# How to Add WooCommerce Shortcodes: A Beginner’s Guide
WooCommerce makes selling online easy, but sometimes you need more control over how your products are displayed. That’s where WooCommerce shortcodes come in! These handy snippets of code let you embed specific WooCommerce content anywhere on your WordPress site, like your pages or posts. This guide will walk you through adding them, explaining the process in simple terms.
What are WooCommerce Shortcodes?
Think of shortcodes as shortcuts. Instead of manually writing complex code to display, say, your best-selling products, you use a simple shortcode like `[best_selling_products]`. WordPress then translates this shortcode into the desired content, saving you time and effort.
Finding Your WooCommerce Shortcodes
WooCommerce provides a wide range of shortcodes. The exact shortcodes available might vary slightly depending on your WooCommerce version and any active extensions, but many are consistent. You can usually find a list in your WooCommerce documentation or by searching online for “WooCommerce shortcodes list”.
Adding WooCommerce Shortcodes: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s add a few common shortcodes to show you how easy it is. We’ll use the WordPress editor (Gutenberg or Classic) for this.
1. Accessing the WordPress Editor
Navigate to the page or post where you want to add the shortcode. Click “Edit” to open the WordPress editor.
2. Adding the Shortcode
Now, you simply paste the shortcode into the content area.
Example Shortcodes and their effects:
- `[add_to_cart id=”123″]`: This displays an “Add to Cart” button for product with ID 123. (Replace “123” with your actual product ID). You can find your product ID in the product’s edit screen in your WordPress admin panel.
- `[product_category category=”shirts”]`: This will display all products categorized under “shirts”. (Replace “shirts” with the desired category slug). The category slug is the part of the URL after `/product-category/`. For example, if your shirts category URL is `yourwebsite.com/product-category/mens-shirts`, the slug is `mens-shirts`.
- `[best_selling_products per_page=”5″]`: This displays your five best-selling products. You can change `per_page` to show a different number.
- `[featured_products]`: This displays your featured products. You mark products as featured in the product edit screen.
- `[woocommerce_cart]`: This displays the shopping cart contents. Useful for embedding a shopping cart summary in a sidebar or other areas.
- Shortcode not working? Double-check the shortcode syntax for typos, especially the ID numbers or category slugs.
- No products showing? Ensure you have products in your store and that the categories/IDs used in the shortcode are correct.
- Styling issues? You can customize the appearance of shortcodes using CSS.
3. Saving Your Changes
Once you’ve added the shortcode(s), save or update your page or post.
Real-Life Example: Showcasing Best Sellers on Your Homepage
Let’s say you want to highlight your best-selling items on your homepage. You could manually list them, but that’s tedious and requires updating every time a product’s sales change. Instead, use the `[best_selling_products]` shortcode:
1. Edit your homepage.
2. Add the shortcode: `[best_selling_products per_page=”3″]` (This will show the top 3 best-selling products).
3. Save your homepage.
Now your homepage dynamically displays your best-selling products!
Troubleshooting Tips
Conclusion
WooCommerce shortcodes are a powerful tool for adding dynamic WooCommerce content to your website. By using these simple snippets of code, you can create a more engaging and informative online store with minimal effort. Remember to consult the WooCommerce documentation for a complete list of available shortcodes and their attributes. Happy selling!
