Import Custom Fields and Rich Listing Data with Listdom CSV or Excel

When a spreadsheet already contains the details that make each directory entry useful—services, opening information, categories, questions, or customer feedback—retyping those details listing by listing wastes time and invites mistakes. Listdom’s advanced CSV and Excel mapping lets you connect several source columns to one directory field, create custom fields from your source data, and import repeatable listing details in a structured way.

This guide covers the decisions that matter when your file contains more than a name, address, and description. It assumes you know the basic import flow; if you are preparing your first file, start with the Listdom bulk listing import guide, then return here for richer data and mapping choices.

What advanced mapping helps you bring into Listdom

Advanced mapping is useful when a source has more context than the standard listing fields can hold. For example, a local services directory might receive one row per provider with columns for plumbing, electrical work, and emergency calls; a clinic file might include service areas, insurance accepted, and frequently asked questions; a restaurant catalog might contain repeatable review records. Instead of flattening all that context into one description, you can map it into the matching Listdom structures.

For Listing imports, the mapping screen can handle:

• Custom fields created from source columns, such as a license number, service area, or booking URL.
• Multiple columns for a taxonomy, so separate source columns can contribute categories, locations, tags, features, or labels.
• Repeatable fields, including FAQ items and, when the relevant product is active, embed codes and reviews.

The advanced controls are for listing imports. If you are importing taxonomy terms by themselves, use the taxonomy import’s own mapping flow. CSV and Excel listing imports share these advanced mapping options; direct .xlsx upload is provided by the Excel add-on, while CSV import is available from the core plugin.

Decide what each column means before mapping

The most useful preparation is deciding which information should behave like a directory filter, which is a listing attribute, and which is a repeated item. A value should not become a category just because it appears in a spreadsheet column.

Example source columns	Suitable Listdom destination	Why it fits
Primary service, Secondary service	Categories or Features	Visitors may browse or filter by these shared concepts.
City, Neighborhood	Locations	These describe where the listing is based or serves.
License number, Languages, Minimum order	Custom fields	These are specific attributes visitors may need to compare.
FAQ 1 question, FAQ 1 answer, FAQ 2 question, FAQ 2 answer	Repeatable FAQ items	Each question and answer belongs together as a separate entry.
Review 1 text, Review 1 score	Repeatable reviews, with Reviews add-on	Each feedback record is a distinct review rather than a general description.

Prefer a taxonomy when many listings share a controlled value and visitors should browse or filter by it. Prefer a custom field when the value describes one listing, especially when it is numeric, date-based, a URL, or a short specific attribute. Use a repeatable field when the same kind of structured content can occur several times for one listing. A free-form paragraph that combines all these things may be easy to export, but it is harder for people to scan and harder to use as structured directory data.

Before importing, standardize spelling and casing in fields that should share values. North End, North end, and N. End can become three terms if the source treats them differently. Keep stable, unique headers too; if two columns have the same header, the mapping screen distinguishes them by position, which makes future maintenance harder.

Create custom fields from source columns

For a Listing import, open Listdom → Import / Export → CSV or, with the Excel add-on, Listdom → Import / Export → Excel. After selecting the source file, the importer offers a custom-field step before mapping. You can review the suggested field type, set the field name and optional slug, and create the custom fields before continuing to the main mapping screen.

Treat the suggested type as a starting point, not an automatic decision. A column with values like 20, 35, and 50 may be a number, while values such as 20 minutes are text unless you first normalize the source. A list such as Basic, Premium, Enterprise might call for a dropdown if each listing has exactly one choice, or checkboxes if a listing can have several. Listdom supports text, textarea, number, email, telephone, URL, date, time, datetime, dropdown, radio, and checkbox custom-field types.

Think about how the field will be used after import. If visitors need to filter by it, verify that its type and allowed options suit the search experience you intend to build. If the field is only explanatory, a text or textarea field may be enough. A good name is clear to both listing editors and visitors; Service radius (km) is more useful than field_7.

When a valid existing field matches the imported field name or slug, Listdom reuses it and keeps its current configuration. Importing a source file is therefore not a way to change an established field’s type or allowed choices. Review the field setup first, especially for dropdown, radio, and checkbox fields, whose allowed values need to align with the data you intend to import.

Map multiple columns to categories, locations, and other taxonomies

In the taxonomy mapping panel, choose the taxonomy and add a source column for each relevant spreadsheet column. You can use each column’s values directly, or choose Use column label when true when a column is a yes/no-style indicator. This second option is useful for a source with columns such as Emergency calls, Wheelchair accessible, and Accepts walk-ins: a true value adds the column’s label as a term, while a false value does not.

For indicator columns, use consistent values such as Yes and No, True and False, or 1 and 0. Preview the sample rows first, particularly if the source uses abbreviations or blanks. A column that contains a price or an arbitrary note should not be interpreted as a true/false flag.

Categories and Locations also offer Flat terms or Hierarchy. Flat terms treat the imported values as terms at the same level. Hierarchy uses the ordered source columns as levels in a parent-child path—for example, a Region column followed by a City column. Check a few examples before importing because the order determines which value becomes the parent. The hierarchy option applies to Categories and Locations, and it uses values rather than column labels.

Consider which model you actually need. If visitors should filter for Emergency calls across many providers, a shared Feature term can be appropriate. If an entry has a one-off note like Emergency calls until 11 pm, that belongs in a custom field or description instead. A clean taxonomy makes browsing and filtering more consistent; a long list of near-duplicate terms makes both harder.

Add FAQs, embeds, or reviews as repeated items

Use a repeatable field when each listing can have several entries of the same structure. In the Repeatable Fields section, add an item and map its component columns. For a FAQ, pair each question column with its answer column. If a pair is incomplete, that item is skipped; keep the question and answer together in your source naming and sample review.

Listdom includes repeatable FAQs. Embed codes require Listdom Pro, and review imports require the Reviews add-on. For embeds, the title is optional, but the code or URL is required. For reviews, the reviewer’s name, email, and date can be optional; the review text and score are required. Scores are normalized to the supported one-to-five range, so sample values such as 4 stars should still be checked in the result.

Reviews need particular care because they represent people’s feedback. Import only review data you are entitled to publish, preserve the source context, and do not treat a blank score or text as a valid review. Imported reviews do not send notification emails. If you import the same mapped listing again, importer-created reviews can be updated; removing rows can move importer-owned reviews to trash. Manual or visitor-submitted reviews are separate, so test this behavior with a small sample before refreshing a live dataset.

Do not force unrelated columns into a repeated structure. A single Opening hours field is not a series of FAQs, and an embed is not a place to store arbitrary HTML notes. If the data cannot be expressed in the fields offered by the mapping screen, clean or restructure the source first, or keep that information in a supported listing field.

Run a sample before importing the whole catalog

Advanced mapping gives you more control, but that makes a small test more valuable. Keep a copy of the original file, select a few representative rows, and run them through the exact mapping you plan to use. Include records with several taxonomy values, a false indicator, a blank optional field, a hierarchy path, multiple FAQ pairs, and any review or embed edge case you expect.

Then verify both the saved listing and the visitor-facing result:

1. Confirm that each custom field has the expected type and value.
2. Check that taxonomy columns combine into the right terms, without accidental duplicates.
3. Confirm that parent and child terms follow the intended hierarchy.
4. Open listings with repeated content and check that each question, answer, embed, or review is paired correctly.
5. Visit the directory page and test the filters that depend on imported taxonomies or custom fields.

When the sample is correct, use the same file structure and mapping for the full import. If you change the header names or order later, revisit the mapping template and recheck the columns before reusing it. Templates can preserve supported custom-field, taxonomy, and repeatable-field mappings, but they do not remove the need to validate a changed source.

Know what the importer does not transform

Mapping connects source values to supported Listdom fields; it is not a general data-cleaning or conversion system. Do not expect it to verify a merchant’s claims, convert arbitrary price ranges, infer missing values, or clean inconsistent prose automatically. Prepare those values in the source or handle them after import through an appropriate workflow.

That boundary matters for search and AI-era discovery too. A directory becomes easier for people and automated systems to interpret when each fact is accurate and stored in the right field. A rating imported into a score field, a city assigned as a location, and a service stored as a shared term communicate more clearly than a single unstructured block of text. Structured data alone cannot verify accuracy, guarantee search visibility, or ensure an AI system will cite a page; the publisher remains responsible for the source and its meaning.

For the field-design decisions that come before a spreadsheet export, see how Listdom custom fields work. For the standard file preparation and recovery steps, return to the Listdom bulk import guide. The advanced CSV and Excel mapping documentation covers every mapping control in detail.

FAQ

Can I map more than one spreadsheet column to a Listdom category?

Yes. In the advanced taxonomy mapping panel, add multiple source columns for a taxonomy. You can map their values directly or use column labels when indicator columns contain true values. Test representative rows to confirm the resulting terms.

Can I create custom fields while importing listings?

Yes. For a Listing import, the custom-field step can create fields from source columns before you continue to mapping. Review the suggested type and field options first. A matching existing field is reused without changing its saved configuration.

Do FAQs, embeds, and reviews need separate add-ons?

FAQs are supported by Listdom. Importing embed codes requires Listdom Pro, and importing reviews requires the Reviews add-on. The CSV and Excel mapping screens share these advanced mapping options; direct .xlsx file import requires the Excel add-on.

Can I import categories and locations as a parent-child hierarchy?

Yes. Choose Hierarchy for Categories or Locations and map the source columns in parent-to-child order. This mode uses column values; it does not use the column-label-as-true option.

Will a repeat import duplicate or replace imported reviews?

Importer-created reviews are associated with the mapped listing and can be updated on a matching re-import. Rows removed from a later source may cause importer-owned reviews to be moved to trash. Test the exact behavior with a small sample and keep a backup before refreshing production data.

Can mapping clean or verify my spreadsheet automatically?

No. Mapping assigns source columns to supported fields, but it does not verify the truth of a claim or perform every kind of transformation. Standardize values in the source and validate a small sample before importing the full file.