The WOHNO WordPress Plugin in Detail: Embed Listings Natively – How It Works, Benefits, Limits & Setup

You maintain your listings in WOHNO and want to show them on your own WordPress site – up to date, attractive and without duplicate data entry. That's exactly what the WOHNO WordPress plugin is for. This article explains in depth how it works, what makes it special both technically and conceptually, where its limits are and how to set it up in a few minutes – including a shortcode reference and troubleshooting tips.

What the plugin does – in one sentence#

The plugin fetches your listings through the WOHNO API and renders them as native, SEO-friendly HTML directly on your WordPress site. A click opens the detail view; the application runs first-party on wohno.de – including the applicant folder, personal data and GDPR responsibility. This way you present a high-quality showcase on your domain without applicant data being created on your server.

The idea: showcase on your domain, folder with WOHNO#

Classic real estate plugins take one of two routes: they either load an iframe (bad for SEO) or require you to host both properties and applications yourself (a lot of GDPR responsibility). The WOHNO plugin separates the two cleanly:

• The overview is rendered as real theme HTML on your domain – Google indexes it, your site gains content and reach.
• The detail page and the application live canonically on wohno.de. That's where the entire sensitive part runs: login, applicant folder, proof of income, consent, GDPR.

How the plugin works technically#

Under the hood the plugin works server-to-server: your WordPress server calls the WOHNO API, not your visitors' browser. That has three important consequences.

1. 1

   Server-side fetch

   The API key is used server-side only and never delivered to the browser. Listings arrive as finished HTML in the page – search engines see real content, not an empty iframe.

2. 2

   Non-blocking rendering with caching

   Each query has a "fresh" window (about five minutes) and a longer "retain" window (about a day). Fresh hits return immediately from the cache; stale hits return the cache and trigger a background refresh. Only the very first view of a query fetches synchronously. So your page never waits on the API.

3. 3

   Background prewarm

   A background job (WP-Cron, every five minutes) keeps known queries warm. The refresh is ETag-validated – if nothing changed, it costs no API quota.

In practice this means: even with many visitors, the page stays fast and your API quota is spared. The only trade-off: new or changed listings appear slightly delayed due to caching.

Feature overview#

• Four layouts: grid, large cards, list and an interactive map (Leaflet + OpenStreetMap, no API key).
• Three ways to embed: the "Wohno – Listings" Gutenberg block, a classic widget, and the [wohno_listings] shortcode – plus ready-made block patterns.
• Image gallery & detail modal: each card shows all photos; a click opens an in-page detail view with description, key facts and a cost breakdown (cold rent, utilities, heating, warm rent, deposit).
• Front-end search: an optional filter bar (city, rooms, rent, type, WBS, full-text) – server-side and SEO-friendly.
• "Load more": cursor-based pagination for long lists.
• Single listing: [wohno_listing id="…"] embeds exactly one listing.
• Branding: accent colour and corner radius adjustable in the settings; the card template can be overridden in your theme.
• Multilingual: the plugin follows your site language (German/English).

The four layouts in detail#

• Grid: a compact card grid with one to four columns – the all-rounder for an overview page.
• Large cards: image-led cards for a prominent presentation of fewer properties.
• List: a space-saving list view, ideal for many properties.
• Interactive map: Leaflet with OpenStreetMap tiles, with no API key at all. Only listings with coordinates are placed; without the map layout no connection to OpenStreetMap is made.

Security in detail#

Security matters most when handling an API key. Here the plugin is deliberately strict:

• The API key is stored server-side only in wp_options – encrypted with AES-256-GCM, provided AUTH_KEY/SECURE_AUTH_KEY are set in wp-config.php (the WordPress default) and the server provides openssl.
• It is sent only over HTTPS in the X-API-Key header, never in the query string, never in the page source and never in the browser.
• An accidental non-HTTPS configuration of the API base is rejected, so the key-bearing request can never be downgraded to plaintext.
• No applicant data is created on your website – the sensitive part runs first-party on wohno.de.

The benefits#

1. 1

   Maintain in one place only

   You maintain your listings exactly once in WOHNO. The plugin shows them automatically in sync on your website – no duplicate data, no stale exposés.

2. 2

   SEO-friendly instead of iframe

   The overview is real HTML on your domain and therefore indexable. You gain content and visibility without building your own portal.

3. 3

   GDPR stays with WOHNO

   The application and applicant folder run first-party on wohno.de. No applicant data is created on your site – the data-protection responsibility for it stays with WOHNO.

4. 4

   Secure & fast

   The API key is stored encrypted server-side and never exposed in the browser. Caching and a background prewarm ensure your page rendering never waits on the API.

The limits – stated honestly#

No tool is ideal for every case. You should know these points:

• You need a WOHNO account. Without an API key with the listings:read scope the plugin shows nothing. The model pays off if you maintain (or want to maintain) your listings in WOHNO anyway.
• The detail page lives on wohno.de. That's by design – the application runs there GDPR-safe. If you absolutely need the full detail page on your own domain, choose a different model.
• "Discreet" listings are not shown. They are deliberately not served via the API, because for discreet properties the landlord selects the matching applicants first.
• Caching means a short delay. Due to the ~5-minute caching, new or changed listings appear slightly delayed – a deliberate trade-off in favour of performance and your API quota.

How to set up the plugin#

1. 1

   Create an API key

   In the WOHNO dashboard under "API Keys", create a secret key (sk_…) with the listings:read scope.

2. 2

   Install & connect the plugin

   Install and activate the plugin, open the new "Wohno" menu in the WordPress sidebar, paste the key in the "Connection" tab and click "Test connection".

3. 3

   Choose the appearance

   Set the default layout, columns, accent colour and corner radius in the "Appearance" tab.

4. 4

   Embed the listings

   Place the "Wohno – Listings" block, use a widget, or copy a shortcode from the "Embed" tab (with a live preview and shortcode generator).

A typical shortcode with filters looks like this:

[wohno_listings city="Köln" rooms_min="2" rent_max="1200" layout="grid" columns="3"]

Shortcode reference (excerpt)#

You'll find the full reference, all attributes and troubleshooting tips in the developer documentation for the plugin.

Set up the WOHNO plugin now

Show listings natively and SEO-friendly on your WordPress site – the application and applicant folder stay GDPR-safe with WOHNO.

Go to the plugin

FAQ – frequently asked questions#