WordPress WooCommerce: How to Put a Product in Multiple Categories (Easy Guide)
So, you’re selling online with WooCommerce and want to boost your product visibility? A simple, yet powerful way to do that is by assigning your products to multiple categories. This lets customers find your items through various entry points on your site, improving their browsing experience and potentially increasing sales.
Think of it this way: Imagine you’re selling a “Red Leather Wallet”. Someone might look for it under “Wallets”, or specifically under “Leather Accessories”, or even just “Gifts for Him”. By placing your wallet in all three categories, you significantly increase the chances of it being seen!
This article will guide you through the process, step-by-step, making it super easy even if you’re completely new to WooCommerce.
Why Use Multiple Categories?
Before we jump into the “how,” let’s solidify the “why.” Using multiple categories offers several benefits:
- Improved Product Discoverability: As mentioned earlier, more categories mean more chances for customers to find your product.
- Enhanced User Experience: A well-organized store makes it easier for customers to browse and find what they Check out this post: How To Add Woocommerce Menu need, leading to a more satisfying shopping experience.
- Better SEO (Search Engine Optimization): More relevant keywords associated with your product help search engines understand and rank your product pages better.
- Increased Sales Potential: More visibility equals more potential customers, which can translate to higher sales.
- Log into your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Products > All Products.
- Find the product you want to edit and click Edit.
- On the right-hand side of the product edit screen, you’ll see a box labeled Product Categories. It’s usually above the “Product Tags” box.
- Simply check the boxes next to all the categories you want your product to belong to. You can select as many relevant categories as you need.
- If a category doesn’t exist yet, click “+ Add New Category” to create it.
- Once you’ve selected all the appropriate categories, click the Update button at the top right of the screen.
- Main Category: T-Shirts
- Subcategories/Related Categories:
- Men’s T-Shirts (if you have Explore this article on How Do I Log In To My Woocommerce Account a gender-specific category)
- Blue Clothing
- Cotton Clothing
- Summer Collection (if it’s part of a seasonal collection)
- “Crew Neck”
- “Short Sleeve”
- “Casual”
- Over-Categorization: Don’t assign your product to *every* possible category just for the sake of it. Focus on relevance. Too many irrelevant categories can confuse customers and dilute your SEO efforts.
- Inconsistent Categorization: Be consistent with how you categorize products. This helps customers understand your store’s organization and find what they need.
- Ignoring Subcategories: Subcategories are your friend! Use them to further refine your product listings and provide a more granular browsing experience.
- Product Not Showing in Category:
- Double-check that you’ve selected the correct categories and updated the product.
- Clear your website’s cache (if you’re using a caching plugin).
- Make sure the category is active and visible on your website.
- Category Page Shows “No Products Found”:
- Ensure that at least one product is assigned to that category.
- Verify that the category isn’t set to “Private” or hidden.
How to Assign a Product to Multiple Categories in WooCommerce
There are a couple of ways to do this, but we’ll focus on the easiest and most common method directly within the WordPress product editor.
1. Access Your WooCommerce Product:
2. Locate the Product Categories Box:
3. Select the Desired Categories:
4. Update the Product:
That’s it! Your product is now assigned to multiple categories and will appear in each of them on your website.
Example: A “Blue Cotton T-Shirt”
Let’s say you’re selling a “Blue Cotton T-Shirt.” Here’s how you might categorize it:
By selecting all these categories, you ensure that anyone browsing for t-shirts in general, specifically blue items, or cotton clothing, will have a chance to see your product.
Advanced Tip: Using Product Tags
While categories are for broader grouping, product tags are for more specific keywords. Think of tags as “micro-categories.”
For example, in addition to the categories listed above, you could add tags like:
These tags help customers find your product through search within your site and contribute to SEO.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Learn more about Woocommerce How To Import Custom Taxonomy
Troubleshooting
By following these simple steps and avoiding common mistakes, you can effectively use multiple categories in WooCommerce to improve product discoverability, enhance user experience, and boost your online sales! Good luck!
