Kendall Theme: How to Add WooCommerce to Your Menu (Simple Guide for Beginners)
So, you’ve got a shiny new website rocking the elegant Kendall theme and you’re ready to start selling with WooCommerce? Fantastic! You’re on your way to becoming an online entrepreneur. One of the first things you’ll want to do is make your online store easily accessible by adding WooCommerce links to your main menu. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think! This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, assuming you’re relatively new to WordPress.
Why Add WooCommerce to Your Menu?
Think of your website’s menu as the roadmap for your visitors. It’s how they navigate to different parts of your site. Imagine a physical store without clear signage. People would wander around confused! Adding key WooCommerce pages to your menu, like “Shop,” “Cart,” and “My Account,” does the following:
- Improves User Experience: Makes it incredibly easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, leading to more sales.
- Increases Visibility: Your store is front and center, encouraging visitors to browse your products.
- Professional Look: A well-organized menu makes your website appear professional and trustworthy.
- WordPress Installed: You need a working WordPress installation.
- Kendall Theme Activated: Your site needs to be using the Kendall theme.
- WooCommerce Plugin Installed & Activated: Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard. If WooCommerce isn’t there, go to Plugins > Add New, search for “WooCommerce,” install, and activate it.
- Expand the “View All” tab in the Pages section.
- Search for the specific WooCommerce page you need, such as “Shop” or “Cart”.
- Shop: Your main product listing page. This is *essential*.
- Cart: Where customers can review their selected items before checkout.
- My Account: Where customers can view order history, update their address, and manage their account details.
- Checkout: The page where customers enter their payment and shipping information. (Sometimes, including this in the main menu isn’t necessary, but it depends on your design.)
- Double-check that you’ve saved the menu. It’s a common mistake!
- Clear your browser’s cache. Sometimes, your browser might be displaying an old version of the website.
- Re-arrange the menu items. Try a different order to see if it fixes the problem.
- Check your theme settings. Some themes have specific options that affect the menu. Go to Appearance > Customize and look for menu-related settings.
- Plugin Conflict: Rarely, other plugins might conflict. Deactivate plugins one by one to check that.
Prerequisites
Before we jump in, make sure you have:
Step 1: Accessing the WordPress Menu Editor
The first step is to get to the place where you can edit your website’s menu. This is usually pretty simple.
1. Log into your WordPress dashboard. That’s yourwebsite.com/wp-admin.
2. Navigate to Appearance > Menus. This is where you’ll manage all your website’s menus.
Step 2: Adding WooCommerce Pages to Your Menu
Now for the fun part! Here’s how to add those crucial WooCommerce pages to your menu:
1. Look for the “Pages” section on the left-hand side. You should see a list of your existing pages (e.g., “Home,” “About Us,” “Contact”).
2. Expand the “WooCommerce Endpoints” section. Sometimes, WooCommerce pages aren’t immediately visible in the “Pages” list. You might need to click the “Screen Options” tab at the top right of the screen and make sure “WooCommerce Endpoints” is checked. This will reveal special WooCommerce-related pages.
Alternatively:
3. Select the WooCommerce pages you want to add. Good candidates are:
4. Click “Add to Menu.” The selected pages will be added to the menu structure on the right.
Step 3: Arranging and Customizing Your Menu Items
Once you’ve added the WooCommerce pages, you’ll want to arrange them for optimal user experience.
1. Drag and drop the menu items to reorder them. A common practice is to place “Shop” closer to the beginning of the menu. Consider your audience’s needs. Are they browsing, or are they returning customers who already know what they want?
2. Create submenus (optional): You can nest menu items under other menu items to create dropdown menus. For example, you could nest “Cart,” “My Account,” and “Checkout” under a “Your Account” or “Shopping” menu item for a cleaner look. To create a submenu, simply drag the menu item slightly to the right, underneath the parent item.
3. Edit the menu item labels (optional): Sometimes, the default labels (“Shop,” “Cart,” “My Account”) are fine, but you might want to customize them. Click the down arrow on a menu item to expand its options. Change the “Navigation Label” to your desired text (e.g., “Our Store,” “Your Basket”).
Step 4: Save Your Menu
This is the *most* important step! Don’t forget to save your work.
1. At the bottom of the menu editor, find the “Menu Settings” section.
2. Ensure the “Display location” (or similar wording) is set to the correct menu. Kendall theme might have options like “Primary Menu,” “Top Menu,” or “Footer Menu.” Choose the menu you want to add your WooCommerce links to. This is usually your main site navigation.
3. Click the “Save Menu” button.
Testing and Troubleshooting
Now it’s time to test your work!
1. Visit your website’s front end (yourwebsite.com).
2. Check your menu. Do the WooCommerce links appear where you expect them to? Do they link to the correct pages?
3. If something isn’t right:
Real-Life Example and Reasoning:
Let’s say you’re selling handmade jewelry. Here’s a good menu structure:
* Home
* Shop (Displays all your beautiful jewelry)
* Collections (Submenu with links to different jewelry categories, like “Necklaces,” “Earrings,” “Bracelets”)
* About Us (Tells your brand story)
* Blog (Shares tips on jewelry care and styling)
* Your Basket (Cart)
Reasoning: This structure prioritizes the “Shop” because it’s the main purpose of the website. The “Collections” submenu helps customers find specific types of jewelry easily. The “Your Basket” link is kept simple for easy recognition.
Conclusion
Adding WooCommerce pages to your Kendall theme’s menu is a crucial step for any online store. By following these simple steps, you can ensure your customers can easily find your products, add them to their cart, and complete the checkout process. This improved user experience will ultimately lead to increased sales and a more successful online business! Good luck selling!
