Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Classipress AppThemes theme review

ClassiPress WordPress Theme Review – AppThemes

CLASSIPRESS REVIEW – CLASSIFIED WORDPRESS THEME

ClassiPress by AppThemes is a professional classified theme made for the people who are willing to make their own classified listing portal. There are two advantage of using this ready classified script, first the programmer’s help will not be needed and the other thing is no PHP or HTML coding work needs to be done. Once you purchase this script package you can either refer to the documentation guide to study setup process. Setup is easy, just upload and install theme and at the same time your site will be flooded with sample classified listing which is given as a base for your new site. You can replace dummy contents with real classified ads. There earning scope with this theme are endless, which means you can earn good cash from advertisement, featured listing and by selling premium membership packages. If you prefer to use google adsense in the website then it is also possible, simply use advertisement dashboard to display Google advertisement throughout all listing posts.

ClassiPress Review AppThemes

CLASSIPRESS KEY FEATURES REVIEW :

Homepage with Custom Design :
ClassiPress theme allows you to use a best color style between five colors already given in the admin page section. Moreover, if we talk about layouts then two alternate styles are given for that too. To post new classified ad there is a button placed on the right top corner of the homepage on the menu-bar, that way user may get direct attention on this useful button and will not need to search new listing page manually. Logo and custom banner options are given to make enough arrangement to make your own brand on your site.
Pricing Model Options :
With ClassiPress WordPress theme you may take benefit of different pricing models that consist of percentage based, fixed charge or category based. You can also use free ad listing and paid ad listing both to increase leads quickly, every single earning module is best and can be mixed too. The real decision always depends on your business plan, if you make premium listing packages according to business plan and clients need then surely you will not fail to establish best classified portal.
Custom Form Builder :
It is simple and very easy to create custom forms with selected fields with the powerful builder. For  different category form you can select different fields that are mandatory to make best listing. You may also mark field as mandatory, optional, set custom order on the form and more.
Auto Complete with Suggest search :
The main power behind auto-complete feature is developed with AJAX, when you type keyword or search criteria in the search box you will find matching word as you type. Moreover AppThemes ClassiPress theme also has spelling suggestion tool, so when user has searched something with wrong spelling it will also display correct spelling and related search terms on the results page to lead your user in the proper direction. This feature is not only to correct any mistake but can also speedup the search task. The best live example of this feature is “Google search”.
Membership Packs :
Apart from custom classified ad package that are available in the theme , you many also create packages with your own conditions or terms like certain validity, limit the maximum listing etc. For e.g. You may offer 1 months package (30 days) where user may create unlimited listing or limited maximum listing to 100.
Login with Social Networks :
The vast popularity of social networks has made it necessary to create logging support for Google, Facebook and other popular social sites. There plugin used for this feature is “Social Connect” and it makes it simple and easy to register for new members or current members may also login using social credentials.
Highly Advanced Search Options :
ClassiPress theme uses advanced and fully customizable search module, it gives you power to develop category based search modules that will be shown on the sidebar of search page. Once you see search result on the search page you can further select or deselect category from the list to further refine your search based on category preference.
Fans widget for Facebook follower :
This widget comes as a ready module for the sidebar, the ready option box will ask you to add Facebook ID, widget title, size (width x height), total number of followers to display at a time. After providing all these required option your website will be fine to display current followers and get more follower by showing “Like” button on the widget.
Custom User Dashboard :
There is a custom user dashboard offered for each registered user to maintain their own advertisement listings like creating new ads, deleting current ad, pause the campaign, view total ad campaign and more. It is also easy to change profile details and password anytime, this is called fully user managed options.
Status Report for Ad Listing :
This system is made for the tracking of advertisement performance so that user can figure out which banners or advertisements are performing best. It is a built in part of the template, so there is no extra plugin used for this process.

CLASSIPRESS BASIC FEATURES :

  • Basic Features of ClassiPress Theme
  • Email notification System
  • Custom post type support
  • Taxonomy available
  • PayPal gateway configured
  • Install on infinite websites
  • Radius search
  • Map and image integration with ads listing
  • PayPal IPN compatible
  • Configure for bank and wire transfers
  • Inquiry form for advertisement
Price Plan :
Standard License – $99
Developers License – $159 (with PSD)

Classipress AppThemes theme overview

A few months ago a friend approached me with an idea that his group had about creating a website that helped auto dealers sell or trade cars to each other. Of course the first thought that came to mind was, “I’ll bet there’s a WordPress theme for that!” And I started looking at the different options that were out there that might meet my needs and the needs of my friend’s group.
I started looking around at the various plugins and themes and ended up choosingClassiPress over Classifeds Theme and Templatic’s Classified Theme. In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I very much dislike Templatic and recommend that no one EVER buy one of their themes. I had a terrible experience with the one theme that I bought with them and have been warning people ever since.
Having run with my ClassiPress-based site for a few months now, I know the theme well enough to write this review. So here we go!

I must say that all of the dozens of themes I’ve used both free and paid, ClassiPress is BY FAR my favorite theme of them all. I have bought themes from ThemeForest, WooThemes, Elegant Themes, and other places and out of all of them with all their bells and whistles, this one is my favorite. Just thought I’d give you a heads up before hand so you’ll understand my bias as I write this :)

Theme Pros

Probably the coolest feature of this theme is the ability to create your own forms on the fly for different listing categories. For example, you could set up a form for automobiles that has custom fields such as make, model, miles, VIN #, etc. and then snap these fields into a form. You can create a separate set of fields and a separate form for each listing category. So again, I could have automobiles, homes, electronics, etc. each with their own set of custom fields and their own form.
This is sweet for a few reasons: 1) The interface is amazing and easy to use. It also automagically adds the proper custom fields to the proper posts. 2) The custom fields have their own settings so you can toggle whether or not they are required fields and whether or not they can be used as advanced searching criteria. What’s that you ask? What kind of advanced search criteria? Well, look at the image below for an explanation:

ClassiPress Advanced Search Image
As you can see, the custom fields can be used to filter results as I have here which is pretty amazing. This type of functionality is great to see WP and throws the doors wide open for the uses of this theme in particular. Armed with just a bit of creativity and this feature, this theme can be used for many different types of applications that relate to any type of directory-based websites that go beyond just classified ads. I could love on this feature all day, but we should move on…
The next amazing feature is their interface for front-end ad (post) editing. This thing is sweet. Here’s a look from their demo site:
ClassiPress User Dashboard Image
As you can see, the layout is neat, concise, and intuitive – the latter of which is much needed for a site like this. Users can edit, delete, or even pause their own listings which means less phone calls for you! The dashboard also provides built in counters for displaying the number of listings and their corresponding statuses. Again, this feature yields itself to many, many other options that go beyond just a classified ads theme.
I don’t have time to sing the praises of all of the features of this theme, but here is just a quick summary of a few more:
  • Payment Gateways – Comes with built in payment gateways out of the box so you can start making money
  • Custom Post Type for Ads – To keep them completely separate from your blog
  • Memberships – Users can pay per item to post or they can sign up for a monthly membership that either discounts the listing price or makes it free
  • Pricing – Admins can set the price for each category of listings rather than just one universal cost
  • Automatically Prune Ads – Don’t want too many old posts taking up your pricey server space? Set a task to automatically delete old ads
  • Other Useful Things – Common sense features like logging in with Facebook, adding banner ads and tracking, the ability to change the paths for the dashboard, listings, and user profiles, cufon, coupons, a and dashboard widgets for tracking transactions and sales made on the site, and the ability to turn pretty much every other option on or off is included making this the most robust theme that I’ve worked with so far in my WP career.

Theme Cons

AppThemes Logo
But of course, even the best can be better. While AppThemes have already added features since I last updated, there are a few things that could be tweaked here and there to make the theme even better.
One of my primary goals with this theme was to create a private, member-only site. Unfortunately, the membership functionality doesn’t include this option. There is no good way of hiding all of the listings behind the login or some type of member-access without using a plugin – which is what I did. I tried it with both s2member and WPMU’s Membership Plugin, both of which worked well and got the job done. It’d just be nice to have an integrated solution.
It would also be great if the theme took their amazing custom field creation forms one step further and allowed them to be easily displayed on the listing excerpts just as they display them on the listing itself. It’s a fairly easy thing to hack in yourself if you are familiar enough with Wordperss, but again it’d be nice.
But actually, the biggest problem I’ve had with ClassiPress was building a child theme. For those of you now familiar, a child theme allows you to make changes to a theme in a way that allows the theme to be updated without loosing your changes. I set up a child theme, but when the new updated version of the theme came, the developers

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Classified Ads Website Builder Comparison Chart

Ultimate Web BuilderGeoCore ClassifiedsClassiPressosClass
Can Use your own Domain NameCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes
Pretty/Clean URLsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, NoCheckmark, YesX, No
Web Hosting choiceCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes
Manage website onlineCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Responsive AppCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoX, No
Includes Other Website Apps, besides Classified Ads AppCheckmark, YesX, NoCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Wordpress Plugin,
use with
WordPress
X, No
Create own Style/Templates, Styles ManagerCheckmark, YesX, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
X, No
1 Theme for $99,
or pay more for
more themes
X, No
Create/use multiple headers, footers, side sectionsCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoX, No
Unlimited ClassifiedsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes
Classifieds Organizable by Type / Category / Sub-CategoriesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Categories, Not Types
Within A Category
 Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Categories, Not Types
Within A Category
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Categories, Not Types
Within A Category 
Customize Classified Ad FieldsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes 
Set Posting Costs on per Category / Feature basisCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Has Some Either /
Or Restrictions
 Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Has Some Either /
Or Restrictions
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Just Per Category 
Special options: Featured Ads, Highlight, BoldCheckmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes  X, No
No Highlight Option
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Just Featured
Option
X, No
Special Option Images - Optional Charge based # of imagesCheckmark, YesX, No X, NoX, No
Top / Footer displays: featured, new, most popular, highest rated, etc.Checkmark, Yes Checkmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Featured Listings
Only 
X, No
Charge by Duration of AdCheckmark, YesX, NoX, No
Not on Per
Listing Basis
X, No
Set Posting / Access Classified Ads Member Group RequirementsCheckmark, YesX, No X, NoX, No
Set percentage transaction fee when the user makes a saleCheckmark, Yes X, NoCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Either / Or
Pricing Setup
Only
X, No
Classifieds Integrated Credits AppCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoX, No
PayPal IntegrationCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes
Downloadable Items, with Download available automatically after Buyer makes paymentCheckmark, YesX, No X, No X, No
Custom Email NotificationsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Doesn't allow
referencing ad
content, for
customization
X, No
Just new
user emails
 X, No
Members / Member GroupsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Just Members
Customer Ad Management PanelCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, NoCheckmark, YesX, No 
Social Login: Facebook / GoogleCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Facebook Only
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Compatible with
plugin Social Connect
(not included)
X, No 
Social ShareCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Just Facebook
Share
X, No 
Set Posting / Access Classified Ads Member Group RequirementsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Just Posting
 X, NoX, No 
Classified Ad Activation OptionsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Just Automatic /
Manual Sttings
No Email Activation
Setting
 X, No Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Only Validate
Listings Option
Report Classified AdCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesX, NoCheckmark, Yes
Member ProfilesCheckmark, YesX, No X, NoX, No 
Comments SectionsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
On Listongs Only
 Checkmark, Yes  X, No
On Listongs Only
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
On Listongs Only 
Classifieds Category indexCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  Checkmark, Yes
Category ImagesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesX, NoX, No
Requires Coding
Classifeds Search / Advanced Search ToolsCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  Checkmark, YesCheckmark, Yes   X, No
Just Search
Built-in SEO toolCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoCheckmark, Yes
Sitemap GeneratorCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoCheckmark, Yes
Contact FormCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesX, NoCheckmark, Yes
Social Networking AppCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoX, No
Mailing List AppCheckmark, YesX, NoX, NoX, No
No programming experience requiredCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Checkmark, Yes  X, No
Some customization
aspects such as design
require editing code
Allow adding custom codingCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, YesCheckmark, Yes
Price$249
Buy Now!
$399 ($499 for
Auctions too)
$99 - $349Free