How To Change The Product Catolog Page Woocommerce

How to Change the Product Catalog Page in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

WooCommerce offers a highly customizable e-commerce experience. However, its default product catalog page might not perfectly align with your brand’s aesthetic or functionality needs. This guide will walk you through various methods for effectively changing your WooCommerce product catalog page, from simple tweaks to more involved customizations. Whether you want to adjust the product display, ordering, or overall design, we’ve got you covered.

Understanding Your Options: Methods for Customization

There are several approaches you can take to modify your WooCommerce product catalog page. The best method depends on your technical skills and the extent of the changes you desire.

• Using WooCommerce’s built-in settings: For basic changes like altering the number of products displayed per page or changing the product sorting options, WooCommerce’s built-in settings are sufficient. This is the easiest method and requires no coding.
• Employing WooCommerce extensions: Numerous plugins extend WooCommerce’s functionality, offering features like advanced product filtering, custom layouts, and improved pagination. These extensions can significantly enhance your catalog page without requiring complex coding.
• Customizing your theme’s files: This option provides the most flexibility but requires coding proficiency. You’ll need to edit theme files (specifically, template files related to product archives) to make significant structural or design changes. This is generally not recommended for beginners.
• Using a page builder: Page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder offer a visual interface to modify your WooCommerce product archive page. They’re a good middle ground, providing more flexibility than built-in settings without requiring direct code editing.

Modifying Your WooCommerce Product Catalog Page

Let’s explore some specific modifications and the ways to achieve them.

#### 1. Changing the Number of Products Per Page

This is easily managed within WooCommerce’s settings:

• Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
• Modify the “Products per page” field.
• Save changes.

#### 2. Altering Product Sorting Options

Similar to changing products per page, this can be done within WooCommerce’s settings:

• Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
• Adjust the “Default product sorting” option.
• Save your changes. You can choose from various options like price, popularity, rating, etc.

#### 3. Implementing Advanced Filtering and Sorting (Using Extensions)

For more sophisticated filtering options (e.g., by attributes, price range, etc.), consider using a dedicated WooCommerce plugin. Popular options include:

• WooCommerce Product Filter: This plugin allows for creating highly customizable filter options.
• YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter: Offers similar features with additional ajax improvements for smoother user experience.

Installing these plugins typically involves uploading the plugin file and activating it through your WordPress dashboard. Refer to the individual plugin documentation for specific instructions.

#### 4. Customizing the Product Catalog Page Layout (Advanced)

This is where theme customization or a page builder comes into play. For example, if you want to significantly alter the arrangement of product elements (images, titles, prices, etc.), you might need to edit the `archive-product.php` file within your theme’s directory (always back up your files before making any edits). This file is responsible for the layout of the product archive (catalog) page. Modifying this file directly requires thorough understanding of PHP and WooCommerce templates. A page builder offers a much safer and simpler approach for beginners.

#### Example Code Snippet (Advanced – Use with Caution):

This example shows how you might adjust the number of columns displayed on your product archive page. This is a simplified example and might need adjustments depending on your theme.

<?php
// Modify the number of columns (3 in this case)
$columns = 3;

// Rest of your loop for displaying products

?>

Remember to place this code within the appropriate location in your `archive-product.php` file.

Conclusion

Changing your WooCommerce product catalog page can greatly enhance the shopping experience for your customers. From simple adjustments using built-in settings to more complex customizations with plugins or code, the approach you take depends on your skill level and desired outcome. Remember to always back up your files before making any changes, especially when modifying theme files directly. Choose the method that best suits your needs and technical capabilities to create a compelling and user-friendly product catalog.