How to Showcase Featured Products on Your WooCommerce Homefront for Maximum Impact
Introduction:
In the bustling online marketplace, grabbing a customer’s attention within seconds of landing on your website is crucial. Your WooCommerce homepage, often the first point of contact, is prime real estate for showcasing your best-selling, on-sale, or strategically selected ‘featured’ products. By highlighting these items, you can immediately pique interest, encourage exploration, and ultimately drive sales. This article will guide you through several methods to effectively display featured products on your WooCommerce homepage, ensuring a captivating and conversion-optimized user experience.
Main Part:
There are several ways to feature products on your WooCommerce homepage, each with its own advantages and levels of customization. We’ll explore three common approaches:
1. Using the WooCommerce Shortcode
The easiest and most straightforward method is using the built-in WooCommerce shortcode. This allows you to quickly display featured products within a page using minimal coding knowledge.
* How to Implement:
1. Navigate to your WooCommerce homepage in the WordPress admin panel (Pages -> Your Homepage).
2. Edit the page content.
3. Add the WooCommerce shortcode `[products ids=”” columns=”4″ limit=”8″ category=”” tag=”” orderby=”date” order=”DESC” attribute=”” terms=”” terms_operator=”IN” visibility=”featured”]`. Let’s break down the important attributes:
- `ids=””`: This should remain blank. We want *featured* products, not products specified by ID.
- `columns=”4″`: Defines the number of products displayed per row. Adjust based on your layout.
- `limit=”8″`: Sets the maximum number of products displayed. Change as needed.
- `orderby=”date”`: Sorts the products. Other options include “popularity,” “rating,” “title,” and “rand.”
- `order=”DESC”`: Specifies the sorting order. “DESC” is descending, and “ASC” is ascending.
- `visibility=”featured”`: This is the key attribute! It tells WooCommerce to only show products marked as “featured.”
- Simple to implement.
- No coding required (for basic use).
- Utilizes built-in WooCommerce functionality.
- Limited customization options. You are restricted to the attributes offered by the shortcode.
- Relatively basic styling.
- If using “Products by Category,” create a Check out this post: How To Edit Woocommerce Pages new category called “Featured” and assign your featured products to it.
- For “Products by Attribute,” create a custom attribute “Featured” (or use a different name) and assign it to featured products.
- Visually appealing and easy to manage with the Gutenberg editor.
- More styling and layout options than the shortcode.
- Drag-and-drop interface simplifies the process.
- Still limited compared to custom coding.
- Relies on specific categories or attributes, which may require additional setup.
4. Mark products as featured: In the WordPress admin panel, go to Products -> All Products. Edit the product you want to feature. In the “Publish” meta box (usually on the right side of the screen), click “Edit” next to “Catalog visibility.” Check the “Featured product” box and click “OK,” then update the product.
5. Update the page.
Example Shortcode:
[products columns=”4″ limit=”12″ orderby=”date” order=”DESC” visibility=”featured”]
This will display 12 featured products in 4 columns, ordered by date in descending order.
* Pros:
* Cons:
2. Using the WooCommerce Blocks
WooCommerce Blocks offer more visual control and a drag-and-drop interface for Learn more about How To Create Checkbox Field In Woocommerce Checkout Page building your homepage. They are integrated into the Gutenberg block editor.
* How to Implement:
1. Navigate to your WooCommerce homepage in the WordPress admin panel (Pages Learn more about How To Add A Digital File To A Woocommerce Website -> Your Homepage).
2. Edit the page content.
3. Add a “Products by Category” or “Products by Attribute” Block: Click the “+” icon to add a new block and search for “Products by Category” or “Products by Attribute.”
4. Configure the block:
5. Filter by Featured Status (if using Attribute Block): In the “Products by Attribute” block settings, select the “Featured” attribute you created.
6. Set display options: Choose the number of columns, the order, and other visual settings within the block editor.
7. Update the page.
* Pros:
* Cons:
3. Custom Coding (for Advanced Users)
For ultimate control over the appearance and functionality of your featured product display, custom coding is the way to go. This involves modifying your theme’s `functions.php` file or creating a custom plugin.
* How to Implement:
1. (Caution: Back up your website before making any code changes!)
2. Edit your theme’s `functions.php` file or create a custom plugin.
3. Use the `wc_get_products()` function to retrieve featured products.
12, 'orderby' => 'date', 'order' => 'DESC', 'featured' => true, );
$featured_products = wc_get_products( $args );
if ( $featured_products ) {
echo ‘
- ‘; // Add a wrapper for styling
- ‘;
echo ‘get_permalink() . ‘”>’;
echo ‘
get_image_id() ) . ‘” alt=”‘ . $product->get_name() . ‘”>’;
echo ‘
‘ . $product->get_name() . ‘
‘;
echo wc_price( $product->get_price() ); // Display Explore this article on How To Change Sender Name In Outgoing WordPress Email Woocommerce price using WooCommerce function
echo ‘‘;
echo ‘
foreach ( $featured_products as $product ) {
echo ‘
‘;
}
echo ‘
‘;
} else {
echo ‘
No featured products found.
‘;
}
}
// Example Usage (Place this where you want to display the products on your homepage template)
// display_featured_products();
?>
4. Call the `display_featured_products()` function within your homepage template file (e.g., `front-page.php` or `page.php`, depending on your theme). You may need to create a custom template file if your theme doesn’t have a suitable one.
5. Style the output using CSS. Customize the `featured-products` and `featured-product` classes to achieve your desired look.
6. Mark products as featured: As mentioned before, in the WordPress admin panel, go to Products -> All Products. Edit the product you want to feature. In the “Publish” meta box, click “Edit” next to “Catalog visibility.” Check the “Featured product” box and click “OK,” then update the product.
* Pros:
- Unmatched flexibility and customization.
- Complete control over the HTML structure and CSS styling.
- Ability to integrate advanced features and logic.
* Cons:
- Requires coding knowledge (PHP, HTML, CSS).
- Higher development time and potential for errors.
- Maintenance and updates require technical expertise.
Conclusion:
Displaying featured products on your WooCommerce homepage is a powerful strategy for boosting sales and improving the user experience. Whether you choose the simplicity of the WooCommerce shortcode, the visual appeal of WooCommerce Blocks, or the complete customization of custom coding, understanding the available options will allow you to create a captivating and effective homefront. Remember to choose the method that best suits your technical skills and desired level of control. Regularly review and update your featured products to keep your homepage fresh and engaging, and always analyze your website analytics to measure the effectiveness of your chosen approach and make data-driven improvements. Don’t forget to optimize images and ensure your website loads quickly to further enhance the customer experience.
