# How to Exclude Categories from Your WooCommerce Shop Page: A Beginner’s Guide
Are you tired of your WooCommerce shop page looking cluttered and overwhelming? Do you have categories of products that don’t quite fit the overall theme of your main shop display? This article will show you how to clean up your WooCommerce shop page by excluding specific categories from appearing there. This is especially useful for showcasing your best-selling or featured products upfront, while keeping less relevant items organized elsewhere.
Why Exclude Categories? Real-World Examples
Imagine you run an online store selling both handcrafted jewelry and bulk wholesale supplies. Displaying both on the main shop page would be confusing for customers looking for beautiful necklaces. Or, consider a clothing store with a vast selection; showing every single category (men’s, women’s, children’s, plus size, etc.) on the main page would be overwhelming. Excluding less relevant categories allows you to:
- Improve user experience: Learn more about How To Create Plugin For Woocommerce A cleaner, focused shop page leads to happier customers.
- Boost sales: Highlighting your key products increases the chances of purchases.
- Enhance site navigation: Makes it easier for customers to find what they need.
- Improve SEO: A well-organized site signals quality to search engines.
- WooCommerce Product Categories Filter: This plugin offers granular control over which categories are shown and hidden on different pages. It’s user-friendly and requires no coding.
- YITH WooCommerce Catalog Management: This powerful plugin provides many features, including the ability to exclude categories from the shop page. It’s a more comprehensive solution but can be slightly more complex to set up.
Methods to Exclude Categories from Your WooCommerce Shop Page
There are several ways to achieve this, ranging from simple plugin solutions to custom code. We’ll cover the most common and beginner-friendly approaches.
1. Using a Plugin: The Easiest Way
Several plugins are specifically designed to manage product display and category visibility. These are generally the easiest Check out this post: How To Change Checkout Fields Woocommerce and safest options, especially for beginners who are not comfortable with code. Popular choices include:
2. Using a Custom Code Snippet (For Advanced Users)
If you’re comfortable editing your theme’s `functions.php` file (proceed with caution! Always back up your site before making code changes), you can add a custom code snippet. This approach requires some understanding of PHP. Here’s an example:
function exclude_categories_from_shop( $query ) { if ( is_shop() ) { $exclude_categories = array( 5, 10, 15 ); // Replace with your category IDs $query->set( 'category__not_in', $exclude_categories ); } return $query; } add_filter( 'pre_get_posts', 'exclude_categories_from_shop' );
Explanation:
- `exclude_categories_from_shop`: This is the function name. You can change this.
- `is_shop()`: This checks if the current page is the shop page.
- `$exclude_categories`: This array contains the IDs of the categories you want to exclude. Find your category IDs in your WordPress admin panel under Products > Categories.
- `$query->set( ‘category__not_in’, $exclude_categories )`: This line modifies the query to exclude the specified categories.
- `add_filter( ‘pre_get_posts’, ‘exclude_categories_from_shop’ )`: This adds the function as a filter to the main query.
Remember to replace `array( 5, 10, 15 )` with the actual IDs of the categories you wish to exclude from your shop page.
3. Creating a Custom Shop Page (Most Flexible, But Most Advanced)
For ultimate control, create a completely new page. Use shortcodes or specific WooCommerce features to only display the categories you want. This is the most advanced method, requiring strong understanding of WooCommerce and page building.
Conclusion
Excluding certain categories from your WooCommerce shop page can significantly improve the customer experience and boost your sales. Whether you choose a plugin or custom code, the key is to select the method that best suits your technical skills and comfort level. Remember to always back up your website before making any code changes.
