How To Add Woocommerce Menu

# How to Add a WooCommerce Menu: A Beginner’s Guide

Adding a menu to your WooCommerce store is crucial for user experience and navigation. A well-designed menu allows customers to easily find products, access important pages (like your “About Us” or “Contact Us”), and complete purchases. This guide will walk you through the process, even if you’re completely new to WordPress and WooCommerce.

Understanding WooCommerce Menus

Before we dive into the steps, let’s clarify what a WooCommerce menu *is*. It’s simply a navigation bar, usually at the top or side of your website, containing links to different sections of your online store. These links can lead to:

Shop page: Your main product catalog.
Product categories: Specific groupings of your products (e.g., “T-shirts,” “Jeans,” “Accessories”).
Individual products: Direct links to specific items.
Other pages: “About Us,” “Contact Us,” “Shipping Policy,” etc.

Think of it like the table of contents in a book; it guides your visitors to where they want to go. Without a clear menu, customers might get lost and frustrated, leading to abandoned carts and lost sales.

Method 1: Using the WordPress Menu System (Recommended)

This is the easiest and most recommended method. WordPress provides a built-in menu system that works seamlessly with WooCommerce.

Step 1: Accessing the Menu Editor

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Go to Appearance > Menus.

Step 2: Creating a New Menu (or Editing an Existing One)

If you don’t have a menu yet, click “Create a new menu” and give it a name (e.g., “Main Menu”).
If you already have a menu, select it from the list.

Step 3: Adding Menu Items

This is where you’ll add links to your WooCommerce pages and other website sections.

Adding WooCommerce Pages: In the “Pages” section on the left, you’ll find pages like “Shop,” “Cart,” “Checkout,” and “My Account.” Simply check the boxes next to the pages you want to include in your menu and click “Add to Menu“.

Adding Product Categories: In the “Categories” section (under “WooCommerce”), you can add links to your product categories.

Adding Custom Links: If you need to link to a specific product or an external website, click “Custom Links” and enter the URL and link text.

Example: Let’s say you have a t-shirt store. You might add: “Shop,” “Men’s T-shirts,” “Women’s T-shirts,” “Cart,” and “My Account” to your menu.

Step 4: Arranging Menu Items

Drag and drop the menu items to arrange them in the order you prefer. You can create submenus by indenting items under their parent items.

Step 5: Assigning Menu to a Location

In the “Menu Settings” section, select the menu location where you want this menu to appear (e.g., “Primary Menu”). This location is usually defined in your theme. If you don’t see a location, you might need to modify your theme’s files (This requires coding knowledge and is not recommended for beginners).

Step 6: Saving the Menu

Click “Save Menu” to save your changes. Now your WooCommerce menu should be visible on your website!

Method 2: Adding Menu Items via Code (Advanced)

This method involves directly editing your theme’s files. It’s only recommended if you’re comfortable with PHP and understand the risks involved. Incorrectly editing theme files can break your website.

Let’s say you want to add a link to your “Shop” page to a specific menu location called “primary”. You would need to modify your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin) with code like this:

function add_woocommerce_menu_items( $items, $args ) {
if ( $args->theme_location == 'primary' ) {
$items[] = 'Shop

'; } return $items; } add_filter( 'wp_nav_menu_items', 'add_woocommerce_menu_items', 10, 2 );

This code adds a “Shop” link to the “primary” menu location. You’d need to adapt this code to add other menu items and adjust the `theme_location` accordingly.

Conclusion

Adding a WooCommerce menu is a straightforward process that significantly improves your store’s usability. Using the WordPress menu editor (Method 1) is the easiest and safest approach for beginners. If you need more control or have specific requirements, you can explore the more advanced coding methods (Method 2), but proceed with caution. Remember to always back up your website before making any code changes.