GeoDirectory shows featured listings first when you add a Featured sort option to the post type and make it the default. A second, nested sort decides the order of everything after the featured listings.

Set featured listings to show first

1. Go to Places > Settings > Sorting (or the Sorting tab of your own post type).
2. Click Featured in the list of available fields to add it as a sort option.
3. Set the direction to Descending, tick Default sort and make sure it is active, then save.
4. To order the rest of the listings, add another field such as the publish date or Title and drag it under Featured so it becomes a nested (sub) sort. Save again.

Nested sorts aren’t shown to visitors as separate options. They only break ties, so with Featured first and date nested underneath, featured listings come first and all other listings follow, newest first. Without a nested sort the non-featured listings have no defined order. Changing or adding new sorting options has more on the sort builder.

Elementor Pro archive templates

On a GeoDirectory archive template, use the Archive Posts widget with its query left on the current query. That way the page uses GeoDirectory’s own query and the default sort above applies. GeoDirectory adds a GD Archive Item skin to the widget so each listing uses your archive item design. See How to set Elementor Pro Archive Posts widget to use a GD Archive item.

Sliders and custom queries

The Elementor Posts widget (and similar widgets from other add-ons) builds its own WordPress query. The featured flag is stored in GeoDirectory’s listing table, not as post meta, so these widgets can’t sort or filter by it, and ordering by menu order won’t pick up new featured listings.

Use the GD > Listings widget for these sections instead. It can be added to any Elementor page and:

• Show only featured listings: tick Show featured only? in the Filters settings.
• Put featured listings first: choose your Featured sort option in Sort by.
• Show them as a slider: set With Carousel to Yes.

For example:

[gd_listings post_type="gd_place" show_featured_only="1" post_limit="8" with_carousel="1" with_controls="1"]