# How to Get Your WooCommerce Categories in Your Main Menu: A Beginner’s Guide
Adding your WooCommerce product categories to your main menu is crucial for improving user experience and boosting sales. A well-organized menu allows customers to easily navigate your store and find the products they’re looking for. If they can’t find what they need, they’ll likely leave your site – costing you potential revenue. This guide will show you how to do it, even if you’re a complete beginner.
Why is this Important?
Imagine walking into a physical store with no clear aisle markers or signage. Frustrating, right? The same applies to your online store. A poorly organized menu makes it difficult for customers to find products, leading to:
- Higher bounce rates: Customers leave your site quickly.
- Lower conversion rates: Fewer visitors make purchases.
- Reduced customer satisfaction: Frustrated customers are unlikely to return.
- If you don’t have a main menu already, click “Create a new menu“. Give it a name (e.g., “Main Menu”).
- If you have an existing menu, select it from the list.
By adding your WooCommerce categories to your main menu, you provide a clear pathway for customers to explore your products, leading to a better shopping experience and increased sales.
Method 1: Using the WordPress Menu System (Easiest Method)
This is the simplest and most recommended approach for most users. It doesn’t require any coding.
Step 1: Accessing the Menus
Navigate to Appearance > Menus in your WordPress dashboard.
Step 2: Creating or Editing a Menu
Step 3: Adding WooCommerce Read more about How To Set Up Shipping Rates For Woocommerce Categories
In the left-hand column, under “Categories“, you should see “WooCommerce“. Expand it to reveal your product categories. Simply check the boxes next to the categories you want to add to your menu and click “Add to Menu“.
Step 4: Arranging Menu Items
Drag and drop the categories to arrange them in your desired order. You can also create submenus by dragging one category under another.
Step 5: Saving Your Menu
Click “Save Menu” to apply your changes. Now your WooCommerce categories should appear in your main menu!
Method 2: Using a Plugin (For More Control)
If you need more advanced customization options, a plugin can be helpful. Many plugins offer enhanced menu management capabilities. One popular choice is “Custom Menu Order”. However, it’s important to only use plugins when strictly needed as they can sometimes conflict with your theme or other plugins.
Method 3: Adding the Categories via Code (Advanced Users Only!)
This method involves modifying your theme’s files and requires a strong understanding of PHP. Proceed with caution, as incorrect code can break your website. Always back up your files before making any changes.
This example adds WooCommerce categories to the main menu if it doesn’t already exist. You might need to adapt this code depending on your theme’s structure and menu location.
'custom', 'menu-item-title' => 'Shop', 'menu-item-url' => wc_get_page_permalink('shop'), 'menu-item-status' => 'publish' ));
$categories = get_categories( array( ‘taxonomy’ => ‘product_cat’ ) );
foreach( $categories as $category ) {
wp_update_nav_menu_item( $menu_id, 0, array( ‘menu-item-title’ => $category->name, ‘menu-item-url’ => get_term_link( $category->term_id, ‘product_cat’ ), ‘menu-item-status’ => ‘publish’ ) );
}
set_theme_mod( $menu_name, $menu_id );
}
}
}
add_action( ‘after_setup_theme’, ‘add_woocommerce_categories_to_menu’ );
?>
Remember to replace `’primary’` with the actual location of your main menu if it’s different.
Conclusion
Adding your WooCommerce categories to your main menu is a simple yet effective way to improve your website’s usability and boost sales. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and enjoy the benefits of a more organized and user-friendly online store! If you encounter any problems, remember to consult your theme’s documentation or seek help from the WordPress support community.
