How to Remove Related Products from Your WooCommerce Site: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction:
WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform for WordPress, automatically displays “Related Products” on your product pages. These recommendations aim to encourage upselling and cross-selling, potentially boosting your store’s revenue. However, in some situations, these related products might not align with your desired customer experience or store strategy. Perhaps they distract users, display irrelevant items, or you simply prefer a cleaner product page design. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to remove related products from your WooCommerce site, offering several methods to cater to different technical skill levels and preferences. We’ll explore plugin options, code snippets, and theme customizations, ensuring you find the best approach for your needs.
Main Part: Removing Related Products in WooCommerce
There are several ways to remove related products from your WooCommerce store. The method you choose will depend on your technical comfort and whether you want a site-wide solution or to target specific products. Here’s a breakdown of the most common approaches:
1. Using a Plugin (Easiest Method)
This is often the easiest and most recommended method for users who are less comfortable working with code. Several plugins offer a straightforward way to disable related products without modifying theme files.
- Benefits: No coding required, simple to use, often offers additional customization options.
- Drawbacks: Requires installing a plugin, which can potentially impact site performance if the plugin is poorly coded.
- WooCommerce Related Products Manager: This plugin offers granular control over related products, including the ability to disable them entirely.
- YITH WooCommerce Product Add-Ons & Extra Options: While primarily focused on product add-ons, this powerful plugin often includes options to control related product visibility. Check its settings carefully.
- Benefits: No plugin dependencies, direct control over the functionality.
- Drawbacks: Requires coding knowledge, potential for errors if the code is not implemented Read more about How To Remove Update Cart Button In Woocommerce correctly, can be overwritten during theme updates if not done properly.
Recommended Plugins:
Steps (Example using WooCommerce Related Products Manager – adaptation may be needed for other plugins):
1. Install and activate the plugin.
2. Go to WooCommerce > Related Products Manager.
3. Look for an option to “Disable Related Products” globally or on specific products.
4. Save your changes.
2. Using Code Snippets (For More Control)
If you’re comfortable working with code, you can use PHP snippets to remove related products. This method offers more control and avoids relying on external plugins. Always back up your website before making any code changes.
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Two common approaches using code:
a) Removing Related Products Globally (from all product pages):
Add the following code snippet to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or, better, a child theme’s `functions.php` to prevent the code from being overwritten during theme updates) or use a code snippets plugin like “Code Snippets.”
<?php /**
Explanation:
- `remove_related_products( $args )`: This function takes the arguments for the related products query and returns an empty array, effectively preventing any related products from being displayed.
- `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_related_products_args’, ‘remove_related_products’, 20 )`: This line hooks the `remove_related_products` function into the `woocommerce_related_products_args` filter, which is responsible for generating the arguments used to fetch related products. The `20` is the priority, determining the order in which the filter is applied.
b) Removing Related Products from Discover insights on How To Convert Woocommerce To Blog Post Specific Product Categories:
This method allows you to remove related products only from certain categories. Replace `’category-slug’` with the actual slug of the category you want to target.
<?php /**
if ( has_term( ‘category-slug’, ‘product_cat’, $product->get_id() ) ) {
return array();
}
return $args;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_related_products_args’, ‘remove_related_products_by_category’, 20 );
?>
Explanation:
- `has_term( ‘category-slug’, ‘product_cat’, $product->get_id() )`: This function checks if the current product belongs to the specified category (replace `’category-slug’` with the actual category slug).
- If the product is in the specified category, the function returns an empty array, preventing related products from being displayed. Otherwise, it returns the original arguments, allowing related products to be displayed as usual.
Important Considerations for Code Snippets:
- Child Theme: Always use a child theme for customizations to avoid losing your changes when the main theme is updated.
- Backup: Back up your website before making any code changes.
- Code Snippets Plugin: Using a “Code Snippets” plugin is often safer than directly editing `functions.php`.
3. Theme Customization (Advanced – Not Recommended for Beginners)
Some themes provide built-in options to disable related products through the theme’s settings panel. However, this is less common.
- Benefits: No plugin dependencies (if the option is already built-in).
- Drawbacks: Heavily reliant on theme features, may not offer granular control, can be difficult to implement if the theme doesn’t have this feature.
How to Check for Theme Options:
1. Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Look for options related to WooCommerce or product page settings.
3. Search for settings related to “Related Products” or “Upsells/Cross-sells”.
4. If you find such an option, disable it and save your changes.
Important Note: Directly editing Learn more about How To Protext Your Woocommerce Store theme templates (like `single-product.php`) is highly discouraged unless you are an Read more about How To Edit Price In Woocommerce experienced developer. These edits can easily break your site and will be overwritten during theme updates.
Conclusion:
Removing related products from your WooCommerce site is a relatively straightforward process. For most users, using a dedicated plugin is the easiest and safest option. If you’re comfortable with code, PHP snippets offer greater control. Avoid directly editing theme files unless you have significant development experience. By carefully considering your needs and technical expertise, you can choose the method that best suits your situation and achieve the desired look and feel for your product pages. Remember to always back up your website before making any significant changes to your code or configurations.
