How to Remove the Sidebar from Your WooCommerce Products: A Beginner’s Guide
Having a beautiful online store is crucial for attracting customers. But sometimes, the default layout of WooCommerce might not be ideal. A common issue is the sidebar on product pages. While sidebars can be useful for navigation or displaying promotions, they can also distract from your product and make the page feel cluttered, especially on mobile devices.
This guide will walk you through how to remove the sidebar from your WooCommerce product pages, allowing you to create a cleaner, more focused shopping experience. We’ll cover several methods, ranging from the simplest to slightly more technical, so you can choose the best approach for your comfort level.
Why Remove the Sidebar? Real-Life Examples
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Here are a few real-life scenarios where removing the sidebar makes sense:
* Mobile-First Design: Most online shoppers browse on their phones. On smaller screens, sidebars often get pushed to the bottom of the page, making them nearly invisible. Removing it prioritizes your product description and images. Imagine a potential customer browsing your handmade jewelry on their phone. They want to see the beautiful details and read about the materials. A sidebar filled with categories and related products can be distracting and push the important information further down the page.
* Product Focus: If you’re selling a high-ticket item or a product with intricate details, you want the customer’s full attention. A clean, focused page allows you to showcase the product without distractions. Think of a luxury watch – you want potential buyers to be captivated by its design and craftsmanship, not distracted by a list of blog posts or recent reviews.
* Improved Conversion Rates: Clutter can lead to confusion and cart abandonment. A streamlined product page can lead to higher conversion rates by making it easier for customers to find the “Add to Cart” button. Less distractions equals more sales!
* Brand Aesthetics: Sometimes, removing the sidebar simply aligns better with your brand’s design aesthetic. If you’re going for a minimalist and clean look, a sidebar might feel out of place.
Method 1: Using Your Theme’s Options (The Easiest!)
Many modern WooCommerce themes come with built-in options to control the layout of your product pages. This is the easiest method and requires no coding.
1. Access Your Theme Customizer: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Customize.
2. Look for Layout or WooCommerce Settings: The exact location of these settings will vary depending on your theme. Look for sections like “Layout,” “WooCommerce,” “Product Page,” or similar.
3. Find the Sidebar Option: Within these settings, you should find an option to choose the layout for your product pages. Common options include:
* “Full Width” (No Sidebar)
* “Right Sidebar” (Default)
* “Left Sidebar”
4. Select “Full Width”: Choose the “Full Width” option to remove the sidebar.
5. Publish Your Changes: Click the “Publish” button to save your changes and make them live.
Example: The Astra theme has a “WooCommerce” section under “Customize” where you can easily set the layout for your product pages to “No Sidebar.”
Reasoning: This method leverages the theme’s built-in functionality, making it the simplest and safest way to customize the layout without touching any code.
Method 2: Using a Page Builder Plugin (For More Control)
If you use a page builder plugin like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi, you can often control the layout of individual product pages with more granular control.
1. Edit Your Product Page: Go to Products in your WordPress dashboard and click “Edit” on the product you want to modify.
2. Edit with Your Page Builder: Look for a button that says “Edit with Elementor,” “Beaver Builder,” or similar. Click this button to open the product page in the page builder interface.
3. Find the Layout Settings: Within your page builder, look for layout settings or container settings for the product page. This might involve selecting a “Full Width” template or adjusting column widths.
4. Adjust the Layout: Change the layout to remove the sidebar. This often involves deleting the sidebar column or stretching the main content area to fill the entire width.
5. Save Your Changes: Click the “Update” button in your page builder to save your changes.
Example: In Elementor, you might need to go to the page settings (gear icon in the bottom left) and choose “Elementor Full Width” as the page layout. Then, you can adjust the column settings of the main content section to fill the entire width.
Reasoning: Page builders provide a visual, drag-and-drop interface for customizing your product pages. This gives you more control over the overall design and allows you to create unique layouts for different products.
Method 3: Using Custom CSS (For Intermediate Users)
If your theme doesn’t offer a built-in option and you don’t want to use a page builder, you can use custom CSS to hide the sidebar. This requires a basic understanding of CSS.
1. Identify the Sidebar’s CSS Class or ID: Use your browser’s developer tools (right-click on the sidebar and select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”) to find the CSS class or ID that identifies the sidebar. Common names include `.sidebar`, `#secondary`, `.widget-area`, etc.
2. Add Custom CSS: Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS.
3. Write the CSS Code: Use the following CSS code to hide the sidebar, replacing `.sidebar` with the actual class or ID you identified:
.single-product .sidebar {
display: none;
}
.single-product #content {
width: 100%; /* Expand the main content area */
}
.single-product #primary {
width: 100%; /* Expand the main content area */
}
4. Publish Your Changes: Click the “Publish” button to save your changes.
Example: If the sidebar’s class is `.woocommerce-sidebar`, the CSS code would be:
.single-product .woocommerce-sidebar {
display: none;
}
.single-product #content {
width: 100%;
}
Reasoning: CSS provides a more targeted way to hide the sidebar. The `.single-product` selector ensures that the changes only apply to WooCommerce product pages. The `width: 100%;` styles are crucial to expanding the product content area to fill the space where the sidebar was.
Method 4: Using Code Snippets (For Advanced Users – Careful!)
This method involves adding PHP code to your theme’s `functions.php` file or using a code snippets plugin. Use this method with caution, as incorrect code can break your site. It’s highly recommended to back up your website before attempting this. Using a child theme is also highly advisable to prevent code changes being overwritten when the theme updates.
1. Install a Code Snippets Plugin (Recommended): Plugins like “Code Snippets” make it easier to add and manage code snippets without directly editing your theme files.
2. Add a New Snippet: Create a new snippet in your chosen code snippets plugin.
3. Write the PHP Code: Add the following code to the snippet:
4. Save and Activate the Snippet: Save and activate the snippet.
Reasoning: This method directly removes the WooCommerce sidebar action. The `is_product()` function ensures that the action is only removed on product pages. This is generally the most robust solution but is the most technical and carries the highest risk if implemented incorrectly.
Important Considerations
* Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure that your product pages look good on all devices after removing the sidebar. Test on different screen sizes to make sure the content is displayed correctly.
* Caching: Clear your website’s cache and your browser’s cache to see the changes.
* Child Themes: If you are using CSS or PHP, it’s always recommended to use a child theme. This will prevent your changes from being overwritten when you update your parent theme.
* Backup Your Website: Before making any significant changes to your website, Explore this article on How To Create Funnels For Woocommerce Sites back it up! This will allow you to restore your website if anything goes wrong.
* Testing is Key: Once you’ve removed the sidebar, test your product pages thoroughly. Make sure everything is working as expected and that your customers can easily find what they’re looking for.
By following these steps, you can effectively remove the sidebar from your WooCommerce product pages, creating a cleaner, more focused shopping experience that can lead to higher conversion rates. Remember to choose the method that best suits your technical skill level and always back up your website before making any changes! Good luck!
