Running a directory website without analytics is like driving with your eyes closed. You’re publishing listings, creating categories, and hoping visitors find what they need – but do you actually know what’s working?

After 25 years building websites and launching multiple successful platforms, I’ve learned one critical lesson: you can’t improve what you don’t measure. That’s why I created three free WordPress plugins specifically for Directorist users who want to make evidence-based decisions about their directory sites.

The Problem: Flying Blind

Most Directorist site owners are making crucial decisions based on gut feeling rather than data:

Which listings attract the most visitors? You’re guessing.
Which categories drive the most engagement? You don’t know.
Are your category pages presenting properly? Probably not.
Where are your visitors geographically searching? Complete mystery.

Without proper data, you’re spending time and money on content that might be completely ignored whilst your most popular listings remain neglected.

The Solution: Evidence-Based Directory Management

I’ve developed three completely free plugins that work together to transform your Directorist site from a guessing game into a data-driven platform:

1. SFR Directory Analytics – Know What’s Working

SFR Directory Analytics provides beautiful, comprehensive analytics showing exactly which listings and categories attract visitors.

What you’ll discover:

Your top 10 performing listings (so you can create more like them)
Most popular categories (guiding your content strategy)
Traffic trends over time (daily, weekly, and monthly charts)
Whether your recent changes are actually working

Why this matters for marketing: When you know which listings get 500 views versus 5 views, you can:

Focus promotion efforts on proven content
Identify gaps in your directory coverage
Demonstrate value to premium listing holders
Make informed decisions about category expansion

The plugin tracks everything automagically – no configuration needed. All data stays in your WordPress database (GDPR compliant), and the beautiful dashboard shows you actionable insights in seconds.

2. SFR Directory Map – Visualise Your Directory’s Reach

SFR Directory Map displays your listings on interactive OpenStreetMap maps with clustering, rich popups, and search tracking.

What you’ll gain:

Professional map display for your listings
Understanding of geographic search patterns
Anonymous search analytics showing what users look for
Better user experience (visitors find relevant listings faster)

Why this matters for marketing: Maps don’t just look professional – they reveal crucial intelligence:

Which locations have high search demand but few listings (opportunity!)
What search terms visitors actually use (for SEO and content)
Geographic gaps in your directory coverage
Proof of your directory’s geographic breadth

The search analytics feature tracks what users search for (anonymously), helping you understand real user intent rather than assumed behaviour.

3. SFR Directory Category Display – Fix the Category Problem

SFR Directory Category Display solves a frustrating Directorist limitation: category descriptions you carefully write in the admin area simply don’t appear on the front end.

What this plugin does:

Automagically displays category descriptions on category pages
Shows category images professionally
Lists subcategories with icons in grid or list layouts
Provides analytics dashboard tracking description completion

Why this matters for marketing: Category pages are crucial landing pages for SEO and user navigation. Without descriptions, they look unfinished and unprofessional. With proper category content:

Search engines have content to index (better rankings)
Visitors understand what they’ll find in each category
Your directory appears professional and trustworthy
You can guide visitors to relevant listings

The analytics dashboard shows exactly which categories still need descriptions, so you can prioritise content creation based on actual traffic data from SFR Directory Analytics.

How These Plugins Work Together

Here’s where it gets powerful. These three plugins create a complete intelligence system:

SFR Directory Analytics shows you which categories get the most views
SFR Directory Category Display ensures those high-traffic categories have proper descriptions
SFR Directory Map reveals geographic search patterns and listing distribution – no limit to the number of pins
All three provide data to guide your content creation and marketing decisions

Real-world example: You discover “Restaurants” is your most-viewed category (Analytics), but the category page has no description (Category Display shows 0% completion), and the map reveals most searches are in Manchester but you only have London listings (Map search data). Now you know exactly what to do: write the category description and recruit Manchester restaurants.

That’s evidence-based directory management.

Why I Built These (And Why They’re Free)

I’m Richard Jemmett, and I’ve been building websites since 1999. After successfully exiting iFootpath (acquired by AllTrails in 2019), I now focus on creating practical tools that solve real problems I encounter in my own work.

These plugins exist because I needed them for my own directory projects. Rather than keep them private, I’m sharing them freely with the Directorist community because:

Every directory owner deserves to understand their site’s performance
Making decisions based on evidence should be standard, not premium
The WordPress community thrives when we share solutions

All three plugins are completely free, hosted on WordPress.org, and regularly updated to maintain compatibility with the latest versions of Directorist and WordPress.

Getting Started Takes Minutes

Installing these plugins is refreshingly simple:

Install from your WordPress admin (Plugins > Add New)
Search for “SFR Directory” to find all three
Click Install, then Activate
They work automagically – no complicated setup required

Within minutes, you’ll have:

Analytics automagically tracking every listing and category view
Professional maps displaying your listings
Properly formatted category pages with descriptions

Stop guessing, start knowing. Install these three free plugins and begin making evidence-based decisions today.