MyListing Expired Listing Addon
The {CODICTS} MyListing Expired Listing Addon plugin changes how expired listings behave on your MyListing site. By default, when a listing expires in MyListing it becomes inaccessible — returning a 404 error if someone visits its URL. This plugin makes expired listings publicly accessible again, displaying a prominent “CLOSED / EXPIRED” banner and applying a blur effect over the content so visitors can see the listing existed but can’t fully read its details.
This is useful for SEO retention (preventing search engines from deindexing the page), preventing broken links, and providing a graceful user experience when listings expire.
Installation & Activation
Start by downloading the plugin from the Downloads page on your dashboard on the CoDicts website.
After downloading, install and activate the plugin in WordPress by navigating to “Plugins” > “Add New” > “Upload Plugin” and selecting the downloaded zip file. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”.
The plugin works immediately out of the box — no settings page or configuration needed. All expired listings are now accessible with the banner and blur applied automatically.
What the Plugin Does
The plugin performs three things automatically:
1. Makes Expired Listings Accessible
By default, expired listings in MyListing return a 404 “Page Not Found” error when someone visits their URL. This plugin changes the expired status to be publicly accessible, so the listing page loads normally instead of showing an error.
| Without Plugin | With Plugin |
|---|---|
| Visitor clicks a link to an expired listing → sees a 404 error page. | Visitor clicks the same link → sees the listing page with a banner and blurred content. |
| Search engines deindex the page (lost SEO value). | Search engines continue to index the page (SEO value retained). |
| Backlinks to the listing become broken. | Backlinks continue to work. |
2. Displays an Expired Banner
A prominent yellow hazard-striped banner is displayed at the top of the listing page, clearly communicating the listing’s status to visitors:
“CLOSED / EXPIRED: This directory listing has expired or is no longer available, however you can search for other live listings in our directory.”
3. Applies a Content Blur Effect
For non-admin visitors, the listing’s main content areas are covered with a CSS blur effect (8px blur). This obscures the listing’s details while still showing that the listing existed. Clicking and hovering on the blurred content is also disabled.
Admin vs Regular User Behavior
| User Type | Banner Visible? | Blur Applied? |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Yes | No — admins see the full listing content unblurred. |
| Editor / Author | Yes | Yes |
| Subscriber | Yes | Yes |
| Logged-out visitor | Yes | Yes |
Administrators (users with the manage_options capability) always see the full listing content without blur. This is useful for reviewing expired listings and deciding whether to renew or remove them.
How It Looks in Practice
1. A listing on your site expires (either naturally via expiry date or through a cancelled subscription).
2. Without this plugin, anyone visiting that listing’s URL would see a 404 error. With the plugin, they see the listing page instead.
3. At the top of the page, a yellow striped banner reads “CLOSED / EXPIRED” with a message directing visitors to search for other live listings.
4. Below the banner, the listing’s content (header, body, and other sections) is blurred and non-interactive for regular visitors — they can see a listing exists but can’t read the details or click on anything.
5. An administrator visiting the same page sees the banner but the content is fully visible and interactive, allowing them to review and manage the expired listing.
6. Search engines continue to crawl and index the page (it returns a 200 status code instead of 404), preserving SEO value and keeping backlinks functional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this require a child theme?
No. This plugin does not override any template files and works with or without a child theme.
Is there a settings page?
No. The plugin works automatically out of the box with no configuration needed. All expired listings are made accessible with the banner and blur applied.
Will expired listings appear in search results or on the Explore page?
No. The plugin only makes expired listings accessible via their direct URL. It does not add expired listings to any search, archive, or Explore page queries. Visitors can only reach expired listings if they have a direct link (bookmark, backlink, search engine result, etc.).
Can administrators see the full content of expired listings?
Yes. Users with the manage_options capability (typically Administrators) see the expired banner but the content is not blurred. This lets admins review expired listings and decide whether to renew or remove them.
Does this help with SEO?
Yes. Instead of returning a 404 for expired listings (which causes search engines to deindex the page over time), the plugin serves the page with a normal 200 status code. This helps retain SEO value, preserves backlinks, and prevents broken links across the web.
Is the blur purely visual?
Yes. The blur is a CSS visual effect applied over the content. The underlying content is still in the page’s HTML — the blur only obscures it visually. Additionally, clicking and hovering on blurred content is disabled to prevent interaction.
Can I customize the banner text?
Yes, via translation. The banner text uses WordPress’s translation system. You can translate or modify it using any translation plugin (e.g., Loco Translate) or by creating translation files for your language. The text domain is codicts-mylisting-expired-listing-addon.
Does the plugin work with themes other than MyListing?
No. The plugin is built specifically for the MyListing theme and relies on MyListing’s listing system, CSS selectors, and post statuses. If MyListing is not active, the plugin will not load.
Does the plugin create any database tables?
No. The plugin does not store any data in the database. It modifies WordPress’s post status behavior at runtime and injects CSS/JavaScript into the page footer for expired listings only.
What happens when the plugin is deactivated?
Expired listings return to their default behavior — they will show 404 errors again when visited via their URL. No data needs to be cleaned up since the plugin doesn’t store any data.
Troubleshooting
Expired Listings Still Showing 404
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Plugin not activated | Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and verify the plugin is active. |
| MyListing not active | The MyListing theme must be installed and active. Check Appearance → Themes. |
| Permalink cache | Go to Settings → Permalinks and click “Save Changes” (without changing anything) to flush the rewrite rules. |
| Caching plugin | Clear your page cache. Some caching plugins may have cached the 404 response for the expired listing URL. |
Banner Not Appearing
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Not an expired listing | The banner only appears on listings with the “expired” post status. Check the listing’s status in the WordPress admin. |
| Theme markup changed | The banner is appended to the .main-info-mobile element. If your MyListing version or customization removed this element, the banner has nowhere to attach. Contact support for a workaround. |
| JavaScript disabled or error | The banner is injected via jQuery. Check the browser console (F12 → Console) for JavaScript errors that might prevent it from loading. |
Content Not Blurred
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| You’re an Administrator | Administrators see the full content without blur by design. Log out or view in an incognito window to see the blurred version. |
| Not an expired listing | The blur only applies to listings with the “expired” post status. |
| Not a single listing page | The blur only applies on single listing pages, not on archive pages, author pages, or the Explore page. |
Blur Appearing on Non-Listing Pages
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Plugin version outdated | Ensure you’re running the latest version (1.0.5+). Earlier versions had a bug where blur could appear on author pages. Update the plugin to fix this. |
“MyListing Theme Not Detected” Error
The MyListing theme must be installed and active. Go to Appearance → Themes to verify.
For further support, visit codicts.com or contact us at support@codicts.com.