Woocommerce How To Change Text

WooCommerce: How to Change Text Like a Pro (Even if You’re a Newbie!)

WooCommerce is a fantastic platform for building an online store. It’s flexible, powerful, and comes packed with features. But sometimes, the default text just doesn’t quite fit your brand or your customers. Maybe you want to say “Add to Cart” differently, or change a confirmation message. This guide will walk you through how to change text in WooCommerce, even if you’re new to the platform.

Why Would You Want to Change Text in WooCommerce?

Let’s start with the “why”. Here are a few common reasons:

• Brand Consistency: The default WooCommerce text might not align with your brand’s voice and tone. Changing it allows you to maintain consistency across your entire website.
• Localization: If you’re selling to a specific region, you might want to use localized text or terminology that resonates better with your target audience.
• Improved User Experience: Sometimes, the default text is confusing or doesn’t clearly explain the action a user is taking. Changing it can improve the overall user experience and lead to higher conversions.
• Customization: Simply put, you want to make your store feel more unique and personalized.

Real-Life Example: Imagine you’re selling high-end artisanal chocolates. The phrase “Add to Cart” might feel a bit clunky. You could change it to “Indulge Now” or “Treat Yourself” to better reflect the luxurious nature of your products.

Methods for Changing Text in WooCommerce

There are several ways to customize text in WooCommerce. We’ll cover the most common and beginner-friendly methods:

1. Using a Plugin (The Easiest Option)

2. Using a Translation Plugin (For Language Customization)

3. Editing Theme Files (For Advanced Users)

1. Using a Plugin: The Easiest Option

This is generally the recommended approach for beginners. Plugins offer a user-friendly interface to change text without diving into code.

Recommended Plugin: “Say What?” is a popular and free plugin specifically designed for this purpose.

How to use “Say What?”:

• Install and Activate: Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin area, search for “Say What?”, install, and activate it.
• Find the Text to Change: Navigate to Tools > Text Changes.
• Add a New Text Change: Click “Add New”. You’ll need to fill in a few fields:
• Original string: The exact text you want to change (e.g., “Add to Cart”). *Important: Case matters!*
• Text domain: This is usually `woocommerce`.
• Text context: Usually leave this empty, but it *can* provide more context.
• Replacement string: The text you want to replace the original with (e.g., “Indulge Now”).
• Save Your Changes: Click “Add”.

Example:

| Field | Value |

|——————–|—————–|

| Original string | Add to cart |

| Text domain | woocommerce |

| Text context | |

| Replacement string | Indulge Now |

Why this works: “Say What?” intercepts the original text being called by WooCommerce and replaces it with your custom text. It’s non-destructive, meaning it doesn’t directly modify any core WooCommerce files.

2. Using a Translation Plugin (For Language Customization and More)

While technically designed for translating your store, translation plugins can also be used to customize text within a single language. This is useful if you want to consistently use specific terms.

Recommended Plugin: Loco Translate (Free and widely used)

How to use Loco Translate:

• Install and Activate: Install and activate Loco Translate from the WordPress plugin repository.
• Locate WooCommerce: Go to Loco Translate > Plugins and select WooCommerce.
• Create a Custom Translation: *Important: Don’t edit the core WooCommerce translation files!* Instead, create a new translation for your current language (e.g., “English (United States)” or a custom language).
• Search for the Text: Use the search bar to find the text you want to change.
• Enter Your Custom Text: In the “Translation” field, enter your desired text.
• Save Your Changes: Click “Save”.

Why this works: WooCommerce uses translation files (.po and .mo files) to display text. Loco Translate allows you to create custom translation files that override the default text.

3. Editing Theme Files (Advanced – Use with Caution!)

This method involves directly modifying the theme’s template files. This is not recommended for beginners because it can be complex and potentially break your site if done incorrectly. Always back up your theme files before making any changes.

How to Edit Theme Files (General Steps):

• Locate the Relevant Template File: This is often the trickiest part. Use your browser’s “Inspect” tool (right-click on the page and select “Inspect”) to try to find the template file responsible for displaying the text you want to change. Look for clues in the HTML structure. Common templates for WooCommerce include `single-product.php`, `cart.php`, `checkout.php`, and files within the `/templates/` directory inside the WooCommerce plugin itself.
• Use a Child Theme: *Absolutely essential!* Never directly modify the parent theme files. Create a child theme to ensure your changes are preserved when the parent theme is updated.
• Edit the Template File: Using a code editor, open the template file and find the text you want to change.
• Replace the Text: Carefully replace the original text with your desired text.
• Save Your Changes: Upload the modified template file to your child theme’s directory (maintaining the same directory structure as the parent theme).

Example (Simplified):

Let’s say you want to change the “Add to Cart” button on the product page. You’ve located the relevant code in a template file (e.g., a file within the `templates/` directory inside the WooCommerce plugin, perhaps after a WooCommerce template override into your theme). It might look something like this:

<button type="submit" name="add-to-cart" value="get_id() ); ?>" class="single_add_to_cart_button button alt">

You would change the “ to “ (or whatever you want it to be) *within your child theme*.

Why this is risky: Directly modifying theme files makes your changes vulnerable to being overwritten during theme updates. Using a child theme is crucial to prevent this. Also, incorrect code can easily break your site.

Important Considerations

• Cache: After making changes, clear your website’s cache and your browser’s cache to ensure the changes are visible.
• Text Domain: Always pay attention to the text domain when using plugins like “Say What?”. `woocommerce` is the most common, but it can vary depending on the specific element you’re trying to customize.
• Testing: Thoroughly test your changes to ensure they don’t break any functionality on your site.
• Translation Ready: Ensure your custom text is also translation-ready (use `__()` or `_e()` functions) if you plan to offer your store in multiple languages.

Conclusion

Changing text in WooCommerce is a powerful way to personalize your store and improve the user experience. Start with the plugin method, and as you become more comfortable, you can explore other options. Just remember to back up your files and test thoroughly! Good luck!