How to Remove Contextual Related Posts from WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve got your WooCommerce store up and running, selling amazing products. Great! But you might have noticed something at the bottom of your product pages: related products. While these are *usually* helpful for encouraging customers to buy more, sometimes they can be a distraction, irrelevant, or even downright ugly depending on your theme.
Don’t worry! This article will guide you through several easy ways to remove those pesky related posts, even if you’re not a coding whiz. We’ll cover different methods, so you can choose the one that best suits your comfort level.
Why Remove Related Products?
First, let’s understand *why* you might want to remove them in the first place. It’s not always a clear-cut decision. Here are a few scenarios:
* Clutter: Too many options can overwhelm customers. Imagine you’re browsing for a simple t-shirt. Do you really need a wall of related jeans, shoes, and hats distracting you *before* you even add the t-shirt to your cart?
* Irrelevant Suggestions: If your related products are poorly configured or your theme is doing a bad job of matching items, you might be showing completely unrelated items. A customer looking at a high-end camera Explore this article on How To Change Product Description In Woocommerce lens shouldn’t see baby clothes as a related item!
* Cross-Selling Focus: You might have a specific cross-selling strategy (e.g., “Frequently Bought Together”) and related posts interfere with that carefully planned layout.
* Theme Conflicts: Sometimes, the way related products are displayed clashes with your theme’s design, resulting in a visually unappealing page.
* Page Load Speed: While related products generally don’t cripple performance, removing them can be a tiny speed boost, especially on mobile devices.
Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Settings (Limited)
Unfortunately, WooCommerce doesn’t offer a straightforward, built-in toggle to completely disable related products *across the board*. However, you can control how many related products are displayed. This *might* be enough in some cases to reduce the distraction if you set it to zero and your theme respects that setting.
1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
2. Look for options related to “Related Products” (it might be labeled slightly differently depending on your WooCommerce version).
3. You might find settings to control:
* Number of related products: Try setting this to `0`.
* Number of columns: Adjust to change the layout.
Important Note: This method is *highly dependent on your theme*. Some themes completely ignore these settings and handle related products differently. If setting the number to zero doesn’t work, you’ll need one of the methods below.
Method 2: Using a Code Snippet (The Recommended Approach)
This method is the most reliable and flexible. We’ll use a simple code snippet to remove the related product function from your theme.
Important: Always back up your website before making any Discover insights on How To Sort Alphabetically Products On Woocommerce code changes! A simple mistake can break your site.
Here are the steps:
1. Choose a Method for Adding Code: You can use one of these methods:
* functions.php File (Child Theme): The *safest* way is to use a child theme and edit its `functions.php` file. A child theme protects your changes from being overwritten when the parent theme updates.
* Code Snippets Plugin: Plugins like “Code Snippets” are a user-friendly way to add PHP code without directly editing theme files. This is generally safer than directly editing `functions.php` in your main theme.
2. Add the Code Snippet: Add the following code to your chosen location (either `functions.php` in your child theme or a new snippet in the Code Snippets plugin):
remove_action( 'woocommerce_after_single_product_summary', 'woocommerce_output_related_products', 20 );
* `remove_action()`: This function removes a specific action from the WooCommerce system.
* `woocommerce_after_single_product_summary`: This is the hook where related products are usually displayed. It’s called after the main product information.
* `woocommerce_output_related_products`: This is the function that actually generates the related product display.
* `20`: This is the priority of the action. It needs to match the priority used when the action was added (20 is the default in WooCommerce).
3. Save and Test: Save the `functions.php` file or activate the Code Snippet. Then, visit a product page on your website. The related products section should be gone!
Example:
Let’s say you sell handmade soaps. Before adding the code, a product page for “Lavender Soap” might show related products like “Rose Soap,” “Peppermint Soap,” and even a randomly selected “Gift Basket.” After adding the code, the “Lavender Soap” Discover insights on How To Charge An Order Later On Woocommerce page will *only* show information directly about the Lavender Soap, making the buying process cleaner.
Method 3: Using CSS (Hiding, Not Removing)
This method *hides* the related products section using CSS, rather than removing it from the code entirely. It’s the easiest option, but it’s generally *not recommended* because the related products are still being generated in the background, potentially slowing down your page (though the impact is usually negligible).
1. Find Your Theme’s Custom CSS Section: Most themes have Learn more about How To Connect Facebook To Woocommerce WordPress a place where you can add custom CSS. This is usually found in the WordPress Customizer (`Appearance > Customize`) or in the theme options. If you can’t find it, you can use a plugin like “Simple Custom CSS.”
2. Add the CSS Code: Paste the following CSS code into the custom CSS section:
.related.products {
display: none !important;
}
* `.related.products`: This CSS selector targets the HTML element that contains the related products section.
* `display: none;`: This hides the element.
* `!important`: This ensures that your CSS rule overrides any other CSS rules that might be trying to display the related products section. Use sparingly; overusing `!important` can make your CSS harder to maintain.
3. Save and Test: Save your changes and check a product page. The related products section should disappear.
Reasoning behind *not* recommending CSS:
While CSS is quick, the related products are still being processed by WordPress and WooCommerce. The data is still being queried, and the HTML is still being generated, even though it’s hidden. This can have a *very slight* impact on page load time, especially if you have a lot of related products. The PHP method (Method 2) completely prevents the related products from being generated in the first place, making it the cleaner solution.
Which Method Should You Choose?
* Beginner & Theme Compatible: If you are comfortable with code snippets, use Method 2 (Code Snippet). This is the most efficient and reliable way.
* Quick & Dirty: If you are really uncomfortable with code, try Method 3 (CSS). But be aware of the potential (tiny) performance impact.
* If lucky: Try Method 1 (WooCommerce Settings) and hope your theme respects the settings.
By following these steps, you can easily remove related products from your WooCommerce store and create a more focused and user-friendly shopping experience for your customers. Good luck!
