ of coupon that you are offering.

Step 10) For coupon codes to be used online, type the exact code your users can copy and paste to receive the discount.

Step 11) Place your coupon in a category and a store and apply relevant tags.

Step 12) ‘Publish‘ out your coupon or save it as a draft.

Step 13) Your coupon will now show up on the homepage of your website.

Step 4) Add a Relevant Blog to Your Website

If you wish to increase traffic to your website, adding a blog can allow you to do so. For instance you may like to write on how to budget or save money or specific topics that relate to who you are or what you promote. To add a new blog page for your Clipper website, simply add a new ‘Post‘. Once you publish out a post from your WordPress dashboard, this will appear within your Clipper blog.

Step 5) Promote Your Website from Your Social Media Channel

Once you are happy with the look and feel of your website and you have added all active coupon codes, add the URL of your website to your social media platform. Creating a place where your user base can easily find codes that you offer will allow them to locate a code they wish to use and in turn allow you to earn more affiliate commissions. Gaining feedback from a number of your followers can help you to tailor your website to the majority of their wants and needs.

Get Started with the Clipper AppTheme by Browsing the Documentation Page. 

Considerations When Creating a Classifieds Website for Second Hand Items

If you intend on creating a classifieds website, in particular a second hand classifieds site, there are a number of things to consider. You will first need to choose a platform. In the case of this article we will be using WordPress and the popular ClassiPress AppTheme to bring a second hand classifieds website to life. Using ClassiPress takes the hard work out of creating a website from scratch and then allows the site to be easily customized to suit any niche.

When creating a second hand classifieds listing website, you will also need to consider if you are going to keep it local, meaning you will target your area only to sell and buy second hand items, or if you will do a larger scale classifieds where those who post are happy to ship goods that they advertise. If the item is to be shipped, the advertiser should make note of different shipping charges in the description field.

If you wish to further ‘niche’ your second hand classifieds website you might like to focus on one of the key areas of second hand selling below, or alternatively use these as categories for a broader second hand classifieds website:

• Second Hand Clothing or Second Hand Designer Clothing
• Second Hand Baby Items or Second Hand Designer Baby Items
• Second Hand Appliances
• Second Hand Vintage or Antique Items
• Second Hand Furniture
• Second Hand Shoes

Steps to Create a Niche Second Hand Classifieds Website

Creating a classifieds website is simple when the ClassiPress AppTheme is used. In the steps below, we outline how you can create your very own second hand classifieds website where you, yourself can advertise items as well as allow others from your local area to list their goods/services for sale. A second hand classifieds website brings like minded buyers and sellers together. You might even find if your website gains enough traffic, certain retailers, antique or vintage store based shops or other local businesses may even ask for you to advertise on the sidebar for them.

Once you complete the steps to create a second hand classifieds website, your homepage will look similar to the test website we have created below. 

Step 1) Purchase and Install ClassiPress

Once you have set up a WordPress website, the next step is to ensure you have the ClassiPress AppTheme installed and activated on your website. Once the theme is activate it is somewhat of a blank canvas. The foundations are there although the customization is entirely up to you. Before you begin altering the appearance of the AppTheme, you’ll need to configure some basic settings. While for many websites, the default settings will work just fine, ensure you have a browse through the ClassiPress Settings and Payment Settings to make sure the default options work with the website you are creating.

In terms of a second-hand classifieds website, we recommend you alter/consider the following default settings:

1. ClassiPress Settings Listing Tab: Do you wish to manually approve each new ad listed or not?
2. ClassiPress Settings Listing Tab: Should expired listings be automatically removed from the website (pruned)?
3. ClassiPress Settings Listing Tab: Do you wish for each advertisement to have at least one image?
4. ClassiPress Settings Listing Tab: What is the maximum amount of images you wish to allow per advertisement?
5. ClassiPress Settings Structured Data Tab: Will you use the product listing schema for your second hand classifieds website?
6. ClassiPress Settings Security Tab: Do you wish to enable reCaptcha to limit spam users on your website?
7. Payment Settings PayPal Tab: Will you use PayPal to accept ad listing money or will you use bank transfer?

Step 2) Customize Your ClassiPress Site

A website where second hand goods are advertised may or may not have a rustic feel. You may be setting up a classifieds second hand website with the intent on only allowing designer second hand items to be listed and wish for the site to feel elegant. The look and feel of your second hand ClassiPress website, will ultimately mimic the type of goods that will be advertised.

The latest ClassiPress version allows you to use one large header image. Using a high quality image that represents the feel of your website will not only add to it’s over all look but also the legitimacy of the website.

To customize the look and feel of your ClassiPress website, you will need to locate the WordPress customizer. This can be found by clicking on the ‘Appearance‘ menu and then on ‘Customize‘. From the customizer, for a visually appealing second hand website you will want to:

1) Add a site logo, a tagline, a footer copyright and a site icon from the ‘Site identity‘ tab.

2) Choose a color scheme for your website.

3) Add a background image of your choosing. This will sit behind any advertisements so choose an image that will not take away from the content.

To add a banner image for your website, you will need to locate the ‘Search For‘ page under your WordPress ‘Pages‘ menu. It is here you can simply replace the default banner image with a large high definition image that suits your website. You will also need to change the ‘Search for‘ words to better relate to your website. For example, a second hand website may say ‘Search for… Second Hand Clothes and Second Hand Furnishings’. Click the ‘Update‘ button to save the changes.

These customized details can be sighted in the screenshot below.

Step 3) Create Second Hand Classified Categories

The categories you create will depend on how niche your second hand classifieds site is going to be. The categories you create will ultimately be the types of advertisements the visitors will be able to list. Keeping the categories broad can work for large second hand sites or if you have a local website, niche categories may work better. Keep in mind that down the track you can apply additional charges to list an advertisement in a certain category.

To add a new category for your second hand classifieds website, you will need to click on the ‘Categories‘ menu found under ‘Ads‘. From there you simply give the category a name, slug and description followed by clicking the ‘Add New Category‘ button. You can find more information on creating categories and tags here.

Some categories you might like to add to your second hand classifieds website may include:

• Clothing
• Furniture
• Appliances
• Manchester
• Children’s Items

In our example we are creating a second hand website to advertise designer children’s items so our categories will include:

• Designer Cots
• Designer Baby Clothes
• Designer Baby Shoes
• Designer Manchester
• Designer Children’s Decor

For each category you add, you can also apply a relevant category image of your choice.

Step 4) Ensure the Ad Form Relates to the Website

When a user comes to your website in hopes of advertising, they will need to fill in a form for their ad. Using the ClassiPress AppTheme you can customize the form to ask relevant information about the item the user is listing. The more details listed about the item, the greater the chance of a purchaser showing interest.

The ‘Forms‘ menu can be found under ‘Ads‘. You can create a generic form that applies to all your categories meaning that no matter which category is selected for the ad, the form will always be the same, or alternatively you can create a new form for each category you have listed. You will need to give your form a name and a description. Once you have created a form, you will need to create fields that you can add to the form. For example, we have added a field asking how long the person has owned the designer item.

Find out more about creating forms and custom fields here.

Step 5) Add Listing Charges

If you intend on charging users to list an advertisement from the beginning, make sure you configure this prior to going live with your website. All listing charges can be configured from the ‘Payments‘ menu. You will also need to make sure the ‘Charge for Listing‘ checkbox under the ‘ClassiPress Pricing‘  menu has been checked. You can choose to create ‘Ad Packs‘ and ‘Membership Packs‘ as well to offer potential regular user of your website.

When adding listing charges, consider that the item being sold is second hand and the seller more times than not will already be selling the item for less then they paid. By keeping listing charges low, you will increase your chances of receiving more advertisers.

Step 6) Complete a Listing

Prior to advertising your new website, it is important to complete the listing process from the front end of your website to ensure the instructions are informative, the payment process is successful and the ad appears detailed enough so that buyers are encouraged to contact the seller. If you have a number of items lying around the house that are a fit for your website, you may like to list them for sale to give the website some content prior to directing friends or family to check it out.

Once you start to see some listings on your website, advertising your second hand classifieds site through email, social media channels and sponsored posts may increase the traffic and lead to more paid listings.

Step 7) Find Local Business Who Wish to Advertise on Your Website

If you have completed your Classifieds website, you may wish to earn additional income from displaying a sticky advertisement in your website’s header or on the sidebar of each listing page. If you find that you are receiving a significant amount of traffic it may be time to reach out to local businesses within the second-hand niche that may be interested in gaining exposure from your visitors. If you find someone interested in advertising, you will need to create a graphic image. This image can then be added via the ‘Advertising‘ tab found under the ‘ClassiPress Settings‘ menu.

Step 8) Add a Blog

If you have free time on your hands, adding a blog to your website that relates to what is being sold can bring in further traffic. If you are creating a second hand classifieds website, you could create a blog about all the tips and tricks on purchasing second hand items. Alternatively, if you are targeting local people in your area, you might like to include a blog about local second hand shops. Adding a blog is optional although recommended if you intend on gradually increasing website traffic over time.

Tips When Listing Second Hand Items on Your Classifieds Website

If you intend on listing some of your own items, or you wish to create an advisory blog page, some of the following points may be notable.

• Research similar items on the internet so that you can determine a realistic asking price
• If you don’t mind negotiating the price, make this known in the advertisement
• Provide as much details about the item as possible
• Ensure the email and phone number attached to your listing is accurate
• Respond timely to any interest about the item and if you are selling a high priced item, be ready to allow interest buyers to view the item
• Add multiple high resolution images to your advertisement to increase interest

Any issues our users of JobRoller have previously reported have also been addressed in this latest version. This includes a handful of typos and minor map issues. We appreciate the feedback we have received from our customers in terms of the JobRoller AppTheme and hope this latest version has addressed any mentioned issues.

Additions in JobRoller 1.9.0

As mentioned above, the most significant difference in this JobRoller version is the ability to choose your maps provider. Either one of the AppMaps Module Plugins can be installed to use Bing or Mapquest on a JobRoller site. While the majority of users choose to use Google Maps, those who aren’t fond of the recent associated map charges now have the opportunity to change to a different provider.

Geo Services for JobRoller

Due to the recent availability of  different map providers for JobRoller, the maps settings menu has now been moved. Map settings can now be found within the Geo Services menu under JobRoller within the WordPress admin dashboard. The tabs displayed within the Geo Services menu are a direct result of the Geo Services provider/s you have chosen to use. The best part is, you can use a different provider for your JobRoller Geocoder and your JobRoller Maps meaning different API Keys are an option. These are split into two different tabs.

Location Improvements for JobRoller

The “Location” field in the search form now implements the “Address Auto-suggest” feature from the ‘AppMaps’ module. It can use other services, such as “Bing Autosuggest API” or “Mapquest Place Search API”, not only the “Google Place Search API”. This will depend on which service provider you are using.

The Smart Radius in the location search field has also been implemented in this latest version of JobRoller. For example, if you visitor searches by country and the default radius option is empty, search results for the whole country will be displayed when the user clicks the search button.

Furthermore, geocoders and maps can also be disabled on a site where location is not relevant. For example, your JobRoller website may only be for jobs in a specific area.

Additional Currencies for JobRoller

A number of new currencies can now be accepted on a JobRoller website. The full list of accepted currencies can be found under the Payment Settings menu.

New/Related Tutorials for JobRoller

We’ve linked a new Geo-services Tutorial below for those wishing to alter their maps provider.

• Geo Services for JobRoller
• Setting up Google Maps API Keys for JobRoller  

Perhaps you dabble in dog breeding on the side and wish to create a site where you can list the puppies you currently have available?

Or maybe you have found that many local breeders cannot find a site where they can specifically post the dogs and puppies they have for sale?

If you plan on creating a WordPress classifieds website either to list your own puppies for sale or create a place where other locals can do so, why not use the ClassiPress AppTheme? ClassiPress is a powerful WordPress theme that includes functions required to create a classifieds website. This AppTheme allows you to edit and design your very own classifieds website in under an hour. Not only does a ClassiPress website look professional, but it also includes all the necessary features to begin listing your own ads, and collect revenue through visitors listing their ads.

Whether you intend to make revenue through selling prime advertising spots to other dog breeders, you intend on making money by selling your own dogs or you wish to make money from using a third party advertising agency such as Adsense, the options are endless when you use ClassiPress.

Why Should I Create a Niche Classifieds Website?

Before we go ahead and discuss why a niche classifieds website is a better approach, it is important to understand what a Classifieds website is, and the purpose of a classifieds site. A classifieds site is designed to be a place where sellers can list items they have for sale and then potential buyers can find items for sale by location or category. Classified ads are not only found on websites, but also appear in newspapers and magazines. The purpose of a classifieds section is to connect sellers to buyers and buyers to sellers. With that in mind, why is a niche classifieds site a better approach?

While a large and broad classifieds site has worked in the past for some big brand websites such as ‘Craig’s List’, your chances of outranking these websites is little to none. Creating a niche classifieds site, for example a place where puppies and dog accessories can be listed and sold, allows you to dedicate the entire site to ‘dogs’. This means that the home page and blog can both be dedicated to the niche of your choosing. A visitor to your website then automatically knows they will be able to not only be able to find their forever friend, but also any accessories they’ll need as well.

Creating a niche website that you then target a specific area with, strengthens the chance of you ranking for certain local key words. For example, you may create a website specifically for puppies and dogs for sale within the Sydney region. Creating a niche website increases the chance of being seen by those who may actually want to list dogs they breed. Unlike clothing, generally the cost of transporting an animal is expensive and sometimes thought to be cruel. This is why a local website where local breeders and buyers can connect makes the most sense.

How Can I Create a Dog Classifieds Website?

Before you go ahead and download the ClassiPress AppTheme, you’ll need to ensure you have registered a domain name, such as ‘localpuppies.com’ or a more specific ‘.com.au’ if you are living within Australian. Once you have set up WordPress, registered for a domain and acquired hosting, you’ll be ready to set up you classifieds website.

1. From your WordPress dashboard, Install and Activate the ClassiPress AppTheme.
2. Once ClassiPress is activated on your WordPress site, you’ll be ready to complete the basic configuration and then customize the base theme to better suit your niche website.
3. Complete the basic configuration for ClassiPress by watching some of the ClassiPress Video Tutorials.
4. Once you have completed the settings you’ll be ready to customize your theme to better suit your site.
5. From your WordPress dashboard, click on the ‘Appearance’ menu and then on ‘Customize’. This will take you to the appearance customizer where you can change; the site title, site tagline, website colors, background image, layout, menus and widgets. Use the customizer tools to make the website, look and feel like a dog lovers classifieds site. Ensure you ‘Publish’ the changes you have made.
6. Click on the ‘Pages‘ menu in your WordPress Dashboard. Locate the page titled ‘Search for…’. It is on this page you can change the main header image by removing the ‘Featured Image’ and then uploading one that suits the website. For example, we have used a photo of a puppy dog as our header image.
7. Edit the text on the ‘Search for…’ page so that it reads search for and then the options someone could search on your website. For example, our site reads ‘Search for’ followed by a list of dog breeds. You will need to decide if you will categorize the dogs by breed, age or coat type.
8. Now we will need to add categories in which the visitors can list their ad underneath.
9. Click on the ‘Ads’ menu from your WordPress dashboard. Click on ‘Categories’ and then it is here you can add categories that potential visitors can list their dog ads under. The categories may be generic such as ‘Puppy’ or ‘Dog’ or more specific to the breed such as ‘French Bulldog’ or ‘Labrador’. You may even like to include some categories when your visitors can advertise dog accessories.
10. Customize the form your visitors will need to fill out to list their animal from the ‘Custom Fields’ menu found under ‘Ads’ in your WordPress dashboard. Ensure that the form is generic and will be the right fit for any dog related advertisement.

Including a Blog on my Dog Classifieds Website

You have now successfully set up the basics for your Dog and Puppy Classifieds website. Your visitors will now be able to begin to list the dogs they have for sale. To populate your website to get natural traffic, it is a good idea to find some local dog advertisements and add them free of charge. Another robust feature of ClassiPress is the Blog. The blog allows you to add content to your website that relates to your Classified ads. This can help to rank you in Google for certain key words.

A blog post can be added by simple ‘Publishing’ out a ‘Post’. Each published post will appear as a new blog entry. Below we created a simple blog entry title ‘Why Should I Buy a Dog Carry Case?‘. In this blog post we’ll link to some of our own carry case advertisements from the dog accessories category.

How Can a Dog Advertisement be Listed on my ClassiPress Website?

Advertisements can be listed on your classifieds website from the front end by a visitor clicking on the ‘Post an Ad’ button, or by admin creating an advertisements from the WordPress Dashboard. It is a good idea to run through the process in which the visitor would need to take when attempting to list an ad to ensure the process is smooth and easy. You do not want a visitor leaving an advertisement unfinished because the process was difficult or displayed errors.

To post an advertisement from the admin dashboard you will need to:

1. Click on the ‘Ads’ menu and then on ‘Add New’.
2. This will take you to the ‘Create New Ad’ page where you will need to fill out a number of fields that relate to the advertisement. Adding multiple images to an advertisement can increase the chance of a visitor clicking on the ad to view more.
3. You will need to place your add into one or multiple ‘Categories’. This is where your advertisement will appear on the front end of your website.
4. Once you have completed the ad, click the ‘Publish’ button.

To post an advertisement from the front end of your site (as a visitor) you will need to:

1. Click on the ‘Post an Ad’ button.
2. Choose a ‘Category’ in which your ad will be placed under.
3. Fill in the ‘Fields’ that relate to the listing.
4. ‘Preview’ and then ‘Post the Advertisement’.

If you as admin have chose to make the ad ‘Sticky’ then it will appear under the featured listings section on the homepage.

How Can I Benefit from Having a Local Classifieds Dog Website?

There are a number of ways an administrator can benefit from a ClassiPress classifieds website. If the administrator breeds dogs that they then sell to the public, a classifieds website is a great way to market the new dogs to local pet lovers. They can then direct a social media following to the website, or advertise their website at local dog clubs or newspapers.

If the administrator has a love for dogs and puppies although is not a breeder, the classifieds website will allow them to earn an income by selling ad spots to other local breeders. ‘Ad Packs‘ and ‘Membership Packs‘ can be created by the admin to then sell to those breeders who will be posting new puppies or accessories regularly. A high traffic website generally will charge more for breeder to list their advertisement. It is a good idea to begin at a base advertisement price and then only increase if you see the traffic of your site has spiked.

If many visitors are coming to your classifieds website to see the dogs, puppies and accessories that are available locally, you may be ready to use Google Adsense or advertise for other local business on your website. This gives you another source of revenue.

Is there a large pool of photographers in the area in which you live?

Are you considering creating a site where individual photographers can show case their work in hopes of obtaining new clients?

Vantage, a business directories AppTheme is the ideal platform to set up a local photography register. Vantage is among the top business directory themes that comes with inbuilt eCommerce features. This means that not only can visitors to the site list their business, but you can also sell them an ad package to do so. Alternatively, your motive may be to compile a collection of local photographers which you advertise for free in hopes of making money through Google Adsense.

While the term ‘Photographers’ is broad, creating a directory for ‘Local Photographers’ will ensure your website will get targeted traffic from other locals within your area. This will not only ensure you have a flow of new photographers wanting to list their business, but those photographers who list should also be happy with the new customers finding out about them from your directory website.

In this blog we’ll outline How to Create Local Photography Directory Website with Vantage and How to Make Money from a Local Photography Directories Website.

How Can I Create a Website for Local Photographers?

Step 1) First steps, first. You’ll need to register your website’s domain name. If you are hoping to attract a wide spectrum of photographers, ensure you keep your domain name broad. We’ll be creating a website titled: “sydneyspictureperfectphotographers.com” in hopes of attracting all aspiring and well established photography business in Sydney.

Step 2) Next you’ll need to complete the basic WordPress installation and setup followed by installing the Vantage AppTheme.

Step 3) Complete the general settings needed for Vantage by following our in-depth documentation. At this point you may like to create a site icon for the header of your website. A simple camera graphic followed by the name of your site will give visitors an idea of what sort of directory listings they are bound to find.
Below is an example of a photography directory site identity.

Step 4) Create Categories in which people will be able to list their advertisement. Some categories for a photography business directory might be: Wedding Photographer, Newborn Photographer, Family Photographer, Model Photographer, Adult Services Photographer, Photo-booth Hire, Fashion Photographer, Wildlife Photographer, Sports Photographer, Pet Photographer, Real Estate Photographer, School and Preschool Photographer and Food Photographer.

Step 5) Create Listing Plans that are suitable for local photography businesses. Remember to keep your prices in check with the amount of traffic that your site is receiving or the amount of traffic you hope your site will receive.

The plan outlined in the screenshot below would allow freelance photographers to advertise their business for 20 days, be featured on the homepage as well as in the category for $6.95.

Step 6) Once you have created a handful of listing plans, make sure you create Custom Listing Fields and Forms. These are basically the specific questions your customers will need to answer when creating a listing on your site. For instance, on your local photography site, you may wish to ask the following question: ‘What Photography Services do You Offer?’ or ‘What Basic Photography Packages do You Offer?’. You can choose for the customers response to be in the form of text, a checkbox answers, a file upload, a number, a URL or an email. These details will then be displayed on the listing for visitors to the site to see.

Step 7) If you, yourself own a photography business, your first directory listing for your site could be your own. If you do not run a photography company, find local photographers online and add a couple to get your photography directory listing off the ground. If you do not wish to charge to advertise and hope to make money from Adsense instead, do some research and post ads for as many local photographers as you can find.

Step 8) Once you site is presentable, you’ll need some traffic coming to your site so that you can offer directory listing packages. You may like to advertise your website on social media along with post it to appropriate Facebook groups (Buying and Selling Groups along with Local Business Groups are a good place to start).

Step 9) You have now successfully created a business directory listings site for local photographers.

Deciding on a Pricing Plan for Local Photographers to Advertise

Not many people these days will create a website without the intent to make some kind of financial gain. Financial gain can be made by selling advertisements on your Vantage website or earning revenue through Adsense (or similar). As admin you are in full control of the price of each advertisement and how long the photographer’s ad will stay visible on the website for. Some local photographers will be freelancers while others will have established long term businesses. This is important to remember when creating pricing plans. Try to create a couple of plans that will suit the wide variety of photography businesses. Some photographers may only be in the area for a couple of months wishing to offer their services, so both short and long term ad plans should be on offer if you wish to earn as much revenue as possible.

When considering how much to charge per advertisement, the best way to price is to match what other directory websites in the area are charging, or do one better and beat their price. Remember that the smaller freelance photographers won’t be making all that much so the cost of advertising needs to be in proportionate to their earnings.

If you have just created a Local Photography Directory Listings website by using Vantage, consider listing many of the local photographers for free. Then use the ‘Claim a Listing‘ feature which allows the real owner to claim their listing (for a fee that you configure) so that they can be in full control of the content and images displayed. Those large photography companies are much more likely to want to claim their listings, especially if your site is gaining a lot of attention.

How Can I Promote my Local Photography Directory?

Once you have set up your local photography business directory and added a couple of listings, you are ready to promote your website in hopes of more people wanting to advertise their business. Running an online advertisement through social channels locally, putting up local signs and doing a mail box drop of flyers may draw some attention to your website. Posting on local Facebook groups that relate to businesses and photography may also allow you to get a handful of more listings.

Adding a Blog to Gain Natural Traffic to Your Photography Website

The number one way to get natural attention to your site is have a lot of genuine ads about local photographers in your area so start by filling your site yourself to gain natural visitors. If you have some free time on your hands, blogging about photography in your area may also see you rank for a couple of local key words within the photography niche. You can learn how to set up a blog and start producing content here.

In the screenshot below, a blog post was created about why locals should employ a photographer at their wedding. In this blog post we’ll also mention some of the prices and features of photographers who have previously advertised on our website to draw some further attention to their ads. Make sure you research popular topics being searched in relation to photography and the area you are targeting and then write your blog posts on these topics. The more blog posts you have surrounding photography and your local area, the greater chance you have to rank and gain natural traffic.

Displaying a Map of All Local Photography Businesses

Using Vantage, you can implement the Geoservices feature to display a map that indicates where all business in the region are located. This interactive map can then be used as your site’s header image, or the header image for a specific page.

This is a useful tool if you are targeting a larger city. This way your visitors can easily locate a photographer relatively close by seeing it visually represented on the map. If your visitor seeings an advertisement listed close by to them, they can click on the marker to view further details about the local photography business.

A new version of the popular Vantage AppTheme is now available. In this new version 4.2.0 our lead developers have addressed a couple of minor issues brought to our attention and have implemented some exciting new features.

Fixes Addressed in Vantage 4.2.0

In the latest version of the Vantage AppTheme our users can rest assured that their mobile users will not face the ‘Near Field’ disappearing. Thisissue was brought to our attention and addressed by the development team. The example screenshot below demonstrates the two fields that your mobile users should be able to see on your website when using the latest version of Vantage.

Additional Features for Vantage 4.2.0

The greatest addition to this latest version of Vantage is the AppThemes AppMaps module. You can read about this and a handful of other new features below.

Introducing AppMaps for Vantage

Vantage users can now take advantage of the AppMaps Module that allows alternatives to the Google Maps API that comes as standard. Both the AppMaps Bing and AppMaps Mapquest can be used alongside Vantage to display different maps to those offered by the Google Maps platform.

Location of AppMaps for Vantage

Our Vantage users can now locate their Map Settings by clicking on Admin > Vantage > Geo Services. The tabs presented to you when clicking on the Geo Services menu will be a direct result of the provider you are using. If you have any of the AppsMaps Marketplace Plugins, then your Geocoder and Maps providers drop-down will show multiple options. Your maps provider and Geocoding provider also have separate settings tabs allowing you to set different service providers and different API keys.

Find out more on how to set up your Geo Services for Vantage Here. 

AppMaps Features for Users of your Vantage Site

When a user on your site enters a location into the search form, the Address ‘Autosuggest’ feature of the AppMaps module is triggered. This feature can now use other services, for example, “Bing Autosuggest API” or “Mapquest Place Search API”, not only the “Google Place Search API”. This allows your visitors to quickly search for something in their required location.

If the ‘Default Radius’ option is empty, location search will calculate radius depending on search request. For example, search by country will cover all of the country, not the standard 50 mi/km from the center.

The fields “Find” and “Near” have been added to “Refine Results” widget and will appear on small screens. This allows your customers to easily locate the listing they are searching for (see screenshot below).

When your users create a directory listing the “Address” field has got a map with a draggable marker, so now it’s possible to set location on the map instead of typing address (see below).

Displaying your AppMaps on your Vantage Website

You can use the following shortcode on your Vantage site to display the listings map. This can be used to display the map anywhere on your website as long as there is one listing on the page.

[vantage_listings_map]

When creating a directory listing as admin you can now add the address by marking the location on the map. This saves time as there is no need to type the address.

How Can I Add the AppMap to a Page?

Step 1) Locate the page that you wish to display a map on. This can be found by clicking on the ‘Pages‘ menu within a WordPress dashboard.

Step 3) Copy and paste the following shortcode into the Text Editor of the page (beneath any other text you have input):

[vantage_listings_map]

Step 4) Click on the Update button.

Step 5) Go to go to the front of your website and view the page where you have added the AppMaps.

Note: To display the AppMaps you will need to have at least one listing on the page. 

Important Notes for Vantage Users

Existing Geodata in postmeta table is still there for backward compatibility. This means that if you are a customer you can freely downgrade Vantage to 4.1.6 without any issues. It’s backward compatible.

If you are using plugins that relate to maps make sure that they are already updated according to new AppMaps API.

Wrapping it Up

Customers who currently own the Vantage AppTheme can simply update to the latest version. If you run a high traffic site we always recommend viewing the change log prior to clicking the update button. All deprecated functions, classes, hooks, options and libs are also outlined in the change log.

We hope our users enjoy the new and flexible Geo Location features of Vantage 4.2.0!

Find out how to Upgrade to Vantage 4.2.0 Here. 

New Vantage Documentation

• Setting Up Your Geo Services for Vantage (API details)

A new update; 4.1.0 is now available. This new version addresses some minor fixes and comes with a couple of useful features.

Fixes in this Version

The new ClassiPress version: 4.1.0 addresses some minor issues that have been brought to our attention.

Issues regarding the footer menu have been addressed in this version. Any issues with an AppThemes that are brought to our attention by our customers are always promptly dealt with.

Additions in this Version

Choice of ClassiPress Map Provider

The new version comes with the ability to integrate the ‘AppMaps Module‘ plugins. While many users are happy using Google Maps, other users prefer to use alternative map providers such as Bing. In the 4.1.0 version of ClassiPress, the ‘Maps Settings’ can be found under a new menu titled ‘Geo Services’. The maps provider and geocoding provider now have separated settings pages, which allows for different service providers and different API keys.

The tabs under the Geo Services menu related directly to the additional ‘AppMaps Module’ plugin that you are using. The maps from different providers differ in look and functionality.

Checkout our Bing AppMap or MapQuest AppMap marketplace plugins for an alternative to the default Google Maps.

Location Improvements

The “Location” field in the search form now implements the “Address Auto-suggest” feature from the ‘AppMaps’ module. It can use other services, such as “Bing Autosuggest API” or “Mapquest Place Search API”, not only the “Google Place Search API”.

The screenshot below demonstrates the ‘Mapquest’ address auto-suggest feature.

Smart radius has also been implemented for a ClassiPress location search. If the ‘Default Radius’ option is empty, location search will calculate radius depending on search request. For example, a search by country will cover all the country, not the standard 50 m/km from the center.

Shortcode and Widget Additions

A listings map can now be added to any page on your ClassiPress site using the following shortcode:

[classipress_listings_map]

The shortcode above can also be added to a homepage to include a listings map as the header opposed to a static image.

In terms of widgets, Post and Category ID filters have been added to:  “Latest Listings”, “Featured Listings” and “Latest Blog Posts”. This allows you to filter your posts by either category ID or post ID.

Integration Features

From ClassiPress version 4.1.0, WooCommerce template integration and basic styles will be available. This means that you can run a classifieds ad site where you also sell some products or services using the WooCommerce platform.

New Tutorials

We hope our valued customers enjoy the new features in ClassiPress 4.1.0. You can view all the changes and fixes for this version here.

To help you adjust to these new improvements, we’ve included some relevant documentation links below. If for any reason you are having trouble with the new features of ClassiPress 4.1.0, our support team is ready to assist.

• Updating from ClassiPress 3.x to 4.x 
• Geo Services for ClassiPress
• Displaying the Listing Map as Your Site’s Header