How to Keep Your Sidebar on WooCommerce Product Pages: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Ever visited an online store and loved how the sidebar offered related products, discounts, or helpful information right next to the main item? That’s a strategic design choice that can significantly boost sales! But sometimes, WooCommerce themes decide to ditch the sidebar on product pages, leaving you wondering where it went. This article will walk you through how to keep the sidebar on your WooCommerce product pages, even if your theme tries to hide it.
Let’s dive in!
Why Keep a Sidebar on Your Product Pages?
Think about your favorite online shopping experience. Why do you like it? Chances are, it’s not just about the specific product, but also the journey. A well-placed sidebar enhances that journey by:
- Increasing Visibility of Related Products: Imagine someone looking at a t-shirt. A sidebar could showcase matching shorts, hats, or even cleaning supplies for the t-shirt. This can lead to upselling (selling a more expensive version of the product) and cross-selling (selling related products). Think “customers who bought this also bought…” sections.
- Highlighting Promotions and Discounts: A sidebar is prime real estate to showcase current sales, coupon codes, or free shipping offers. This can incentivize customers to add more items to their cart.
- Providing Essential Information: Use the sidebar to display shipping policies, return information, contact details, or customer reviews. Addressing these concerns upfront builds trust and reduces cart abandonment.
- Improving User Experience: A sidebar provides easy access to navigation, search functions, and other helpful widgets, improving the overall shopping experience. A well-organized sidebar can keep users engaged and on your site longer.
- Theme Settings: Many WooCommerce themes have options to disable the sidebar on specific pages, including product pages. This is often a simple checkbox in the theme’s customization settings.
- Page Templates: The product page might be using a specific page template that doesn’t include a sidebar.
- Plugin Conflicts: Occasionally, plugins can interfere with your theme’s layout and cause the sidebar to disappear.
- Custom Code: If you or a developer has added custom code to your theme, it might be unintentionally hiding the sidebar.
Common Reasons Your Sidebar Might Be Missing
Before we fix the problem, let’s understand why it might be happening in the first place:
Method 1: Check Your Theme Settings (The Easiest Way!)
This is the first place you should look! Most modern WooCommerce themes offer customization options directly within WordPress.
1. Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress admin panel.
2. Look for sections related to WooCommerce, Shop, or Product Page Settings. The exact wording will vary depending on your theme.
3. Within these settings, search for options related to sidebar display.
4. You might find a checkbox or a dropdown menu that allows you to choose whether or not to show the sidebar on product pages.
5. Make sure the “Show Sidebar” option is enabled.
6. Save your changes!
Example:
Let’s say you’re using the popular Astra theme. You might find the sidebar settings under “Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog”. Look for the “Sidebar” option and set it to “Default Sidebar” or “Left Sidebar” / “Right Sidebar”.
Method 2: Using a Page Builder (If You’re Using One)
If you’re using a page builder like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi, the process is slightly different. These page builders often allow you to design product pages from scratch.
1. Edit your WooCommerce product page with your page builder.
2. Look for options to add a sidebar widget area. The terminology will vary depending on the page builder.
3. Drag and drop the sidebar widget area to your desired location on the page.
4. Configure the sidebar with the widgets you want to display (Appearance > Widgets).
Example:
In Elementor, you can use the “Sidebar” widget and place it on your product page layout. You then assign it to the appropriate widget area (e.g., “WooCommerce Sidebar”).
Method Explore this article on How To Add Banner To Each Product In Woocommerce 3: Editing the Product Page Template (For More Advanced Users)
This method involves modifying the code of your WooCommerce theme. Be careful! Make a backup of your theme files before making any changes. Incorrect modifications can break your site. It’s generally recommended to use a child theme for making customizations.
1. Locate the Product Page Template: The template file responsible for displaying product pages is Check out this post: How To Enable Catalog Mode Woocommerce usually `single-product.php` located in your theme’s WooCommerce folder (e.g., `wp-content/themes/your-theme/woocommerce/single-product.php`). If your theme doesn’t have a WooCommerce folder, copy the folder from `wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/` to your theme.
2. Open the file in a text editor.
3. Look for the `get_sidebar()` function. If it’s commented out (meaning it Discover insights on How To Transfer Domain Names From Shopify To Woocommerce starts with `//` or is enclosed within ``), uncomment it. If it’s missing Check out this post: How To Add Buddy Form To Woocommerce entirely, add it where you want the sidebar to appear.
<?php /**
get_header( ‘shop’ ); ?>
In the example above, we’ve added “ to display the sidebar. The ‘shop’ parameter specifies which sidebar to display. In most cases, the default WooCommerce sidebar is called ‘shop’.
4. Save the changes and upload the modified file to your theme’s WooCommerce folder.
Method 4: Plugin Conflicts (Troubleshooting)
If none of the above methods work, it’s possible that a plugin is conflicting with your theme. Here’s how to troubleshoot:
1. Deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce.
2. Check your product page to see if the sidebar reappears.
3. If the sidebar is back, reactivate your plugins one by one, checking the product page after each activation. This will help you identify the plugin that’s causing the conflict.
4. Once you’ve identified the conflicting plugin, try to find an alternative plugin or contact the plugin developer for support.
Conclusion
Keeping the sidebar on your WooCommerce product pages can Check out this post: How To Change Order Number Woocommerce significantly improve user experience and increase sales. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your customers have access to related products, promotions, and essential information while browsing your online store. Remember to start with the easiest methods (theme settings) and only move on to more advanced methods (editing templates) if necessary. Good luck!
