Service Moderation

Manage service submissions and review vendor listings to maintain marketplace quality through the admin moderation queue.

Overview

The service moderation system ensures all vendor services meet your marketplace standards before going live. Admins can approve or reject pending submissions with detailed feedback to vendors.

Note: Service moderation must be enabled in settings for this feature to activate.

Enabling Service Moderation

Service moderation is configured on the Vendor settings tab:

Go to WP Sell Services → Settings → Vendor
Check Require Service Moderation
Save changes

When Enabled:

New vendor services are submitted as “Pending”
Services require admin approval before publication
Pending services are hidden from marketplace
Vendors receive approval/rejection notifications

When Disabled:

Vendor services publish immediately
No admin review required
Services go live when vendor clicks “Publish”

Service Moderation Workflow

When moderation is enabled:

Vendor Submits: Vendor creates service and clicks “Publish”
Status: Pending: Service enters moderation queue with pending status
Admin Reviews: Admin evaluates service at WP Sell Services → Moderation
Decision: Admin approves or rejects with reason
Notification: Vendor receives automated email with outcome
Outcome: Approved services go live, rejected services return to draft

Accessing the Moderation Queue

The dedicated moderation page shows all pending services.

Navigation

Log in to WordPress admin
Go to WP Sell Services → Moderation
View all services awaiting approval

The moderation menu item shows a badge with pending count when services await review.

Moderation Page Layout

The moderation queue displays services in a table with these columns:

Column	Description
Image	Service thumbnail
Service	Service title and edit link
Vendor	Submitting vendor name and profile link
Category	Service category
Price	Starting price (basic package)
Submitted	Submission date
Status	Current moderation status
Actions	Approve and Reject buttons

Filtering Options

Filter moderation queue by status:

All – View all services regardless of status
Pending – Services awaiting approval
Approved – Previously approved services
Rejected – Previously rejected services

Click tabs above the table to filter view.

Service Review Checklist

Use this checklist to maintain consistent quality standards:

Title Quality

Clear and descriptive
Proper grammar and spelling
No excessive capitalization (not “BEST SERVICE EVER”)
No misleading claims
Professional language
Reasonable length (under 100 characters)

Description Completeness

Service clearly explained
Deliverables listed
Requirements stated (if any)
Process/workflow described
Realistic turnaround time
Minimum 150 words (recommended)

Pricing Reasonableness

Prices match industry standards
Package differences are clear
No price manipulation
Add-ons are relevant
Pricing makes sense for service scope

Gallery Quality

Professional images uploaded
Images relevant to service offered
No copyrighted material without permission
No inappropriate content
Minimum 1 image (recommended 3-5)

Content Compliance

No prohibited services
No copyright violations
No trademark infringement
Follows marketplace policies
No spam or duplicate content
Portfolio items are genuine work samples

Vendor Profile

Vendor profile is complete
Contact information valid
Professional bio provided

Approving Services

When a service meets quality standards, approve it to publish on the marketplace.

Approval Process

Click Approve button next to the service
System prompts for confirmation
Optionally add admin note (internal use only)
Confirm approval

Keyboard Shortcut: Select service row and press A for quick approval.

What Happens on Approval

Immediate Effects:

Service status changes from “Pending” to “Approved”
Service post status changes to “Published”
Service appears in marketplace immediately
Service becomes searchable
Service appears in vendor’s public profile
Vendor can start receiving orders

Vendor Notification: Vendor receives email containing:

Service approval confirmation
Service title and marketplace link
Publication date and time
Link to view service
Encouragement to promote service

Admin Visibility:

Service moves from Pending to Approved tab
Service shows “Approved” status badge
Vendor statistics update

Bulk Approval

Approve multiple services at once:

Check boxes next to services to approve
Select Approve from bulk actions dropdown
Click Apply
Confirm bulk approval
All selected services are approved simultaneously

Rejecting Services

Reject services that don’t meet quality standards or violate policies.

Rejection Process

Click Reject button next to the service
System prompts for rejection reason
Enter detailed feedback explaining the rejection
Confirm rejection

Rejection Reason Field: Provide specific, actionable feedback so vendor knows what to fix.

What Happens on Rejection

Immediate Effects:

Service status changes to “Rejected”
Service remains hidden from marketplace
Rejection reason is stored
Vendor receives rejection notification
Service returns to draft state for vendor to edit

Vendor Actions:

Vendor can view rejection reason in their dashboard
Vendor can edit service to address issues
Vendor can resubmit for approval after corrections
Resubmitted services enter moderation queue again

Admin Visibility:

Service moves to Rejected tab
Rejection reason visible to admins
Service shows “Rejected” status badge

Writing Effective Rejection Messages

Good Example:

Your service description needs more detail. Please add:

- Specific deliverables you'll provide
- Your process/workflow (step-by-step)
- Typical turnaround time
- Requirements from buyers

Also, please upload at least 2 relevant portfolio samples
showing your work quality. Current images are too generic.

Poor Example:

Service rejected. Needs improvement.

Best Practices:

Be specific about what needs fixing
Reference exact issues (images, description, pricing)
Provide actionable guidance
Remain professional and encouraging
Link to relevant policies if applicable

Common Rejection Reasons

Poor Quality Description:

Your description is too brief. Please expand to at least
200 words explaining your service, process, deliverables,
and what makes your approach unique.

Inappropriate Images:

The images you've uploaded do not represent your service.
Please upload relevant work samples or portfolio pieces
that demonstrate the type of work you'll deliver.

Copyright Violation:

The portfolio images appear to be stock photos or work
from other sources. Please only upload your original work.
If using licensed content, provide proof of license.

Prohibited Service:

The service you've listed falls under our prohibited
categories. Please review our Service Guidelines at
[link] before submitting a different service.

Misleading Pricing:

Your Basic package pricing ($5) doesn't align with the
deliverables promised (full website design). Please adjust
either the price to reflect the work scope, or reduce
deliverables to match the price point.

Rejection Notification Email

Vendor receives automated email with:

Service title
Rejection reason (admin feedback)
Instructions to edit and resubmit
Link to edit service
Link to marketplace policies
Support contact information

Moderation Actions Only

Important: The moderation system supports only two actions:

✓ Approve – Publish service to marketplace ✗ Reject – Return to draft with feedback

No “Request Changes” Action: If a service needs minor improvements, you must reject it with detailed feedback. The vendor will edit and resubmit. There is no intermediate “pending changes” status.

Workflow for Minor Issues:

Reject with specific, actionable feedback
Vendor edits service
Vendor resubmits (goes back to moderation queue)
You review again and approve

Moderation Page Features

Quick Actions

Each service row provides quick action buttons:

View – View service on frontend (opens in new tab)
Edit – Edit service in WordPress editor
Approve – Approve service
Reject – Reject service with reason

Status Badges

Visual badges indicate current status:

Pending – Yellow badge, awaiting review
Approved – Green badge, published
Rejected – Red badge, rejected with reason

Service Preview

Click service title to preview:

Service details page
All packages and pricing
Gallery images
Description and FAQs
Vendor profile
Service requirements

Admin Notifications

Stay informed about pending services:

Dashboard Notice

When services are pending:

Notice appears at top of admin pages
Shows count of pending services
“Review Now” link to moderation page
Dismissible until new services are submitted

Moderation Menu Badge

Moderation menu item shows:

Red notification badge
Count of pending services
Updates in real-time

Email Notifications (Pro)

[PRO] Admins receive email when:

New service is submitted for review
Service is resubmitted after rejection
Daily digest of pending services (configurable)

Vendor Dashboard View

Vendors see moderation status in their dashboard:

Pending Services:

Yellow “Pending Review” badge
Message: “Your service is awaiting admin approval”
Cannot receive orders while pending

Rejected Services:

Red “Rejected” badge
Rejection reason displayed
“Edit Service” button to make corrections
Instructions to resubmit

Approved Services:

Green “Live” badge
View count and order statistics
Full editing capabilities
Can pause/unpublish if needed

Moderation Settings

Configure moderation behavior in settings:

Vendor Settings Tab

Require Service Moderation:

Checkbox to enable/disable
When disabled, services publish immediately
When enabled, all new services require approval

Who Can Bypass Moderation:

Admins and shop managers always bypass
Services created by admins publish immediately
Regular vendors always require approval

Notification Settings

Email Toggles:

New service submitted (admin notification)
Service approved (vendor notification)
Service rejected (vendor notification)

Configure at Settings → Emails.

Troubleshooting

Services Not Appearing in Queue

Check:

Service moderation is enabled in Vendor settings
Services are actually pending (check post status)
No caching plugin showing stale data
Admin has proper permissions

Approval Not Working

Verify:

Service is not already approved
No conflicting plugins interfering
Check browser console for JavaScript errors
Try manual approval via Services list

Vendor Not Receiving Notifications