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Content Filters

Last updated on Nov 14, 2025

Content Filters

Content filters allow you to control which Itinerator items appear in your website's sitemap and WordPress search results for each Itinerator Template Page. These filters prevent duplicate URLs and ensure search engines and users find content in the correct location.

What Are Content Filters?

Content filters determine which items belong to which Itinerator Template Page. When you have multiple template pages for the same content type (for example, separate pages for "Breweries" and "Sip & Stay" listings), the same filters control:

  1. Sitemap Generation: Which items appear in your XML sitemap under each page's URL structure
  2. WordPress Search Results: Which items appear in search results and what URLs those results use

This unified configuration means you only need to set filters once, and they automatically apply to both sitemaps and search.

When Do You Need Content Filters?

You need content filters when:

  • ✅ You have multiple Itinerator Template Pages for the same content type
  • ✅ Different template pages should display different subsets of items
  • ✅ You want to prevent duplicate URLs in your sitemap
  • ✅ You want search results to route to the correct template page

Example Scenario:

  • You have a "Breweries" page (Single Listing template)
  • You have a "Sip & Stay" page (Single Listing template)
  • Both pages display listings, but different types
  • Without filters: Every listing appears twice in the sitemap (once under each page) and search results may route incorrectly
  • With filters: Breweries appear only under the Breweries page, Sip & Stay listings only under that page

How Content Filters Work

Content filters use a two-part system:

Filter Groups

  1. Listing Type Filters (for Single Listing pages only): Filter by listing main types (e.g., "breweries", "accommodations")
  2. Tag Filters (for all page types): Filter by tags from specific categories (e.g., "kayaking" from "experience" category)

Filter Logic

  • OR logic within filter groups: Items match if they have any of the selected listing types OR any of the selected tags
  • AND logic between filter groups: Items must match all specified filter groups
    • Example: If you set listing type "Breweries" AND tag "Food & Drink", items must be both a brewery AND tagged with Food & Drink

Matching Behavior

When an item could match multiple Itinerator Template Pages:

  • The first matching page (by page order) is used
  • This means page order matters - configure more specific pages first
  • If no filters match, the first page for that content type becomes the fallback

How to Configure Content Filters

Content filters are configured in the page editor for each Itinerator Template Page.

Step 1: Open Page Settings

  1. Edit the Itinerator Template Page you want to configure
  2. In the block editor, look for the Itinerator panel in the right sidebar
  3. Scroll down to the Content Filters section

Step 2: Configure Listing Type Filters (Listings Only)

If you're configuring a Single Listing template page:

  1. Find the "Filter by Listing Type" section
  2. Check the boxes for the listing types you want to include
    • For example: Check "Breweries" and "Tap House" for a breweries page
    • Or check "Sip & Stay" for an accommodations page
  3. Selected types will appear in the sitemap and search results for this page

Note: Leave empty to include all listing types (backwards compatible).

Step 3: Configure Tag Filters (All Page Types)

For any Itinerator Template Page type:

  1. Find the "Tag Filters" section
  2. Click "Add new filter" for each tag you want to filter by
  3. For each filter:
    • Select the Tag Category (e.g., "Food & Drink", "Accommodations")
    • Select the Tag Name from that category
  4. Add multiple filters as needed

Step 4: Save Your Changes

  1. Click "Update" or "Publish" to save the page
  2. The sitemap and search will automatically use these filters

Viewing Content Filter Summary

You can view all your content filter configurations in one place:

  1. Go to Itinerator → Settings in your WordPress admin
  2. Click the "Sitemap" tab
  3. You'll see a table showing:
    • All Itinerator Template Pages with content filters configured
    • Their page types
    • Listing type filters (if applicable)
    • Tag filters
    • Quick "Edit" links to modify filters

This summary view helps you:

  • See the big picture of all your filter configurations
  • Quickly identify pages that need filters
  • Access page editors directly to make changes

Best Practices

✅ Do:

  • Set filters for every Itinerator Template Page that has duplicates
  • Use specific filters - Be precise about which items belong where
  • Test your sitemap and search after configuring filters to verify URLs are correct
  • Review the summary table periodically to ensure consistency
  • Order pages strategically - More specific pages should be configured first

❌ Don't:

  • Don't leave filters empty if you have duplicate Itinerator Template Pages
  • Don't overlap filters between pages (each item should appear on only one page)
  • Don't forget to save after configuring filters

How It Works: Sitemap Generation

When the sitemap is generated:

  1. The plugin reads filter settings from each Itinerator Template Page
  2. For each page, it queries the API with the specified filters
  3. Only items matching the filters are included in the sitemap for that page
  4. Each item appears exactly once, under the correct template page

Example:

  • "Breweries" page has filter: Listing Type = "Breweries"
  • "Sip & Stay" page has filter: Listing Type = "Sip & Stay"
  • Sitemap generates:
    • /breweries/brewery-slug-1 (only breweries)
    • /sip-stay/accommodation-slug-1 (only sip & stay)
    • No duplicates!

How It Works: WordPress Search Integration

Content filters also control WordPress search result routing:

  1. Search pulls remote Itinerator records for every content type
  2. Each item is evaluated against your content filters
  3. Items are matched to the first Itinerator Template Page whose filters they satisfy
  4. Search results use the matched page's URL structure
  5. Listing type filters only apply to Single Listing templates; leave blank to include every listing type in search
  6. Tag filters apply to all template types and still use OR logic within the tag group

Because search and the sitemap share the same configuration, you only have to manage filters in one place.

Troubleshooting

All items still appearing on all pages

  • Check your filters are saved - Make sure you clicked "Update" after configuring
  • Verify filter values - Check the Sitemap tab in settings to see what's configured
  • Clear cache - If using caching, clear it and regenerate the sitemap

Items not appearing in sitemap or search

  • Check filter logic - Make sure your filters aren't too restrictive
  • Verify API data - Ensure items exist in your Tourismo admin with matching tags/types
  • Check page status - Itinerator Template Pages must be published

Items showing under wrong template in search

  • Review page order - First matching page wins, so overlapping filters will favor whichever page loads first
  • Check filter specificity - More specific filters should be on pages that appear earlier in the page list
  • Verify filter configuration - Use the summary table to see all configured filters

Need to change filters

  • Edit the page - Go to Pages → Edit, or use the "Edit" link in the Sitemap settings tab
  • Update filters - Modify the Content Filters section
  • Save changes - The sitemap and search will update automatically

Related Documentation

For technical details about sitemap generation and search integration, see the developer documentation.