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Directorist Chat: Real-Time Messaging for Directory Listings

· 4 min read
Andrij Tkachenko
Creator of Better Messages

Directorist turns WordPress into a directory site — a YellowPages, a restaurant guide, a coworking-space finder, a marketplace of services. Each listing has an author; the obvious bridge between a visitor and that author is a one-click Send Message button. Better Messages adds a real-time chat layer that hooks into every Directorist surface: the listing page, archive cards, the author profile, and a Messages tab inside the Directorist user dashboard.

What Better Messages adds to Directorist​

Once Better Messages is installed and the Directorist integration is enabled under Better Messages → Settings → Integrations → Directories:

  • Send Message button on the listing page inside the Author Info card.
  • Send Message button on archive listing cards in the grid and list views (opt-in).
  • Send Message button on the author profile page.
  • Messages tab inside the Directorist user dashboard next to My Listings, My Profile, Favorite Listings.
  • Listing info card — conversations started from a listing show the listing's image, title, price, and address inside the thread.
  • Author profile links — clicking the author's name in a conversation opens the Directorist author profile, not the WordPress one.

Send Message button inside the Directorist listing Author Info card

Messages tab inside the user dashboard​

Messages tab inside the Directorist user dashboard

Visitors and listing owners read and reply to conversations without leaving the Directorist dashboard. Combined with Messages Location → Show in Directorist Dashboard, every internal Messages link routes to this tab.

Listing info card inside the conversation​

Conversation with the Directorist listing info card showing image, title, price

The card removes the "what listing is this about" question — the owner sees exactly which listing the visitor is asking about, with the image and price visible at the top of the thread.

Installing Better Messages on a Directorist site​

  1. Install Better Messages from WordPress.org and activate it.
  2. Make sure Directorist is active.
  3. Open WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → Integrations → Directories → Directorist Integration.
  4. Toggle Enable Directorist Integration and the individual placement toggles you want.

Directorist integration settings

For custom layouts, manual placement is supported via shortcodes:

[better_messages_directorist_listing_button]
[better_messages_directorist_author_button]

Free vs WebSocket version for Directorist sites​

FeatureFree versionWebSocket version
Send Message buttons on listing, archive cards, author profileyesyes
Messages tab inside the Directorist dashboardyesyes
Listing info card inside the conversationyesyes
Author profile links from Directoristyesyes
Real-time deliverypollinginstant
Mini-widget popup chat—yes
One-on-one voice and video calls inside the thread—yes
Group voice and video calls (e.g. multi-owner business team)—yes
Web push notifications for new messages—yes
Read receipts—yes
End-to-end encryption (optional)—yes
info

For Directorist sites monetizing paid listings, the WebSocket version's web push notifications mean listing owners see and reply to inquiries within minutes, not hours — the engagement signal that paid-listing customers expect.

Frequently asked questions​

Does it work with Directorist Pro extensions?​

Yes — the integration listens to Directorist's core listing and author hooks, which Pro extensions extend rather than replace. Booking, claim-listing, and review extensions all coexist.

Can visitors message without registering?​

Optional. With Guest Chat enabled, unregistered visitors can start a thread from a listing by typing a name and email. The thread is preserved if they later register.

Can I have a Send Message button on archive cards but not the listing page?​

Yes — each placement has its own toggle in the integration settings. Enable archive cards, disable the listing page button (or vice versa).

Does it support multi-directory sites?​

Yes — Better Messages does not care which Directorist directory a listing belongs to. The button appears for every listing regardless of directory.

Will it work with custom Directorist templates?​

Most Directorist themes use the standard template hooks; the integration auto-renders the buttons. For heavily customized themes, place the buttons manually via shortcode (each placement has a matching shortcode).

See also​

Install Better Messages from WordPress.org →