Question 1

How do you get and use an Outscraper API Key?

Accepted Answer

What is Outscraper API?

The Outscraper API extracts places data from Google Maps and companies' web sites.

How do I get the Outscraper API Key?

Getting your Outscraper API key is fast and easy. To do it, you have to follow these simple Outscraper API guidelines.

Step 1 – Create an account

Click Here to open the signup form and create an account at the Outscraper Service with your email and password of choice as seen in the example image below.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/SWfAciRlzU/signup.png (signup)

You’ll get a confirmation email from Outscraper Team (no-reply@outscraper.com) – don’t forget to follow the link in it to verify your account.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/JkcM9yK52b/Outscraper%20-%20Verify.png (Outscraper - Verify.png)

Step 2 – Setup Billing

Outscraper defaults to the FREE level and only charges when you go over the free monthly quota. There is no inherent cost to use this service up to certain levels like Google API. The Free Tier is the amount of usage you can use for free each month. This means any usage of the product below 500 requests during a month will be for free. So basically, every API account gets 500 businesses, 500 domains for Email & Contact info, 500 reviews, and 500 photos free each month. So you can continue to come back and use these 500 items each month and never have any out-of-pocket costs. Or you can do more at scale in one month and pay a bulk per item fee above the free limits. See FAQ on pricing for complete details

There are two options for billing, Prepaid and Postpaid.

Option 1: Pre-Paid

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/SoXMAJw5P2/Prepaid.png (Prepaid.png)

To setup prepaid amount, click on "Billing Information" and add desired amount and payment method to add credit.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/dHbYravoyf/Outscraper%20-%20Prepaid.png (Outscraper - Prepaid.png)

Option 2: Post-Paid

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/oXyjbVzIVZ/Postpaid.png (Postpaid.png)

When you run a task without any prepaid credits, a new billing period will be created. Once you have any amount due (IE above the free limits), you can stop it manually by clicking "Generate Invoice". Otherwise upon completion of your billing period, you will only receive an invoice for the use above the free tier.

If you choose post-paid you will need to add a card on file, just like you had to for the Google Maps API. Select "Billing Information" and then Add button.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/rsCqSrSZVY/Outscraper%20-%20Post%20Paid.png (Outscraper - Post Paid.png)

Step 3 – Copy API

Go back to your main account tab. Yours may not say "support" with this logo. It may be your site or username with your icon or first initial. But click this button above the billing and your main account info will load.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/mAoZbj9ngE/Outscraper%20-%20Main%20Account.png (Outscraper - Main Account.png)

Your Outscraper API should now be filled in. Click the copy icon to copy the API code.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/qovbTOt3g7/Outscraper%20-%20token.png (Outscraper - token.png)

Paste it into the configurations tab of your DirectoryImport Plugin. Be sure to hit "Save Changes"

Question 2

Working with URL & UTM parameters in DirectoryWebinar

Accepted Answer

What are URL parameters?

URL parameters (sometimes referred to as query strings) are text elements added to the end of a link (URL). These text elements generally consist of a "key" and a "value". Below you'll see a simple example of a link with URL parameters added on:

https://example.com/mypage ?traffic_source=google&another_key=another_value

The bold text is where the URL parameters start. In the above example, there are two key value pairs. One with the key "traffic_source" and the value "google". And the other with the key "another_key" and the value "another_value".

Essentially, you can use URL parameters to add extra data onto a link. Because of this, URL parameters are often used for analytics and tracking.

A common use case for why you would want to use URL parameters with DirectoryWebinar would be to track the traffic source of your event registrants. Say you're running ads on Facebook and Google for your event and you want to see which registrants are coming from Facebook and which are coming from Google.

When setting up your ads, you could add "traffic_source=google" to your Google ads link and traffic_source=facebook" to your Facebook ads.

Then whenever someone registers for your event, our system will store the URL parameters for that registrant. You could then view the URL parameters for each individual registrant, either in our built-in analytics or by exporting them to your own CRM/email platform, and see whether the registrant came from Google or Facebook.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/x46J4DZT9l/directorywebinar-analytics.png (directorywebinar-analytics)

This is just one example but you can use URL parameters to add all sorts of analytics & tracking data to your links.

What are UTM parameters?

UTM parameters refer to 5 specific URL parameters that are commonly used in many analytics platforms. You can see them all below:

utm_source - Example: utm_source=google

utm_medium - Example: utm_medium=cpc

utm_campaign - Example: utm_campaign=spring_sale

utm_term - Example: utm_term=running+shoes

utm_content - Example: utm_content=textlink

How to pass in URL & UTM parameters to DirectoryWebinar?

When someone registers for your event (either on a registration page hosted on our platform or via an embedded form on your own website/custom landing page), DirectoryWebinar will store any URL parameters at the webpage the registrant is currently on.

So pretty much any URL/UTM parameters you add to your registration link will be stored along with the usual registration data (email, first name, last name, etc...).

How to view and retrieve URL & UTM parameters for my registrants?

The easiest way to view the URL parameters of your registrants is to open your event's analytics page and look at the "URL parameters" column. This data is also exported to the .csv file that is downloaded when you click the "Export Registrants" button.

If you'd like to send the URL parameters to a 3rd party application or CRM, currently we support 2 methods of doing this: Zapier and Webhooks. If you're using DirectoryCRM, you can use our "inbound webhooks" feature to receive DirectoryWebinar's webhook data. See the webhook section below for an example of that.

Zapier

You can use our Zapier app (Events Connecter) to pass along a registrant's URL parameters. Our Zapier integration makes it easy to grab each individual value from the URL parameters passed in.

Webhooks

You can also set up a webhook to send registrant data, including URL parameters, to a destination of your choosing. Similar to our Zapier integration, you can individually grab each key value pair from the URL parameters via the webhook request payload.

It's also worth noting that if you are a DirectoryCRM user, you can use our "inbound webhook" feature to receive the DirectoryWebinar webhook data fairly easily. In the following example, we show an example workflow that runs when an event registration occurs.

First, we create a DirectoryCRM Workflow and set it to trigger on an "inbound webhook".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/2AFocgjnEv/DirectoryCRM-webhook.png (DirectoryCRM-webhook)

Then we grab the webhook URL provided by DirectoryCRM

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/wvog4xpwnj/DirectoryCRM-webhook-URL.png (DirectoryCRM-webhook-URL)

and paste that into our event settings in DirectoryWebinar (under the webhook section).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/nPOti9TitU/directorywebinar-webhook.png (directorywebinar-webhook)

In order to update the correct contact with the URL parameters, we look up the contact we want with the email passed from the webhook.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/Qyp8mDoDPv/DirectoryCRM-webhook-name-lookup.png (DirectoryCRM-webhook-name-lookup)

Finally, we can do anything we want with the URL parameters passed from the webhook. In this example, we simply add the "utm_source" value to the contact's notes.

Question 3

Is there a limit to how many tags we can add?

Accepted Answer

Technically no, but we recommend keeping the number low to highlight the desired post types as its effect can get confused if you add all of your post types in the results.

Question 4

Can we determine which pdf templates can be accessed by certain membership levels?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our Member Dashboard Customizer lets you create elements which can be loaded onto the dashboard for specific membership levels and in a specific location of the page. The customizer is accessed from within the admin plugin dashboard after the solution is installed. More details can be found in your guide tab inside the plugin installation.

Question 5

Is there a connection DirectoryLimits and the process in the BD Pay per Post plugin? How does the Pay per Post fit in the process?

Accepted Answer

The pay per post plugin integrates onto the DirectoryLimits seamlessly, which lets you monetize the content that your members are trying to publish. Reference the settings required in steps above to execute the logic correctly.

Question 6

Why is DirectoryImport only adding 3 Yelp reviews?

Accepted Answer

Currently the Yelp API only allows 3 reviews from its API endpoint to use in our tool. As a reminder the tool is used to provide seed content from Yelp and Google and is not intended to be a duplication or replacement or complete copy of other site content.

[figure]Yelp allows 3 reviews in their API endpoint[/figure]

Question 7

For DirectoryBadge plugin, can we add badges to an entire membership level?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can add badges for an entire membership level.

Question 8

How many different widgets can I have for DirectoryRelated content?

Accepted Answer

You can create multiple widgets for related listing or post content to allow various settings and display styles for different locations on your directory.

Question 9

What plugins use DirectorySettings plugin for configuration?

Accepted Answer

We are in process of adding all our tools for configurations into this plugin, but currently only DirectoryRelated uses this plugin. Other plugins such as DirectoryImport and DirectorySlider have their own Pluing Configurations on your Plugin Dashboard menu. All other plugins or widgets currently have the configuration in the widget itself.

Question 10

What are the steps for setting up the Google API for DirectoryImport?

Accepted Answer

Step 1a. Initial setup of your Google Maps API Key

This integration uses the Google Key setup at the website settings. If the Google Maps API key has not been setup, please follow these steps:

Brilliant Directories Guide 10. How to Enable Maps with Google Maps API

If you are setting up for the first time, Google has a new option to setup the HTTP referrers right way. If you see this popup, select "maybe later" to not setup the restrictions as you will remove it later anyway.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/XlG3QHapj8/initial%20setup.png (initial setup)

You will also need to skip item 7 if the BD checklist as the API dynamic loading requires the key to be unrestricted.

If your key has already been setup you will need to make some adjustments to ensure this plugin works properly. If you see this popup warning in the Import tool, that is probably the issue:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/BOfalnyVe7/google-setup.jpg (google-setup)

Continue to step 1b below, otherwise continue to Step 2.

Step 1b. Google API Adjusted Setup - Remove HTTP Referrers

The API dynamic loading for Google requires the key to be unrestricted. If you have already installed your Maps API key, you will need to make the following adjustments:

Login to your Google cloud Maps API here: https://console.cloud.google.com/google/maps-apis/credentials

Ensure you have the credentials for the appropriate website. Use the dropdown to select the appropriate property.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/l0BIv6ZYPv/DirectoryImport%20-%20MAps%20API.png (DirectoryImport - MAps API.png)

In the main screen either click the API key used for your Brilliant Directories site or click Edit KEy" from the three dot drop down menu. Keep in mind the API key will not be called the same as you see on screen. The API Key could be named anything depending on what you originally added in for the title. If you have multiple and are unsure of which on is the correct one. View the key and compare it to the one in your Brilliant Directories site under Settings > General Settings> Integrations tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/tdjEIDbyl8/Edit%20API%20Key.png (Edit API Key)

The Edit API screen will now appear.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/b4MGXiYnbG/Edit%20API.png (Edit API)

In the application restrictions section, change the API restrictions to none then scroll down and hit save.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/8anCjJDzX0/application%20restrictions.png (application restrictions)

Step 2. Ensure Billing is Setup for Google

If you already have the Google Key setup, follow these steps to ensure billing is setup in your project:

When you create a new project, you're prompted to choose which of your Cloud Billing accounts you want to link to the project. If you have only one Cloud Billing account, that account is automatically linked to your project.

If you don't have a Cloud Billing account, you must create one and enable billing for your project before you can use many Google Cloud features. To create a new Cloud Billing account and enable billing for your project, follow the instructions in Create a new Cloud Billing account.

Even if you have an account already setup be sure to check your billing information to ensure the credit card is not expired or about to expire.

Browse to your billing section with the following link. https://console.cloud.google.com/billing

In the Billing Account Overview Section that should appear, make sure you billing health is all green of fix any potential issues Google is flagging.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/33jzb0nPuR/billing%20health.png (billing health)

Next, in the left hand billing menu, select "Payment Method" to open the billing screen.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/JJzZzWfXCn/payment%20methos.png (payment methos)

Ensure that you have a billing card in place and is not showing any errors, is current, and is not ready to expire.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/RftB9KeMum/resources/mUeN0MzHLX/payment%20cards.png (payment cards)

Your Google account should now be ready!