# How to Exclude Categories on Your WooCommerce Shop Page
Are you looking to clean up Explore this article on How To Add New Payment Gateway In Woocommerce your WooCommerce shop page and display only specific product categories? A cluttered shop page can overwhelm customers and hurt your sales. This article will guide you through several effective methods to exclude unwanted categories from your WooCommerce shop page, improving user experience and potentially boosting conversions.
Understanding the Need for Category Exclusion
A WooCommerce shop page displaying all your product categories can become unwieldy, especially with a large inventory. Too many products and categories lead to:
- Poor User Experience: Customers struggle to find what they need, leading to frustration and abandonment.
- Reduced Conversion Rates: A Read more about How To Change Size Of Woocommerce Header Image cluttered page makes it harder for customers to identify and purchase desired products.
- Slower Loading Times: More products mean more data to load, impacting site performance and SEO.
- Navigate to WooCommerce > Products > Categories.
- Select the categories you want to display on your shop page.
- Create a new page (or use an existing one) and add a WooCommerce product category shortcode. This will only display products from categories included in the previous step. This is more suitable for creating dedicated category landing pages. You can use a shortcode like this: `[product_category category=”category-slug”]` Replace “category-slug” with the actual slug of your category.
- Product Filter: Many powerful filtering plugins offer the option to exclude categories from the display of your shop page. These plugins often come with other beneficial features such as attribute-based filtering and product sorting options.
- Custom Shop Page Plugins: Some plugins are specifically designed to customize your WooCommerce shop page, allowing for flexible category control and other design adjustments.
Excluding irrelevant categories streamlines your shop page, resulting in a more focused and engaging shopping experience.
Methods to Exclude Categories on Your WooCommerce Shop Page
There are several ways to achieve this, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We’ll explore three popular approaches:
1. Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Filtering (Easiest Method)
This method doesn’t technically *exclude* categories, but it effectively hides them from view by presenting only the chosen ones. This is the easiest and often most suitable option for many users.
2. Using a Plugin (Most Versatile Method)
Several plugins offer advanced control over category display. These plugins allow for more granular control and often include additional features beyond simple exclusion. Popular options include:
Remember to always check reviews and compatibility before installing any plugin.
3. Using Custom Code (Most Powerful, but Requires Coding Skills)
For advanced users comfortable with PHP, customizing the WooCommerce template files can provide the most precise control. This method involves modifying the `woocommerce_product_categories` function or pre_get_posts action hook. Warning: Incorrectly modifying your theme files can break your website, so back up your files before making any changes.
Here’s an example of how you could exclude categories using the `pre_get_posts` action hook:
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'exclude_categories_from_shop' ); function exclude_categories_from_shop( $query ) { if ( is_shop() && $query->is_main_query() ) { $excluded_categories = array( 12, 15 ); // Replace with your category IDs $query->set( 'category__not_in', $excluded_categories ); } }
This code snippet excludes categories with IDs 12 and 15 from the main shop page query. Remember to replace `12` and `15` with the actual IDs of the categories you want to exclude. You can find the category IDs by navigating to Products > Categories in your WordPress admin panel. Place this code in your `functions.php` file or a custom plugin.
Conclusion
Choosing the right Discover insights on How To Add And Edit Branches In Woocommerce method for excluding categories on your WooCommerce shop page depends on your technical skills and desired level of control. The built-in filtering offers a simple solution, plugins provide versatility, and custom code offers maximum control but requires coding expertise. By implementing Learn more about How To Customize Woocommerce Custom Product Box one of these methods, you can create a cleaner, more efficient, and ultimately more profitable WooCommerce shop page. Remember to always test your changes thoroughly to ensure everything functions correctly.
