How To Show Categories On Woocommerce

How to Show Categories on WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform for WordPress, allows you to organize your products into categories. Properly displaying these categories is crucial for user navigation, improving the shopping experience, and ultimately boosting your sales. This article will walk you through various methods of showing categories on your WooCommerce store, from the built-in widgets to custom code solutions, empowering you to create a user-friendly and visually appealing online shop. We’ll cover everything from basic implementations to more advanced customization techniques. Let’s dive in!

Main Part:

There are several ways to display categories on your WooCommerce website. We’ll explore the most common and effective methods.

Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Product Categories Widget

The simplest way to showcase your product categories is by using the built-in WooCommerce Product Categories widget.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets: In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Appearance” and then click on “Widgets”.

2. Locate the “WooCommerce Product Categories” widget: You’ll find a widget labeled “WooCommerce Product Categories” in the available widgets list.

3. Drag and drop to your desired widget area: Drag the widget to the sidebar, footer, or any other widget area you want it displayed in.

4. Configure the Widget Settings: Once placed, the widget settings will appear. Here you can configure:

• Title: Give your widget a title (e.g., “Product Categories”, “Browse Categories”).
• Display as dropdown: Choose whether to display categories as a list or a dropdown menu. Dropdowns are good for shops with many categories.
• Show product counts: Display the number of products within each category. This gives customers a sense of category size.
• Show category hierarchy: Display subcategories nested under their parent categories for better organization.
• Order by: Select how to order the categories (name, slug, count, term_group).
• Hide empty categories: Hide categories with no products.

5. Save your changes: Click the “Save” button to activate the widget.

This is the easiest and most user-friendly method for beginners.

Method 2: Using the `[product_categories]` Shortcode

The `[product_categories]` shortcode provides more flexibility in displaying your categories on any page or post.

How to use the shortcode:

Simply insert the shortcode into the content area of a page or post where you want to display the categories. You can customize the output using various attributes.

Example Shortcode with Attributes:

[product_categories number=”5″ columns=”3″ hide_empty=”1″ orderby=”name” order=”ASC”]

Explanation of Attributes:

• `number`: The number of categories to display. Set to “-1” to display all categories.
• `columns`: The number of columns to display the categories in (for a grid layout).
• `hide_empty`: Set to “1” to hide empty categories, “0” to show them.
• `orderby`: How to order the categories (name, slug, term_group, id, count).
• `order`: The order direction (“ASC” for ascending, “DESC” for descending).
• `parent`: Display categories that are children of a specific category ID. (e.g. `parent=”15″`)

Using the shortcode provides granular control over how your categories are displayed, especially on specific pages.

Method 3: Custom Code in `functions.php` (Advanced)

For advanced customization, you can use custom code in your theme’s `functions.php` file or a custom plugin. This method requires some PHP knowledge.

Example Code Snippet:

function custom_woocommerce_category_list() {
$args = array(
'taxonomy'     => 'product_cat',
'orderby'      => 'name',
'show_count'   => 1,
'pad_counts'   => 1,
'hierarchical' => 1,
'title_li'     => '',
'hide_empty'   => 1
);

echo ‘

‘;

wp_list_categories( $args );

echo ‘

‘;

}

add_action( ‘woocommerce_before_shop_loop’, ‘custom_woocommerce_category_list’, 10 ); // Display before the product loop

Explanation:

• This code defines a function `custom_woocommerce_category_list()` that uses `wp_list_categories()` to generate a list of product categories.
• The `$args` array contains various options for customizing the output.
• `add_action()` hooks this function into `woocommerce_before_shop_loop`, displaying the categories before the product listings on the shop page. You can choose other action hooks to display the categories in different locations.
• The `custom-category-list` class is added to the `
  ` element, allowing you to style the list using CSS.

  Benefits of using custom code:

  • Complete control: You have full control over the output and appearance of the categories.
  • Integration: You can easily integrate the category list into different areas of your theme.
  • Flexibility: Implement custom logic and conditional displays.

Important Note: Modifying `functions.php` directly can be risky. Always back up your theme files before making changes. Consider using a child theme or a code snippets plugin to avoid losing your modifications when updating your theme.

Conclusion:

Displaying your WooCommerce product categories effectively is crucial for user experience and sales. By utilizing the WooCommerce Product Categories widget, the `[product_categories]` shortcode, or custom code, you can create a well-organized and visually appealing online store. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and desired level of customization. Remember to test your changes and optimize the display for different devices to ensure a seamless shopping experience for all your customers. By implementing these tips, you’ll be well on your way to improving navigation and driving more sales on your WooCommerce store.