
Key Topics:
- 01:54 – Brilliant Directories Mobile App
- 02:56 – Digital Strategist, David
- 05:43 – Co-Founder & CTO, Matthew
- 07:05 – Partner & COO, Jeff
- 09:20 – Senior Support Manager, Rick
- 10:13 – Customer Success Director, Dennis
- 12:56 – More Intuitive Admin Area
- 13:36 – Data Portability & Integrations
- 14:48 – Subfolder Hosting
- 15:45 – Ongoing Updates & New Features
- 16:16 – POST RESULTS: Displays total count of results found
- 16:50 – BUSINESS DATA: Search UAE regions like Dubai
- 17:59 – LEAD NOTES: Members can add personal notes for each lead
- 18:23 – LEAD STATUS: Members can tag leads as won, lost, or other
- 20:27 – MENUS: Show custom main menus by membership plan – Enhance the User Experience with a Custom Main Menu for Registered Members
- 22:30 – DELETING: More options, extra confirmation & reassign posts
- 24:02 – PROFILES: Filter members who are missing photos/logos
- 26:05 – NEWSLETTERS: Export email addresses instantly with one click
- 27:09 – PAYMENTS: Razorpay to support payments in India (Now Available)
- 27:56 – EMAILS: Translated system emails to match site’s language (Soon)
- 30:09 – Template .csv file for importing events?
- 31:47 – Google Maps API Key Updates
- 33:23 – View and edit the mobile version of our site? – Easy Settings to Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices
- 37:04 – Free or paid Google Maps API?
- 37:33 – Enabling Sales Rep Field / How to Track Revenue from Sales Reps – How to Track Revenue from Sales Reps
- 36:44 – Bulk actions for moving/editing members?
- 40:42 – Use cases for integrating BD website/directory on another website?
- 42:23 – Customize lead status tags/options?
- 43:47 – Share/move members between separate BD websites?
- 46:49 – Google Map Search issue
- 49:58 – Loading BD website using WordPress plugin
- 54:14 – Share page view counts/profile analytics with members? – Member Profile Analytics
- 55:26 – Editing the lead form?
Announcements
Favorite 2024 Updates
2025 BD Roadmap
New & Upcoming Features
Questions & Answers
Brilliant Directories Mobile App (00:01:54)
- The Brilliant Directories mobile app is available for download, allowing users to stay updated on their site, new members, and revenue while on the go (00:01:54).
- The app can be downloaded from BRdirectories.com, the Apple Inc. app store, or the Google app store by searching for “Brilliant Directories” (00:02:02).
- New members are welcome to join the webinar, including Sheila, and are encouraged to participate in the Q&A session (00:02:11).
- Webinar Wednesday is a weekly event where new updates to the platform are shared, including feature suggestions from the BD community, to help users grow their community (00:02:17).
- Topics covered in Webinar Wednesday include increasing traffic, identifying revenue opportunities, and more (00:02:32).
- A Q&A session is included at the end of every webinar to provide one-on-one guidance with users’ websites (00:02:38).
- Users are encouraged to save their questions and the hosts will try to answer as many as possible during the Q&A session (00:02:51).
Digital Strategist, David (00:02:56)
- 2024 was an amazing year with many updates, and the development and support teams worked hard to push these updates and answer user questions (00:03:09).
- A few favorite updates from 2024 were highlighted, including the new Wizard (software), which makes setting up a new website easier and faster (00:03:49).
- The new Setup Wizard is a multi-step process that helps users set up a new website, including connecting a domain name, adding a website name, choosing a theme, and more (00:03:53).
- Another favorite update is the email outbox, which provides transparency into the activity on the website by showing which emails were automatically sent to members (00:04:40).
- The email outbox includes notification emails, such as lead emails, and helps users see what the system is doing behind the scenes (00:04:46).
- The email outbox was a common Software project management and is helpful for users to review emails sent by the system, including review emails, lead emails, and sign-up emails (00:05:11).
- The email outbox can be seen as the “pulse” of the website, allowing users to see what’s happening on their website even when they’re not actively working on it (00:05:30).
Co-Founder & CTO, Matthew (00:05:43)
- Matthew Brooks’ two favorite updates for 2024 include the addition of digital products with the ability to have donations and custom donation amounts, as well as supporting recurring subscriptions for digital products (00:05:48).
- Prior to this update, the only way to have a recurring subscription was through the one and only membership plan that members were signed up to, but now members can have subscriptions for third-party services, advertising plans, or access to premium content pages on the site for the duration of their recurring subscription (00:05:57).
- The custom donation feature has been well-received by nonprofits using Brilliant Directories, as they no longer need to use third-party services like PayPal and can instead have pages on their site to accept static or custom donation amounts, which can also be recurring (00:06:21).
- Enhanced newsletter features were launched in 2024, with more updates coming to improve deliverability, scheduling workflows, and design blocks for newsletters (00:06:46).
- Future updates will focus on ensuring deliverability and improving the workflow of scheduling newsletters, as well as adding more blocks for designing newsletters (00:06:52).
Partner & COO, Jeff (00:07:05)
- Two new features were recently added to help with management aspects of websites, with the first feature being the ability to delete orphaned images of deleted members and posts to free up storage space on the website (00:07:15).
- This feature works by running a system check when a member or post is deleted, ensuring that any associated images are also deleted to prevent them from taking up valuable storage space (00:07:32).
- The second feature is the “Block Traffic by Country” add-on, which was released last year and allows users to block traffic from specific countries or only allow traffic from specific countries (00:07:58).
- The country of website visitors is determined by their IP address, and the main reasons for using this feature are to improve website security by denying access from high-risk countries and to reduce spam (00:08:19).
- This feature can be useful for websites that receive a lot of spam from specific countries, allowing users to quickly and easily block traffic from those countries (00:08:35).
- It is recommended to only enable the “Block Traffic by Country” feature if experiencing high levels of spam or exhausting bandwidth usage due to traffic from unwanted countries (00:09:07).
- Jeff listed these two features as his favorites from 2024, with the “Block Traffic by Country” feature being particularly useful for reducing spam from countries unrelated to the markets being served (00:08:48).
Senior Support Manager, Rick (00:09:20)
- Rick, the senior support manager, selected two favorite updates from 2024, with the first being the ability to use members’ own variables in their dashboard through short codes, allowing for personalized content such as greetings and display of other data (00:09:23).
- This feature enables the creation of short codes like “me equals first name” to show members’ information in their dashboard, making it highly useful (00:09:35).
- The second favorite update is the ability to target verified members in search results using CSS classes, which is particularly useful for web designers and developers who want to add design elements around verified members (00:09:50).
- This update allows web designers and developers to easily target verified members in search results using CSS, providing more flexibility in design and development (00:10:07).
Customer Success Director, Dennis (00:10:13)
- Dennis, the Customer Success Director, has two favorite updates from the last year, with the first one being Instant Business Data, which allows users to search for millions of business records and quickly populate their website with those records (00:10:14).
- The Instant Business Data tool is a built-in feature that enables users to select the type of businesses they’re looking for, location, and other search criteria, and then import the desired results into their website (00:10:22).
- This tool is particularly useful for populating a new website quickly, making it look active and filled from the start, and also allows users to market to the imported businesses if they have contact information (00:10:25).
- The second update Dennis likes is the addition of several photo libraries, including Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, and a stock library of icons, as well as Giphy for animated GIF (00:11:28).
- These photo libraries provide users with over 10 million free photos to choose from, making it easy to find and add images to web pages, and have received positive feedback for making website building and content creation easier (00:11:31).
- The updates have been well-received, with users appreciating how they make building out websites, adding new pages, and improving existing content easier and more efficient (00:12:22).
- Both updates are considered top favorites, with the photos making it easy to build and decorate landing pages, and the Instant Business Data making the site look more established and decorated (00:12:37).
- More updates are expected in the 2025 roadmap (00:12:52).
More Intuitive Admin Area (00:12:56)
- The admin area is being improved for a cleaner look and feel, as well as smoother workflows when creating, deleting, or undoing records for posts, members, and other items (00:12:56).
- Revision history is a key focus area, with the initial version expected to be released in the coming months and further expansions planned for later (00:13:10).
- The numerous settings and features in the platform will be reorganized for better grouping, specifically the advanced settings, to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for (00:13:19).
- A model for reorganizing the advanced settings already exists, and work will begin on implementing this new structure to improve the user experience (00:13:27).
Data Portability & Integrations (00:13:36)
- Data portability and integrations will be improved to make it easier to populate a site with content and members from external sources, utilizing AI, and offering more integration options (00:13:37).
- Many users are using multiple platforms simultaneously, so the goal is to make it easier to integrate a Brilliant Directory site with various platforms (00:13:51).
- Some WordPress plugins are being developed to enhance integration, with expected releases in the coming months, specifically in Q1 of 2025 (00:13:59).
- One of the plugins will convert WooCommerce customers to new members on a Brilliant Directory site, making it easier to manage customers using WordPress with WooCommerce (00:14:10).
- Another plugin will allow users to continue using popular WordPress forms, such as Contact Form 7, WP Forms, Ninja Forms, and Gravity Forms, to create records on a Brilliant Directory site, including creating new users, leads, and member reviews (00:14:26).
- Subfolder hosting is also being developed, although no specific details were provided (00:14:47).
Subfolder Hosting (00:14:48)
- Subfolder hosting allows users to load their Brilliant Directory (BD) site on an existing domain name by connecting it to a brand new domain name, eliminating the need for a separate domain for the BD site (00:14:59).
- Users will decide the forward slash for their BD site on the existing domain, such as “/directory” or “/membersdirectory”, which will serve as the homepage for the BD site (00:15:08).
- All internal pages of the BD site will load after the chosen forward slash, and all BD pages will still receive SEO value with the subfolder hosting method (00:15:32).
- The subfolder hosting feature is expected to be available in Q1 of 2025, with a realistic target release date of March (00:15:37).
Ongoing Updates & New Features (00:15:45)
- Ongoing updates and new features are primarily driven by suggestions from the BD community and the Facebook group, with a special acknowledgement to the community for their motivation and engagement (00:15:46).
- The team is staying busy, thanks to the community’s input and participation, which makes the work enjoyable (00:15:58).
- There are several BD Lab Updates to be covered, which will be presented briefly to allow for a more extensive Q&A session, as this is the first webinar since 2025 (00:16:08).
POST RESULTS: Displays total count of results found (00:16:16)
- A new feature called “POST RESULTS” has been added, which displays the total count of results found (00:16:17).
- This feature was previously only available for member search results, but now it will be visible for all posts (00:16:24).
- The “POST RESULTS” feature shows the count of results, such as “one of eight” or however many results there are, for posts (00:16:30).
- Previously, this feature only showed the count when there were members, displaying “one of one through nine of 58” for member results (00:16:39).
- Now, the “POST RESULTS” feature will be visible for all posts, not just member search results, providing a count of results found (00:16:45).
BUSINESS DATA: Search UAE regions like Dubai (00:16:50)
- A case was identified where searching for businesses in Dubai, such as bakeries, yielded no results due to an issue with how states and cities were designated within Google Maps and the business database (00:16:52).
- The issue has been resolved, and users can now search for businesses in Dubai and other United Arab Emirates regions using the business data tool (00:17:08).
- If users encounter issues with finding results for a specific location, they are advised to contact the support team for further assistance (00:17:12).
- Searching for businesses in Dubai using the business data tool now yields results, with 60 records found when searching for bakeries in Dubai (00:17:40).
- Removing the filter for records updated in the last 30 days increases the number of results, with 198 records found for bakeries in Dubai (00:17:47).
LEAD NOTES: Members can add personal notes for each lead (00:17:59)
- Members can add personal notes for each lead they receive, which can be helpful for selling or distributing consumer leads to members (00:18:00).
- When members receive a lead, they can leave themselves a personal note, which can be used for current or historical purposes, or for any other information they want to record (00:18:11).
- The personal note feature allows members to keep track of their progress or history of working with a particular lead (00:18:18).
LEAD STATUS: Members can tag leads as won, lost, or other (00:18:23)
- Members can now tag leads as won, lost, or other by choosing to mark a lead status, allowing them to track the progress of their deals (00:18:24).
- A new dropdown menu called “My Status” is available for members to update the status of their leads, and a new column called “Deal Loss” has been added (00:18:43).
- The four most common deal statuses are “Deal Won”, “Deal Lost”, “In Progress”, and “Needs to be Contacted”, but these text labels can be changed if desired (00:18:54).
- Members can view and update the status of their leads by going to the “Manage Leads” section and clicking on “View More” for a specific lead (00:19:02).
- Members can add personal notes to their leads, such as attempted contact dates, messages left, and offers made, which can be saved and viewed later (00:19:20).
- The notes feature allows members to keep track of their interactions with leads and make the lead management tool more useful (00:19:55).
- Members can update the status of their leads to “In Progress”, “Needs Contact”, or other options, and view all their deals won, lost, in progress, or needing contact (00:20:04).
- The new feature is helpful for members who have dozens of leads and want to track the progress of their deals (00:20:12).
MENUS: Show custom main menus by membership plan (00:20:27)
- A feature was added to show custom main menus by membership plan, which was a request from previous webinars and the Facebook group (00:20:31).
- This feature allows for a separate main menu for the public and a different main menu for members when they’re logged in, and now also allows for different main menus based on specific membership plans (00:21:06).
- This feature can be useful for sites that cater to different types of users, such as vendors, general users, employers, and employees, who have different membership plans (00:21:13).
- To set a custom main menu for a membership plan, go to the membership plan settings, scroll down to the “Logged in members main menu” section, and choose a menu from the dropdown list (00:21:44).
- If no menu is chosen, the main menu set in the design settings will be displayed (00:21:50).
- The dropdown list will only show menus that include the words “main menu” (00:22:07).
- To create a custom main menu for a membership plan, clone an existing main menu, retitle it, and then select it from the dropdown list (00:22:17).
DELETING: More options, extra confirmation & reassign posts (00:22:30)
- Deleting members now has more options, including extra confirmations and the ability to reassign posts, to prevent accidental deletion of entire member databases or unwanted members (00:22:30).
- When deleting a member, a double confirmation is required to ensure the action is intentional (00:22:52).
- The system will ask if you want to delete the member’s profile images and files, which is generally recommended when deleting members (00:23:00).
- You will also be asked if you want to delete the member’s posts, which can be valuable, such as published blog articles, and may have SEO value (00:23:07).
- Posts can be reassigned to another member by typing their name, and all posts from the deleted member will be reassigned to the new author (00:23:25).
- Alternatively, you can choose to delete the posts created by the member (00:23:36).
- Even after confirming the deletion, the system will ask one more time if you’re sure you want to delete the member or members (00:23:45).
- The deletion process includes three confirmations to ensure the action is intentional and to prevent accidental deletion (00:23:43).
PROFILES: Filter members who are missing photos/logos (00:24:02)
- A new filter has been added to search for members who are missing profile photos and logos, allowing administrators to identify and reach out to these members to complete their profiles (00:24:03).
- The filter, located under “My Members” and “Search Members”, allows administrators to search for members with or without profile images, including both profile photos and logos (00:24:36).
- Administrators can use this filter to create a smart list of members who are missing profile photos and logos, and then email them to invite them to complete their profiles (00:25:13).
- Alternatively, administrators can use the filter to assign a member tag to members who are missing profile photos and logos, and then email them as a group (00:25:24).
- Members who complete their profiles with profile photos and logos are more likely to get higher response rates from website visitors, making it a perk for them to take advantage of this feature (00:25:53).
- The ability to search for members who are missing profile photos and logos was a highly requested feature, and is now available for use (00:24:18).
NEWSLETTERS: Export email addresses instantly with one click (00:26:05)
- Newsletters now have the ability to export email addresses with one click, which is helpful for sending newsletters from the system and tracking statuses such as sent, delivered, failed, opened, or unopened (00:26:06).
- The system provides various statuses for newsletters, including failed, delivered, open, unopened, clicked, and marked as spam, which can be used to create smart lists (00:26:36).
- Smart lists can be used to omit certain groups from future sends or to resend emails to specific groups, such as those who opened the email (00:26:45).
- A new feature allows users to export a CSV file of email addresses based on specific statuses, such as failed emails, which can be used for further segmentation in other Customer relationship management (00:26:51).
- The exported CSV file can be used to segment email addresses in other CRMs or to take further action with specific groups (00:26:59).
- The ability to export email addresses as a CSV file is now available to all users (00:27:07).
PAYMENTS: Razorpay to support payments in India (Now Available) (00:27:09)
- Razorpay is a new payment gateway, specifically for users in India, and it is now available. (00:27:12)
- The launch of Razorpay is an overhaul to a new way of adding future payment gateways to the Brilliant Directories platform. (00:27:20)
- The addition of Razorpay has led to the development of a new methodology, making it easier to add additional payment gateways in the future. (00:27:30)
- The existing payment gateways will not be affected by the addition of Razorpay. (00:27:27)
- The release of Razorpay was initially expected to be the following week, based on the information from the development team. (00:27:41)
- The development team has been working tirelessly on the addition of Razorpay, which was a highly requested feature by users in India. (00:27:45)
EMAILS: Translated system emails to match site’s language (Soon) (00:27:56)
- The ability to translate a site into almost any language was recently added for international markets, allowing sites to be created in languages such as Spanish language or Hindi (00:27:57).
- However, the system emails provided by BD, which number over 40, are not currently translated and must be manually translated by the site owner (00:28:11).
- In about a week or two, all system emails will be translated to match the site’s language, allowing for further customization to match the site’s brand tone and persona (00:28:21).
- This update will be helpful in opening up BD to wider international markets, as per the requests received (00:28:45).
- A comment from John mentioned that one of his favorite updates from last year was the duplicate finder tool, in addition to the stock photo feature (00:29:02).
- There is plenty of time for Q&A, and viewers can ask questions in the comments or type “question” in all caps to be unmuted and added to the stage (00:29:24).
Template .csv file for importing events? (00:30:09)
- A template for importing events via CSV file can be found in the support article on importing posts, which includes sample templates and examples of formats that can be used (00:30:22).
- The article contains downloadable files for different types of posts, including single image post, video post, and multi photo post, with the single image post template being recommended for events (00:31:02).
- If the template for events is not available, users can email the support team for assistance, and they will provide information on the required fields and values to input (00:31:16).
- The support team can also be contacted if users encounter any issues or have questions about importing events via CSV file (00:31:29).
- The relevant article will be shared in the chat, and users can refer to it for more information on importing events via CSV file (00:31:10).
Google Maps API Key Updates (00:31:47)
- Google Maps API key updates have been made, and the team is already working on implementing these changes to make the API usage more efficient and cost-effective (00:32:22).
- The new updates will allow for more specific and strategic use of the API, resulting in lower costs compared to the current method (00:32:30).
- The reason for wanting to cycle through multiple API keys is to utilize the free credits provided with each key, but this feature is not currently available (00:32:46).
- As a workaround, users can manually change their API key mid-month if needed, and their maps will continue to work with the alternate API key (00:32:53).
- The team is working to implement the newer, more targeted, and efficient changes to the Google Maps API, which will be released soon (00:33:05).
View and edit the mobile version of our site? (00:33:23)
- To view and edit the mobile version of a site, there is a video available that shares settings and tips, and it can be found by fast-forwarding to around 3 minutes in, where it explains how to add and hide certain elements using point-and-click settings (00:33:24).
- The site’s design settings can be accessed by going to settings and design, where options for the header of the site can be found, including the website logo, favicon, compact view on mobile, and header search (00:34:04).
- The header search can be hidden on mobile if it’s not important for the directory site, and the mini navs can also be hidden or shown on mobile (00:34:50).
- Hiding certain elements on mobile can make the site less top-heavy and save more real estate, as demonstrated by comparing the before and after views of a sample site (00:35:30).
- A video is available that covers additional ways to make edits to the mobile aspects of the site, including more advanced settings and tips (00:36:29).
- The video and design settings can help site owners customize their site’s mobile view and improve its overall appearance and user experience (00:36:34).
Free or paid Google Maps API? (00:37:04)
- Google is changing the pricing of its Google Maps API, but the $200 of credits offered is expected to remain available (00:37:09).
- The changes aim to make the pricing more targeted and efficient in how the Google Maps are used (00:37:29).
- Despite the pricing changes, the Google Maps API is expected to remain free, with the changes focusing on the pricing structure rather than eliminating the free option (00:37:25).
Enabling Sales Rep Field / How to Track Revenue from Sales Reps (00:37:33)
- To enable the sales rep field, go to Advanced Settings, type in “sales rep”, and enable the sales rep field in the member forms, then save the changes (00:37:56).
- This feature allows attributing a sales rep to a member, and if members sign up on the site’s sign-up pages, they can mention who the sales rep is that referred them (00:38:14).
- A video titled “How to track revenue from sales reps” is available, which covers the topic from start to finish, and can be found in the blog (00:39:03).
- For bulk actions, it is possible to change the top-level category of certain members, export members from the site, and import members to the site (00:39:50).
- The bulk actions can be used to move members to a new top-level category, remove or delete a top-level category, or move members to other sites (00:40:04).
- If further assistance is needed, users can email the support team, who will help with any issues (00:39:25).
- A question about adding bulk ads to subdirectories was answered, and it was suggested to use the bulk actions to change the top-level category or export and import members (00:39:34).
Use cases for integrating BD website/directory on another website? (00:40:42)
- Integrating a Brilliant Directories (BD) website or directory into another website can be useful for adding a directory aspect to an existing site, such as a WordPress blog with a thriving community (00:40:43).
- Currently, to add a BD site to another website, a subdomain would be required, which is considered a separate domain name by Google and search engines, but with subfolder hosting, a subfolder can be added to the existing website, allowing the BD site to be hosted on a page like myawesomblog.com/members (00:41:09).
- The subfolder hosting feature allows users to add a directory feature to any existing website, giving them the ability to host their BD site on a subfolder of their main website (00:41:32).
- When integrating a BD site into another website, the entire BD site will be replicated, including all pages and functionality, and will be accessible from the designated subfolder (00:41:45).
- The replicated BD site will have the full functionality of a standalone BD site, allowing users to access all features and pages from the subfolder (00:42:05).
- Many users have requested the ability to add Brilliant Directories to their existing sites, and soon this will be possible, allowing users to easily integrate a directory feature into their websites (00:42:15).
Customize lead status tags/options? (00:42:23)
- To customize lead status tags, go to settings and search for “deal” or “lead status” in the text labels section to find and edit the existing tags (00:42:50).
- The existing tags include “Deal Won”, “Deal Lost”, “In Progress”, and “Needs Contacts”, which cover the basic cycle of a lead (00:42:39).
- The tags can be changed to any desired text, and the changes will be translated if the site language is changed (00:43:04).
- To find all the lead status tags at once, use the keyword filter in the text labels section and search for “lead status” (00:43:24).
- The customized tags can be used to match the specific way leads are handled on the site for members (00:43:40).
Share/move members between separate BD websites? (00:43:47)
- It is possible to link multiple Brilliant Directories (BD) license websites to share members, allowing them to have one login and switch between sites (00:43:50).
- To manage multiple websites under the same BD account, users can go to “Manage Websites” at the top of their site, where they can see a list of all their active websites and edit them individually (00:44:08).
- The “Manage Websites” feature also displays statistics, such as revenue generated and number of members, for each site (00:44:34).
- To share or transfer members between separate websites, users can use integration tools like Zapier or PAB to create a Brilliant Directories to Brilliant Directories connection (00:45:23).
- This connection allows members who join one BD site to be automatically created on another site, with duplicate data and the same listing (00:46:23).
- Users can also send the member’s password to the other site, allowing them to log in with the same credentials (00:46:36).
Google Map Search issue (00:46:49)
- The issue with Google Maps search on the African Grocery Stores site is being addressed, and one possible solution is to email the support team for troubleshooting (00:46:57).
- The Google Maps API status on the site is working, and the website resources on the dashboard show it in good standing (00:47:16).
- A quick search on the site reveals that some locations are not showing up, and it’s possible that the members need to be geocoded with Google Maps (00:47:45).
- The site has imported members, but their longitude and latitude need to be synced with Google Maps, which can be done using the “Sync members with Google Maps” tool (00:47:52).
- The geocoding process is initiated, and the tool starts to sync the members’ addresses with Google Maps, which may take a few seconds per record (00:48:08).
- After the geocoding process is complete, the search page is reloaded, and the issue appears to be resolved, with the number of locations without longitude and latitude decreasing (00:49:06).
- The solution involves syncing the members with Google Maps, which is a one-time process usually done when importing members or adding them with the business data tool (00:49:32).
- With the geocoding complete, all members now have longitude and latitude, which is necessary to support location search on the website (00:49:43).
Loading BD website using WordPress plugin (00:49:58)
- The WordPress plugin for loading a Brilliant Directories (BD) website on an existing WordPress site or another site is currently in development and is expected to be available in March.
- The plugin will require a license key to be entered, which will validate the user’s BD site license, and a source URL that will be provided and cannot be changed.
- Users will be able to define a subfolder where they want their BD site to load, and the site will be accessible through that subfolder on the WordPress domain.
- Changing the subfolder will result in the loss of SEO value, so it’s recommended to set it up correctly from the start or use an HT access to redirect traffic from older pages.
- The plugin will initially load the BD site’s homepage, but future updates may allow users to choose a different homepage.
- The plugin is intended to be a minimal viable product, and users are encouraged to customize the aesthetics of their BD site to match their existing WordPress site.
- The plugin is still in development, but a demo was shown, and the developers are excited about its potential once it’s released.
Share page view counts/profile analytics with members? (00:54:14)
- Members have been asking for the ability to view page visit data, specifically profile statistics that show the number of profile views and other metrics, to be shared with them, which could be valuable for retention and demonstrating the value of their listing (00:54:14).
- Currently, there are no plans to implement this feature, but it will be discussed with the team to consider adding it to the roadmap (00:54:40).
- A potential solution could be to allow users to include data in a newsletter using shortcodes, which would automatically fill in the user’s profile views and other metrics for a given month (00:55:01).
- This approach is seen as a better way to provide members with a monthly recap of their profile views and other metrics (00:55:14).
- The idea will be discussed further with the team, and Neil’s suggestion is appreciated as a valuable one (00:55:21).
Editing the lead form? (00:55:26)
- A tip of the week on editing the lead form, removing the location edit, and predefined hidden categories will be created, covering topics such as having a lead form on a landing page for a specific category without the user having to select it, which is like a hidden field on that landing page (00:55:27).
- The tip of the week is something that has been wanted to be done, and this is a great motivation to put something together for a coming webinar (00:55:52).
- The next webinar will be in two weeks, and there are tons of lab updates coming soon, but they were not covered in this webinar, so it’s best to stay tuned for the next one (00:56:07).
- A replay of the webinar will be posted in the Brilliant Directories’ Facebook group, and the YouTube live will also be available on the Brilliant Directories’ YouTube Channel (00:56:42).
- The Brilliant Directories team is looking forward to the next webinar, which will be at the beginning of February, and they will have more awesome updates to share (00:57:06).