Overview

The WPRentals Featured Category widget allows you to highlight one selected taxonomy item on a page.

You can use this widget to promote one specific category, type, city, or area in a visual card design.

Before You Start

Before adding the Featured Category widget, check the following:

• The taxonomy item you want to feature already exists.
• The taxonomy item is a WPRentals category, type, city, or area.
• The taxonomy item has a featured image if you want the widget card to show an image.
• The page is edited with Elementor or WPBakery.
• The WPRentals Elementor Widgets plugin is installed and activated if you want to use the Elementor widget.

WPRentals taxonomy items are managed from:

Wp-admin > Listings, Bookings & More

From there, you can manage taxonomy groups such as:

• Categories
• Types
• Cities
• Areas / Neighborhoods

What the Featured Category Widget Displays

The Featured Category widget can show one selected taxonomy item in a card layout.

Depending on the selected design type and available taxonomy details, the widget can display details such as:

• The taxonomy item title, for example a city name, category name, type name, or area name.
• The taxonomy item featured image.
• The taxonomy item tagline or description, if supported by the selected design.
• A link to the taxonomy archive page.
• The number of listings assigned to that taxonomy item, depending on the selected design.

How to Add the Featured Category Widget in Elementor

Step 1: Edit the Page with Elementor

1. Go to the page where you want to add the featured category, for example your homepage.
2. Click Edit with Elementor.
3. Select the section where the featured category should appear, or create a new section.

Step 2: Add the Widget

1. In the Elementor sidebar, search for WPRentals Featured Category.
2. Drag the widget into the section where you want it to appear.

Elementor Widget Settings Explained

Select Category

Use this option to type and select the taxonomy item you want to feature.

The dropdown can include WPRentals taxonomy items such as:

• Property categories
• Property types
• Cities
• Areas / neighborhoods

Design Type

This option controls the layout used for the featured category card.

The available design types are:

• Type 1
• Type 2
• Type 3

Select the design type that fits your page layout best. You can switch between the design types and preview the result in Elementor.

Featured Category Design Types

Design Type 1

Design Type 2

Design Type 3

Style the Featured Category Widget

Open the widget Style settings in Elementor to customize the design.

Depending on the selected design type, you can manage options such as:

• Card height
• Border radius for rounded corners
• Image overlay
• Text color
• Typography
• Text position
• Spacing and alignment

How to Use the Featured Category Widget with WPBakery

Step 1: Edit the Page with WPBakery

1. Go to Pages.
2. Edit the page where you want to add the featured category.
3. Click Edit with WPBakery Page Builder.

Step 2: Add the Featured Category Element

1. Click the + Add Element button.
2. Search for Featured Category.
3. Click the element to insert it into the page.

Step 3: Configure the Element

After adding the element, select the taxonomy item you want to feature and choose the design type.

Save or update the page, then check the result on the front end.

How to Add Images to Categories, Cities, Types, or Areas

The image shown in the Featured Category widget comes from the selected taxonomy item featured image.

For example, if you select a city, add the image to that city term. If you select a property type, add the image to that type term.

Step 1: Go to the Taxonomy Section

In the WordPress dashboard, go to:

Listings, Bookings & More

Then open the taxonomy you want to edit, such as:

• Categories
• Types
• Cities
• Areas / Neighborhoods

Step 2: Edit or Add a Taxonomy Item

To add an image to an existing item, hover over the item name and click Edit.

To create a new item, add the name in the form and click the button to add the new taxonomy item.

Step 3: Set the Featured Image

In the taxonomy edit screen, find the option to upload or set a Featured Image.

1. Click Upload/Add Image.
2. Choose an existing image from the Media Library or upload a new image.
3. Click Update to save the taxonomy item.

Image and Content Tips

• Use a large, clear image for the selected taxonomy item.
• Use images with similar proportions across categories if you use multiple category widgets on the same page.
• Use an image that matches the selected taxonomy item, for example a city photo for a city term.
• Add a tagline or description to the taxonomy item if the selected design type uses it.
• Check the card on desktop, tablet, and mobile after styling.

Troubleshooting

The widget does not appear in Elementor

• Make sure Elementor is installed and active.
• Make sure the WPRentals Elementor Widgets plugin is installed and active.
• Update the WPRentals theme and plugins to compatible versions.
• Search for Featured if the exact widget name does not appear.

The category, city, type, or area does not appear in the widget dropdown

• Make sure the taxonomy item exists in Listings, Bookings & More.
• Check that you are typing the correct taxonomy item name.
• Save the taxonomy item again, then refresh the Elementor editor.
• Clear cache and test again.

The image does not show

• Edit the selected taxonomy item and check that a featured image is saved.
• Check if the image still exists in the Media Library.
• Clear cache and reload the page.

The card links to an empty page

• Make sure published listings are assigned to the selected taxonomy item.
• Check if the taxonomy item is a category, type, city, or area that has listings connected to it.
• If the taxonomy item has no listings, the archive page can appear empty.

The design does not look correct

• Check the selected design type.
• Check the widget style settings.
• Check the Elementor section or container width.
• Adjust height, border radius, text color, and text position.
• Test the page on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Important Notes

• The Featured Category widget displays one selected taxonomy item.
• The selectable taxonomy items can include categories, types, cities, and areas.
• The widget does not display individual listings.
• The image comes from the selected taxonomy item featured image.
• The widget includes 3 design types.
• Some designs may use the taxonomy title, image, tagline, description, or listing count depending on the selected design type.
• The selected taxonomy item links to its taxonomy archive page.
• If the taxonomy item has no listings assigned, the archive page may show no results.
• Use Elementor only for pages built with Elementor.
• Use WPBakery only for pages built with WPBakery.
• Do not mix Elementor and WPBakery on the same page.
• If changes do not appear, clear plugin cache, server cache, CDN cache, and browser cache, then test again.

Related Help

• Featured Category Shortcode with Elementor or WPBakery
• Property Taxonomies: Category, Types, City and Area
• How to Work With the WPRentals Elementor Widgets Plugin and Import Pre-built Elementor Templates
• WPRentals Categories List Widget for Elementor
• How to Use the WPRentals Grids Widget for Elementor