Add WooCommerce Product Videos Without Plugins: A Beginner’s Guide
Adding videos to your WooCommerce product pages can significantly boost sales. Videos showcase your products in action, answer customer questions proactively, and generally improve the user experience. While plugins offer an easy route, adding videos *without* plugins gives you more control and avoids potential conflicts or bloat on your website. This guide shows you how.
Why Skip the Plugin?
Plugins, while convenient, can sometimes:
- Slow down your website: Extra code always adds overhead. A slow-loading site hurts SEO and user experience.
- Create conflicts: Plugins might clash with your theme or other plugins, leading to errors or unexpected behavior.
- Become outdated: Outdated plugins pose security risks and might stop functioning correctly.
By directly embedding videos, you avoid these potential problems, gaining greater control over the video’s display and performance.
Method 1: Using the WordPress Custom Field
This method leverages WordPress’s built-in functionality to add a custom field where you can store your video embed code.
#### Step 1: Add the Custom Field
This step requires a little bit of code, but don’t worry – we’ll provide the exact snippet you need. You’ll need to access your theme’s `functions.php` file (back up your `functions.php` file before making any changes!). Add the following code:
function add_product_video_field() {
add_meta_box( 'product_video', 'Product Video', 'product_video_callback', 'product', 'normal', 'high' );
}
add_action( 'add_meta_boxes', 'add_product_video_field' );
function product_video_callback( $post ) {
$video_url = get_post_meta( $post->ID, ‘product_video_url’, true );
?>
<?php
}
function save_product_video_field( $post_id ) {
if ( isset( $_POST[‘product_video_url’] ) ) {
update_post_meta( $post_id, ‘product_video_url’, esc_attr( $_POST[‘product_video_url’] ) );
}
}
add_action( ‘save_post’, ‘save_product_video_field’ );
This code adds a new field called “Product Video” to your product edit screen.
#### Step 2: Adding the Video Embed Code
Now, when you edit a product, you’ll see the “Product Video” box. Paste your video embed code (from YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) into this field. For example, a YouTube embed code might look like this:
Remember to replace `YOUR_VIDEO_ID` with your actual video ID.
#### Step 3: Displaying the Video on the Product Page
Finally, you’ll need to modify your WooCommerce product template (`single-product.php` usually found in your theme folder or a child theme) to display this video. Add the following code where you want the video to appear:
<?php
$video_url = get_post_meta( get_the_ID(), 'product_video_url', true );
if ( $video_url ) {
echo '';
echo $video_url;
echo '';
}
?>
This code checks if a video URL exists and displays it within a div with the class “product-video.” You can style this div using CSS.
Method 2: Using the HTML Editor Directly (Simpler, but less organized)
For simpler products, you can directly add the embed code using the visual or HTML editor within the WooCommerce product description field. This is less organized than the custom field method, especially if you have many products, but it’s faster for a one-off addition.
Choosing the Right Method
- Custom Field Method: Best for multiple products, cleaner code, easier management, and better organization. Requires basic PHP knowledge.
- HTML Editor Method: Quickest for a single product or a small number of products. Less organized for large catalogs.
Remember to always back up your website before making any code changes. If you’re unsure about modifying code files, consult with a WordPress developer. Adding product videos effectively can significantly boost your sales and customer engagement, so it’s a worthwhile investment of time and effort.
