How to Add Subcategories in WooCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide
Adding subcategories to your WooCommerce store is crucial for improving site organization, enhancing user experience, and ultimately, boosting sales. A well-structured category system allows customers to easily find the products they’re looking for, leading to higher conversion rates. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on how to add subcategories in WooCommerce, covering both the easy visual methods and the more advanced techniques for those comfortable with code.
Method 1: Adding Subcategories Through the WordPress Admin Panel (Easiest Method)
This is the simplest and recommended method for most users. It leverages the built-in WordPress functionality and requires no coding knowledge.
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard: Access your website’s admin panel.
2. Navigate to Products > Categories: This will take you to the WooCommerce product categories management page.
3. Find the Parent Category: Locate the main category where you want to add a subcategory.
4. Add a New Subcategory: Click “Add New Category”.
5. Fill in the Details:
- Name: Enter the name of your new subcategory (e.g., “Women’s Shoes” under the parent category “Shoes”).
- Slug: This is the URL-friendly version of the name (automatically generated, but you can modify it). Keep it concise and descriptive.
- Parent: Ensure the correct parent category is selected. This is what makes it a subcategory.
- Description (optional): Add a brief description of the subcategory.
6. Save the changes: Click the “Add New Category” button. Your new subcategory is now ready to use!
Method 2: Programmatically Adding Subcategories (For Advanced Users)
For those comfortable with PHP, you can programmatically add subcategories. This method offers more flexibility, especially when dealing with a large number of categories or integrating with other plugins. Caution: Incorrectly modifying your database can severely damage your website. Always back up your database before making any code changes.
Here’s an example of how to add a subcategory using PHP:
<?php // Access the global WordPress database object global $wpdb;
// Define the parent category
$parent_category_id = 123; // Replace 123 with your parent category ID
// Define the new subcategory data
$subcategory_data = array(
‘name’ => ‘New Subcategory Name’,
‘slug’ => ‘new-subcategory-slug’,
‘parent’ => $parent_category_id,
‘description’ => ‘Description of the new subcategory.’
);
// Insert the new subcategory into the wp_terms table
$wpdb->insert( $wpdb->terms, $subcategory_data );
// Get the ID of the newly created subcategory
$subcategory_id = $wpdb->insert_id;
// Insert the subcategory term taxonomy into the wp_term_taxonomy table
$term_taxonomy_data = array(
‘term_id’ => $subcategory_id,
‘taxonomy’ => ‘product_cat’,
);
$wpdb->insert( $wpdb->term_taxonomy, $term_taxonomy_data );
?>
Remember to replace placeholders like `123`, `’New Subcategory Name’`, and `’new-subcategory-slug’` with your actual values. This code snippet should be added to a custom plugin or your theme’s `functions.php` file (again, back up your site first!).
Assigning Products to Subcategories
Once you’ve added your subcategories, you need to assign products to them. This is done during product creation or editing:
- Navigate to Products > Add New or edit an existing product.
- In the Product Data meta box, under the Product Category field, select the appropriate subcategory from the dropdown menu.
Conclusion
Adding subcategories in WooCommerce is a straightforward process that significantly benefits your online store. Whether you utilize the user-friendly admin panel or the more advanced PHP method, a well-organized category structure will enhance your customers’ shopping experience, leading to increased sales and improved SEO. Remember to always prioritize a clear and logical category hierarchy to maximize the effectiveness of your product organization.
