SiteCatalog.md — a directory of Moldovan websites with 12 categories, search and paid moderation

A themed directory of Moldovan websites — a multi-page WordPress resource with 12 sections, more than 70 subcategories, full-text search, a moderated submission form and paid listings priced in Moldovan lei.

The brief

The client came to us with the idea of launching a themed directory of Moldovan websites — an information hub where resources are sorted into categories, checked by a moderator, and reachable via a permanent link. The UX was meant to feel like a classic web directory, but with a modern presentation: a bento grid of categories on the home page, filter chips in search, and a sidebar with subcategories inside each section.

From the outset the site needed to:

• run on WordPress with its own custom CPT for directory sites — without heavy catalogue plugins;
• have 12 fixed categories with more than 70 subcategories and site counters in each;
• let users submit sites through a form with moderation within 24 hours;
• handle paid listings (50 MDL) and paid articles (150 MDL) as the main monetisation channel;
• support two languages (Ukrainian / Romanian) with a switcher in the header.

What we built

Home page — an entry point with search and a trend teaser

A hero with a typographic heading, “All sites — in one directory”, a short description, a central search field with popular query hints (news, cars, shops, medicine, education), directory stats (100 sites, 12 categories, ~18 hours average moderation time) and three floating cards: an update badge, “+247 visits” today, a mock browser window for sitecatalog.md with a mini-directory, a “TOP sites of the week” card with a featured resource, and a preview reading “42 new sites this week”. Below the hero is a marquee of partner sites, clickable through to the directory page.

Category grid — a bento layout with subcategories

The “Choose a topic that interests you” section is a bento grid of 12 cards. Each card carries an icon, a category name, and the total number of sites in it. Inside, a two-column list of 6 subcategories with counters next to each, plus a “View all” link to the category archive. The categories: Auto and moto, Services, Home comfort, Internet, Computers, Culture and art, Medicine and health, Science and education, News and media, Leisure and entertainment, Goods and services, Sport.

The category page — a sidebar with subcategories and sorting

Every category (for example, “Culture and art” — 19 sites, 6 subcategories) is a separate archive page with a description banner, statistics (number of sites, number of subcategories, last update date), a sidebar filter of subcategories with counters, plus an “Add a site” CTA card promising moderation within 24 hours. Above the list sit a result counter and three sorting options (Newest / Popular / A–Z). Site cards are full-width rows with a title, domain, description, subcategory tag, date added, and a direct “Visit” button linking out to the external site.

Search — full-text with category filtering

A separate /search/ page has a large search field, a row of filter chips for all 12 categories (the active one highlighted), and a result counter that appears as soon as a query is entered. Before typing starts, a hint suggests example queries. Results follow the same format as the category archive: title, domain, description, subcategory tag, date, “Visit” CTA.

The site page — minimal, with a direct CTA

A single site page carries an initials logo, a title, a category tag, the date added, and a central “Visit site” button right under the H1. Below that is a full description of the resource and an “Information” sidebar with the category, the date, and a repeated “Want to add your site?” card. Everything is focused on a single action — clicking through to the external site.

Directory rules — 5 moderation points

A separate /rules/ page carries a typographically set H1 and five numbered cards: a working resource with a valid SSL certificate, quality content with no doorway pages or auto-generated text, an accurate category and subcategory, no 18+/gambling/propaganda content, one site per submission. At the bottom is a dark CTA card, “Ready to add a site?”, with a highlighted button leading to the form.

The submission form — with the moderation price and validation

The /submit/ form carries a badge reading “Listing a site — 50 Moldovan lei”, with a direct link to the rules. Fields: name, URL, category (12 options), subcategory (loaded dynamically by category), a short description (30–300 characters with a counter), an email address for the moderator (not published), an additional comment (up to 2,000 characters), and a checkbox agreeing to the rules. The “Submit for moderation” button stays disabled until the required fields are filled in and the checkbox is ticked.

Articles — paid placements with anchor links

The /news/ section serves as a platform for paid user articles carrying two anchor links for 150 MDL. The page has a typographic H1, a description of the placement terms with a contact email, and a two-column grid of article cards: a large cover image, a category tag, a date, a title, a lead paragraph, and a “Read” link.

Technical build

• WordPress 6.x — the foundation, with a custom CPT for directory sites and its own meta fields (URL, domain, initials logo, tags, a click counter).
• Taxonomies with counters — 12 categories plus 70+ subcategories, with automatic site counting shown in the sidebar and navigation.
• Custom search — full-text across name, domain and description, with category filtering via query parameters (?s= + ?cat=) that keep the selection without a page reload.
• The submission form — Contact Form 7 with custom validation: dynamically loaded subcategories after choosing a category, character counters, submit disabled until the rules are agreed to.
• i18n — Ukrainian/Romanian bilingual support with a switcher in the header.
• Yoast SEO — meta tags, breadcrumbs, canonical URLs, a sitemap.
• Sorting and pagination — three sorting options (newest / popular / A–Z) on archive pages via ?sort=.

Result

The directory launched with 100 verified sites across 12 categories, with working monetisation: 50 MDL for a site listing and 150 MDL for a paid article with external links. The administrator handles submissions through the standard WordPress admin; content scales without any code changes — the moderator adds sites and subcategories as taxonomy terms, and the counters and sorting pick up the new content automatically. The structure is ready for new regions and languages (Moldovan / Russian) using the same pattern — one taxonomy plus one template.