Supercharge Your WooCommerce Store: A Beginner’s Guide to Product Filters
Are you tired of customers getting lost in your WooCommerce store, unable to find exactly what they’re looking for? Do they just bounce because finding the perfect blue, size 32 jeans is like searching for a needle in a haystack? Then you, my friend, need product filters!
Product filters allow your customers to quickly and easily narrow down your product catalog based on specific attributes like price, color, size, category, and more. Think of it like this: imagine you’re shopping for a new TV. Do you want to scroll through *every single TV* available? No! You want to filter by screen size, resolution, and maybe brand. That’s the power of product filters.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up product filters in WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll keep it simple, practical, and full of real-world examples.
Why Use Product Filters?
Before we dive in, let’s quickly understand why product filters are so important for your online store:
* Improved User Experience: A better shopping experience leads to Learn more about How To Add A New Category On Woocommerce happier customers who are more likely to buy.
* Increased Conversions: When customers can quickly find what they need, they’re more likely to make a purchase.
* Reduced Bounce Rate: Prevent customers from leaving your site in frustration.
* Enhanced SEO: Properly configured filters can improve your store’s visibility in search results. (More on that later!)
* More Informed Purchases: Filters allow customers to narrow down choices to a manageable few, making decisions easier.
Step 1: Understanding Product Attributes and Categories
Before setting up filters, it’s crucial to understand the difference between *attributes* and *categories* in WooCommerce.
* Categories: These are broad groupings of products, like “T-Shirts,” “Shoes,” or “Electronics.” Think of them as the main sections of your store.
* Attributes: These are specific characteristics of a product, like “Color,” “Size,” “Material,” or “Brand.” They define the qualities within a category.
Example:
Let’s say you sell clothing.
* Category: “Jeans”
* Attributes: “Size” (28, 30, 32, etc.), “Color” (Blue, Black, Grey), “Fit” (Slim, Regular, Bootcut), “Material” (Denim, Cotton Blend)
Step 2: Creating Product Attributes
Now, let’s create some attributes. We’ll stick with our clothing example.
1. Go to Products > Attributes in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Enter the name of your attribute (e.g., “Color”) in the “Name” field.
3. Enter a slug (a URL-friendly version of the name) in the “Slug” field (e.g., “color”). If you leave it blank, WordPress will automatically generate one.
4. Check the “Enable Archives?” box if you want to create archive pages for each attribute term (e.g., a page listing all blue jeans). This is good for SEO.
5. Click “Add Attribute.”
Repeat this process for each attribute you want to create (e.g., “Size,” “Fit,” “Material”).
Step 3: Adding Attribute Terms
Now that you have the attributes, you need to define the specific values for each attribute. These are called “terms.”
1. On the Attributes page, click the “Configure Terms” link next to the attribute you want to edit (e.g., “Color”).
2. Enter the name of the term (e.g., “Blue”) in the “Name” field.
3. Enter a slug (e.g., “blue”).
4. Click “Add New Color.”
Repeat this process for each term you want to add to the attribute (e.g., “Black,” “Grey,” “Red” for the “Color” attribute). Do the same for the other attributes you’ve created (e.g., “28,” “30,” “32” for the “Size” attribute).
Step 4: Assigning Attributes to Your Products
Now comes the crucial part: linking your attributes to your products!
1. Go to Products > All Products and click “Edit” on the product you want to modify.
2. Scroll down to the “Product data” meta box.
3. Click the “Attributes” tab.
4. Select the attribute you want to add from the “Custom product attribute” dropdown.
5. Click “Add.”
6. Select the appropriate terms for that attribute from the “Value(s)” dropdown. You can select multiple terms by holding down the Ctrl (or Command on a Mac) key while clicking.
7. Crucially, check the “Visible on the product page” box if you want the attribute to be displayed on the product page. This is usually what you want.
8. Equally important, check the “Used for variations” box if you’re using variations of this product (e.g., different sizes or colors).
9. Click “Save attributes.”
10. Click “Update” on the main product page to save your changes.
Repeat this process for all your products. This can be time-consuming, but it’s absolutely essential for making your filters work!
Example: For a pair of blue jeans, you’d assign the “Color” attribute with the term “Blue,” the “Size” attribute with a size like “32,” and the “Fit” attribute with a fit like “Slim.”
Step 5: Adding Product Filters to Your Storefront
Now that you’ve created attributes and assigned them to your products, you need to add the filters to your storefront so customers can actually use them. There are several ways to do this:
* Using WooCommerce Widgets: This is the simplest option, especially for beginners.
1. Go to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Find the “WooCommerce Product Filter (Attribute)” or “WooCommerce Product Filter (Category)” widget (or similar, depending on your theme).
3. Drag the widget to your desired sidebar (usually the Shop sidebar).
4. Configure the widget options. You can choose which attributes to display, whether to show a “Filter” button, and how to sort the terms.
* Using Plugins: Many WooCommerce plugins offer more advanced filtering options, like price range filters, ratings filters, and AJAX-powered filtering (which updates the product list without reloading the page). Some popular plugins include:
* WooCommerce Product Filter by WooBeWoo: A powerful and popular option.
* YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter: Another great choice with lots of customization options.
* Premmerce Product Filter: Simpler and more lightweight.
To install a plugin:
1. Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Search for the plugin you want to install.
3. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate.”
4. Follow the plugin’s instructions to configure the filters.
* Custom Coding (Advanced): If you’re comfortable with PHP, you can create custom filters using WooCommerce hooks and templates. This gives you the most control over the appearance and functionality of your filters, but it requires coding knowledge.
Important: Make sure your theme supports widgets in the shop sidebar, or that the plugin you are using has a way to define the area on the product archive page the filter displays on.
Step 6: Testing and Refining Your Filters
Once you’ve set up your filters, it’s crucial to test them thoroughly to ensure they’re working correctly.
* Navigate to your shop page and try using the filters.
* Make sure the correct products are displayed when you select different filter options.
* Check that the filter labels are clear and easy to understand.
* Consider adding more attributes and terms as needed to provide a more granular filtering experience.
* Pay attention to your website’s speed. Too many filters can slow down your site, especially with a large product catalog. If you experience performance issues, consider using a caching plugin or optimizing your database.
SEO Considerations for Product Filters
While product filters are primarily for improving user experience, they can also have a positive impact on your store’s SEO. Here’s how:
* Enable Archives for Attributes: As mentioned earlier, enabling archives for attribute terms creates dedicated pages for each term (e.g., `/product-attribute/color/blue/`). These pages can rank in search results for relevant keywords like “blue jeans.”
* Use Descriptive URLs: Make sure your attribute and category URLs are clear and descriptive.
* Add Unique Content to Attribute Archive Pages: Don’t just show a list of products on the attribute archive pages. Add a short paragraph describing the attribute and its benefits. For example, on the “blue jeans” archive page, you could write something like: “Shop our selection of stylish blue jeans. From dark wash to light wash, find the perfect pair to match your style.”
* Avoid “Noindex” on Filtered Pages: Some plugins may automatically set filtered pages to “noindex” to prevent duplicate content issues. Make sure this is *not* the case, as you want these pages to be indexed by search engines. (Carefully check your SEO plugin or theme settings.)
Example: A Code Snippet for Adding a Custom Filter (Advanced)
This is an advanced example for those comfortable with PHP. It shows how to add a custom filter based on product price. Use with caution, and only if you understand PHP.
<?php /**
- Add a price filter to the shop page.
function add_price_filter_to_shop() {
$min_price = isset( $_GET[‘min_price’] ) ? floatval( $_GET[‘min_price’] ) : 0;
$max_price = isset( $_GET[‘max_price’] ) ? floatval( $_GET[‘max_price’] ) : PHP_INT_MAX; // Correct max price retrieval
$base_url = strtok( $_SERVER[“REQUEST_URI”], ‘?’ ); // Base URL for form action
// Get min/max prices from all products. This is expensive, cache this if possible.
global $wpdb;
$prices = $wpdb->get_results(“
SELECT min(meta_value + 0.0) AS min_price, max(meta_value + 0.0) AS max_price
FROM {$wpdb->postmeta}
WHERE meta_key = ‘_price’
“);
if(empty($prices)) return; // Return if no prices are available to display.
$total_min_price = floor($prices[0]->min_price);
$total_max_price = ceil($prices[0]->max_price);
// Ensure that the passed in min and max price is not lower or higher than the total.
$min_price = ($min_price < $total_min_price) ? $total_min_price : $min_price;
$max_price = ($max_price > $total_max_price) ? $total_max_price : $max_price;
?>
<form method="get" action="”>
<input type="number" id="min_price" name="min_price" value="” min=”” max=””>
<input type="number" id="max_price" name="max_price" value="” min=”” max=””>
<?php
}
/
* Modify the query to filter by price.
*/
add_action( ‘woocommerce_product_query’, ‘price_filter_woocommerce_query’ );
function price_filter_woocommerce_query( $q ) {
if ( isset( $_GET[‘min_price’] ) && isset( $_GET[‘max_price’] ) ) {
$min_price = floatval( $_GET[‘min_price’] );
$max_price = floatval( $_GET[‘max_price’] );
if (empty($min_price) && empty($max_price)) return;
$meta_query = $q->get( ‘meta_query’ );
if ( ! is_array( $meta_query ) ) {
$meta_query = array();
}
$meta_query[] = array(
‘key’ => ‘_price’,
‘value’ => array( $min_price, $max_price ),
‘compare’ => ‘BETWEEN’,
‘type’ => ‘NUMERIC’
);
$q->set( ‘meta_query’, $meta_query );
}
}
?>
Explanation:
1. `add_action()`: Hooks into WooCommerce’s `woocommerce_before_shop_loop` action to display the filter before the product listing.
2. `add_price_filter_to_shop()`: Creates the HTML form for the price filter. It retrieves the minimum and maximum prices from the product database and renders input fields for the user to enter their desired price range. The form is submitted using the GET method.
3. `woocommerce_product_query` hook: This action is used to modify the main product query to only display products falling in the defined price bracket.
4. `price_filter_woocommerce_query()`: Modifies the WooCommerce product query to filter products based on the price range submitted via the form. It retrieves the `min_price` and `max_price` from the `$_GET` array and adds a `meta_query` to the query to filter the results.
Where to put the code?:
Use a code snippets plugin or add the code into your theme’s `functions.php` file.
Important notes:
This code only shows a simple version. You will need to style the form (CSS) and ensure it works seamlessly with your theme. The `add_action` hook can be modified to reposition where the filter displays on the archive page. The price filtering method also impacts the overall performance of your website and can be further optimized.
Conclusion
Setting up product filters in WooCommerce is an investment that will pay off in the long run. By making it easier for customers to find what they need, you’ll improve their shopping experience, increase your conversion rates, and boost your store’s overall success. So, get started today and unlock the full potential of your WooCommerce store! Remember to prioritize usability and SEO, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a thriving online business.
