WooCommerce: How to Remove the Sidebar on Your Shop Page (Easy Guide for Beginners)
So, you’ve got Learn more about Woocommerce How To Export And Import Products a WooCommerce store up and running, fantastic! But you’re looking at your shop page and thinking, “That sidebar… it’s just not *working*.” Maybe it’s cluttering the page, distracting from your products, or simply doesn’t fit your overall design. Don’t worry, removing the sidebar is a common customization, and this guide will walk you through it step-by-step, even if you’re a complete beginner.
We’ll cover the *why* behind removing the sidebar, different methods to achieve it (from simple to more advanced), and even some considerations before you make the change. Let’s get started!
Why Remove the Sidebar on Your Shop Page?
Think of your online shop like a physical store. You want your customers to easily browse your products and make purchases. A sidebar *can* be helpful, but it can also be a distraction. Here’s why you might want to remove it:
- Improved Focus on Products: Removing the sidebar creates a cleaner, less cluttered layout, drawing the visitor’s eye directly to your products. Imagine walking into a clothing store with clear displays versus one overflowing with racks and promotions. Which one would you find easier to navigate?
- Better Mobile Experience: Sidebars often collapse into a narrow space on mobile devices, making them difficult to navigate. Removing the sidebar allows your product grid to expand and look much cleaner on smaller screens. Think about browsing on your phone – less clutter is always better.
- Increased Conversion Rates: A cleaner design can lead to higher conversion rates. By removing distractions, you make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for and complete their purchase.
- Modern Design Aesthetic: Many modern e-commerce stores opt for a full-width layout, offering a sleek and professional appearance.
- It’s the easiest to implement.
- It’s update-safe, meaning your changes won’t be overwritten when you update your theme.
- WooCommerce Page Layout Options: A simple plugin that allows you to control the layout of individual pages.
- Custom Sidebars: Allows you to create custom sidebars and assign them to specific pages (or even remove sidebars entirely).
- CSS Hero (Premium): A visual CSS editor that allows you to customize almost any aspect of your website, including removing the sidebar.
- Provides an easy interface for customization.
- Doesn’t require coding knowledge.
- Many plugins offer additional customization options beyond just removing the sidebar.
- The `!important` declaration is used to ensure that your CSS overrides any existing styles in your theme. Use it sparingly, as it can make debugging more difficult.
- You’ll likely need to adjust the width of the main content area to fill the space left by the removed sidebar. Use the browser developer tools to find the CSS class of your main content area and adjust the `width` property accordingly.
- Relatively quick and easy for simple customizations.
- Doesn’t require installing a plugin.
- Requires understanding of CSS selectors.
- Theme updates *might* change the CSS classes, requiring you to update your CSS code.
- Provides the most control over the layout.
- Can be necessary if your theme doesn’t offer any other customization options.
- High risk of breaking your website if done incorrectly.
- Theme updates can overwrite your changes if you don’t use a child theme.
- Requires a strong understanding of PHP and WordPress theme structure.
- What are you replacing it with? If the sidebar contains important navigation elements or promotions, think about how you’ll present that information elsewhere on the page (e.g., in the header, footer, or within the product grid).
- Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure that your shop page still looks great on mobile devices without the sidebar.
- A/B Testing: Consider A/B testing your shop page with and without the sidebar to see which version performs better in terms of conversions and user engagement.
Method 1: Using Theme Options (Easiest)
This is usually the simplest and recommended method, *if* your theme supports it. Many modern WooCommerce themes offer built-in options to customize the layout of your shop page, including the ability to remove the sidebar.
How to Check for Theme Options:
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Appearance > Customize.
3. Look for a section related to “Layout,” “Shop,” “WooCommerce,” or “Sidebar Options.” The naming varies depending on your theme.
4. Within those options, you should find a setting to select the layout for your shop page. This might include options like “Full Width,” “Left Sidebar,” “Right Sidebar,” or “No Sidebar.”
5. Select “Full Width” or “No Sidebar” (or the equivalent option in your theme) and click “Publish.”
Example: Imagine you’re using a popular theme like Astra. In Check out this post: How To Display Product Quantity Remaining In Woocommerce Shop Astra, you’d typically find these options under “Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog” or “Appearance > Customize > Layout > Shop Page.”
Why this is the best approach:
Method 2: Using a Plugin
If your theme doesn’t offer built-in options, a plugin can be a great alternative. Several free and premium plugins allow you to customize the layout of your WooCommerce pages.
Recommended Plugins:
How to Use a Plugin (Example using WooCommerce Page Layout Options):
1. Install and activate the plugin. (Plugins > Add New, search for “WooCommerce Page Layout Options,” Install, and then Activate)
2. Edit your “Shop” page. (Pages > All Pages, find your “Shop” page, and click “Edit”)
3. Look for the plugin’s options within the page editor. It might be a meta box below the content editor or a section in the sidebar.
4. Select the “Full Width” layout or an option that removes the sidebar.
5. Update the page.
Why use a plugin:
Method 3: Using Custom CSS (Intermediate)
If you’re comfortable with a little bit of CSS, you can use this method to hide the sidebar. This is generally a quick and effective way to remove the sidebar, but it *might* require some theme-specific tweaking.
How to Use Custom CSS:
1. Identify the CSS class or ID of the sidebar container. You can do this using your browser’s developer tools (right-click on the sidebar, select “Inspect,” and look for the containing `
2. Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS.
3. Add the following CSS code, replacing `your-sidebar-class` with the actual class or ID of your sidebar container:
.your-sidebar-class {
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display: none !important;
}
/* Optionally, expand the main content area to fill the space */
.your-main-content-class {
width: 100% !important; /* adjust as needed */
}
Important Considerations:
Example:
Let’s say your sidebar’s class is `site-sidebar` and your main content class is `site-content`. The CSS would look like this:
.site-sidebar {
display: none !important;
}
.site-content {
width: 100% !important;
}
Why use custom CSS:
When to be careful:
Method 4: Editing Theme Files (Advanced – Use with Caution!)
This is the most advanced method and should only be attempted if you have a good understanding of PHP and WordPress theme structure. Incorrectly editing theme files can break your website. It’s highly recommended to create a child theme before making any changes to your theme files.
Steps:
1. Create a Child Theme: This is crucial to prevent your changes from being overwritten when your theme updates. You can find plenty of tutorials online on how to create a WordPress child theme.
2. Locate the relevant template file. This will usually be `woocommerce.php`, `archive-product.php`, Learn more about How To Change Id On Product Woocommerce or a custom template file specific to your theme. It might also be in a subdirectory like `/templates/`.
3. Remove or comment out the code that displays the sidebar. This typically involves finding a function call like `get_sidebar()` or a code block that includes the sidebar markup.
Example:
Let’s say your `archive-product.php` file contains this line:
You could comment it out like this:
Or remove it entirely:
4. Save the changes to your child theme’s template file.
5. Upload the file to your child theme’s directory via FTP or your hosting file manager.
Why use this method (rarely recommended for beginners):
When to avoid:
Before You Remove the Sidebar: Considerations
Before you rush to remove your sidebar, consider these points:
Conclusion
Removing the sidebar on your WooCommerce shop page can dramatically improve the user experience and boost your sales. Choose the method that best suits your skill level and your theme’s capabilities. Remember to always back up your website before making any changes, especially when editing theme files directly. Good luck, and happy selling!
