WooCommerce: How to Make a Product Featured – A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve got a WooCommerce store rocking and rolling! That’s fantastic! But you’re probably wondering how to highlight your best-selling products, new arrivals, or special deals to grab your customers’ attention. The answer? Featured Products!
This article will walk you through everything you need to know about making a product featured in WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll skip the jargon and focus on practical, easy-to-understand steps. Let’s get started!
What are Featured Products in WooCommerce, and Why Should You Use Them?
Imagine walking into a physical store. What catches your eye first? Likely, it’s the displays near the entrance or end-caps showcasing special items. Featured products in WooCommerce work the same way. They are the products you choose to give preferential treatment to.
Why bother making products featured?
- Increased Visibility: Featured products are usually displayed prominently on your homepage or in specific sections designed to attract attention. More eyes = more potential sales.
- Highlight Key Items: Promoting seasonal items, clearance deals, or new arrivals can be a powerful way to boost sales in specific areas. For example, if you sell winter clothing, featuring your warmest coats and accessories during the holiday season is a smart move.
- Improve Conversion Rates: By showcasing your best-selling or highest-rated products, you can build trust and encourage customers to make a purchase. Think of it as a “seal of approval” from you, the store owner.
- Direct Customer Focus: Have a product that needs a little love? Maybe something you are heavily discounting for a limited time? Featuring can instantly boost sales in that area!
- Hover your mouse over the product you want to feature.
- You’ll see several options appear, including “Quick Edit.” Click on “Quick Edit.”
- Look for the checkbox labeled “Featured.” Check this box!
- Click the “Update” button.
- Click on the product title to open the full product editing page.
- Look for the “Publish” metabox in the right sidebar.
- In many themes, you’ll find a “Catalog visibility” setting. Click “Edit” next to it.
- A list of options will be present. If your theme uses this method, select “Featured Product.” If you don’t see this, continue with Step 6 (more common).
- In most cases, you’ll instead find a “Product Data” section somewhere on this page. You won’t necessarily see a “Featured Product” option in *this* area. This is perfectly normal, your theme probably handles this option elsewhere (quick edit).
- Click the “Update” button.
- Theme Options: Many themes have built-in options in their theme settings (usually found under “Appearance” -> “Customize” or a theme-specific settings panel) to display featured products on your homepage. Look for sections like “Homepage Settings,” “Featured Content,” or “Featured Products.”
- WooCommerce Shortcodes: WooCommerce provides shortcodes – small snippets of code – that you can use to display featured products. A common shortcode is `[products limit=”4″ columns=”4″ visibility=”featured” ]`. This would display four featured products in four columns.
- To use this, add a Text or HTML block (or similar) to your homepage and paste the shortcode into it. You can adjust the `limit` and `columns` attributes to fit your design.
- WooCommerce Blocks (Gutenberg): If you’re using the Gutenberg block editor (the default editor in WordPress), search for WooCommerce blocks like “Featured Product” or “Handpicked Products” (which you can then filter to show only featured products).
- Widgets: Some themes offer WooCommerce widgets that allow you to display featured products in sidebars or footers. Go to “Appearance” -> “Widgets” and drag the appropriate widget to the desired location.
- Custom Code (Requires PHP Knowledge): You can use custom PHP code to create more sophisticated displays of your featured products. This requires some understanding of WordPress theme development and WooCommerce’s API. For example:
Think of it like this: you’re a bakery owner. You just baked a batch of delicious, limited-edition pumpkin spice cupcakes. Making them a featured product on your website during the fall season ensures that everyone sees them, driving sales and creating excitement.
How to Make a Product Featured in WooCommerce: The Easy Steps
Here’s the simple, step-by-step process to designate a product as “featured”:
1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard: This is your store’s control center.
2. Navigate to Products: In the left-hand menu, find the “Products” section and click on “All Products.”
3. Find the Product You Want to Feature: Browse the list of your products. You can also use the search bar to quickly locate a specific product.
4. The Quick Edit Method (Fastest):
5. The Edit Product Method (For More Details):
That’s it! You’ve successfully designated a product as featured. Now, the tricky part is displaying it on your site.
Displaying Featured Products on Your Website
Making a product featured in WooCommerce doesn’t automatically make it appear on your homepage. You need to tell your theme *where* and *how* to display them. This is where it can get a bit more technical, but don’t worry, we’ll cover the basics.
Different Themes, Different Options:
The exact way to display featured products depends on your WordPress theme. Here are some common methods:
Example using the Shortcode:
Let’s say you want to display your featured products on your homepage. You can add a shortcode to a page.
1. Go to the page you want to add the shortcode to (likely your Homepage).
2. Add a “Shortcode” block.

3. Paste this shortcode into the block: `[products limit=”4″ columns=”4″ visibility=”featured” ]`

4. Press Update
Important: Consult your theme’s documentation for specific instructions on displaying featured products. If you’re unsure, contact your theme developer’s support team.
Advanced Techniques (Optional)
If you’re feeling adventurous, here are a few more advanced tips:
'product', 'posts_per_page' => 4, // Display 4 products 'tax_query' => array( array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_visibility', 'field' => 'term_id', 'terms' => 'featured', ), ), );
$loop = new WP_Query( $args );
if ( $loop->have_posts() ) {
while ( $loop->have_posts() ) : $loop->the_post();
wc_get_template_part( ‘content’, ‘product’ ); // Display the product
endwhile;
} else {
echo __( ‘No featured products found’ );
}
wp_reset_postdata();
?>
- Plugins: Several WooCommerce plugins provide more advanced featured product functionality, such as the ability to create custom featured product sliders or grids. Search the WordPress plugin repository for “WooCommerce featured products” to explore your options.
Conclusion
Making a product featured in WooCommerce is a simple yet powerful way to highlight specific items in your store and drive sales. By following these steps, you can easily designate products as featured and display them prominently on your website. Remember to experiment with different layouts and promotions to see what works best for your audience. Good luck, and happy selling!