# How to Change Changeable Supportive Titles in WooCommerce (A Beginner’s Guide)
WooCommerce offers fantastic flexibility, but sometimes even simple tasks can feel overwhelming. One such task is modifying the changeable supportive titles—those additional titles or descriptions that appear alongside your product titles on various pages like archives, search results, and shop pages. This article will guide you through changing these, even if you’re a complete beginner.
Understanding WooCommerce’s Supportive Titles
Before diving into the how-to, let’s clarify what we mean by “changeable supportive titles.” These aren’t your main product titles (which you set within the product edit page). Instead, they’re the extra text that provides context or additional information. Think about it this way:
- Main Product Title: “Handmade Leather Wallet”
- Supportive Title (Example): “Brown Leather Wallet – Men’s Bifold Wallet – Premium Quality”
This extra information is vital for SEO and user experience. A well-crafted supportive title can significantly improve your product’s visibility in search results and entice users to click.
Methods for Changing WooCommerce Supportive Titles
There are several ways to modify these titles, depending on your technical skills and the complexity of your needs.
1. Using WooCommerce Product Titles Directly (Easiest Method)
The simplest way to influence the supportive title is by strategically crafting your main product title itself. While you can’t directly add a separate “supportive title” field, a descriptive and keyword-rich product title often serves the same purpose.
Example: Instead of just “Leather Wallet,” use “Brown Leather Men’s Bifold Wallet – Handmade in Italy.” This directly incorporates keywords and descriptive text, improving both SEO and the displayed title snippets on shop pages.
2. Using WooCommerce Product Short Description (Beginner-Friendly)
The short description field within a product’s edit page offers another simple way to influence what shows up. While it doesn’t directly replace the product title on all pages, it frequently shows up as a supplementary description, acting as a “supportive title” in many themes.
Example: In your product’s short Learn more about How To Install Woocommerce Plugin In WordPress Manually description, write something like: “Premium quality brown leather men’s bifold wallet, handcrafted in Italy. Perfect for everyday use.” This enhances the product information and can improve your click-through rates.
3. Customizing Your Theme’s Functions.php (Advanced Method)
For complete control, you can modify your theme’s `functions.php` file. This requires coding knowledge and should be approached cautiously as incorrect modifications can break your website. Always back up your files before making any changes!
Here’s a basic example of how you might modify the product title displayed on shop pages (this code is illustrative and may need adjustments depending on your theme):
add_filter( 'woocommerce_shop_loop_item_title', 'custom_shop_loop_title', 10, 2 ); function custom_shop_loop_title( $title, $post ) { // Get the product short description $short_description = get_post_field( 'post_excerpt', $post->ID );
//Append Short description to title. You might need to adjust this based on your theme
return $title . ‘ – ‘ . $short_description;
}
Warning: This code is a rudimentary example. Your theme might use different functions to display product titles. Incorrectly modifying `functions.php` can lead to site errors. Consider hiring a developer if you’re not comfortable with PHP coding.
4. Using WooCommerce Plugins (Recommended for Non-Coders)
Plugins offer a user-friendly alternative for those who aren’t comfortable coding. Several plugins provide options to customize product titles and descriptions without touching code. Search the WooCommerce plugin repository for plugins related to “product title customization” or “product description management.”
Always check plugin reviews and ratings before installing.
Choosing the Right Method
The best method depends on your technical skills and desired level of customization. If you’re a beginner, start with optimizing your main product titles and short descriptions. For more advanced customization, consider a plugin before venturing into code modifications. Remember to always back up your website before making any changes.
