How To Make Woocommerce Products Page To Be Editable

How to Make WooCommerce Products Page Editable: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

The default WooCommerce products page, while functional, often lacks the visual appeal and customization options needed to truly showcase your offerings. It’s crucial for conversions to have a product listing that aligns with your brand and effectively highlights your products’ key features. While directly editing the core WooCommerce files isn’t recommended (due to update issues), there are several safe and effective methods to make your WooCommerce products page editable. This article will explore these methods, providing a step-by-step guide to help you create a captivating and converting product listing. We’ll cover plugin solutions, theme-based customization, and even some advanced code-based approaches, ensuring there’s a solution for every skill level. Let’s dive in and transform your WooCommerce product archive!

Making Your WooCommerce Products Page Editable: Multiple Approaches

There are various ways to achieve this, ranging from simple plugin solutions to more advanced coding modifications. The best approach depends on your technical skills and the level of customization you desire.

1. Using WooCommerce Page Builder Plugins

This is often the easiest and most recommended method for making your WooCommerce products page editable. These plugins integrate seamlessly with WooCommerce and provide a drag-and-drop interface for designing your product archive.

* Benefits:

• User-friendly interface: No coding knowledge required.
• Visual customization: See changes in real-time.
• Flexibility: Add custom elements, layouts, and styling.
• Pre-built templates: Get started quickly with professional designs.

* Popular Plugins:

• Elementor Pro: Offers a dedicated WooCommerce builder with extensive customization options.
• Divi Builder: A powerful visual builder with a WooCommerce module.
• Beaver Builder: Another excellent option with a user-friendly interface and WooCommerce compatibility.
• Brizy: A newer page builder with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.

* Example: Editing with Elementor Pro:

1. Install and activate Elementor and Elementor Pro.

2. Navigate to *Templates > Theme Builder*.

3. Click *Add New* and select *Product Archive* from the dropdown.

4. Give your template a name and click *Create Template*.

5. Elementor’s editor will open, allowing you to drag and drop WooCommerce-specific widgets (like Product Title, Product Price, Product Rating, Add to Cart button, etc.) to create your desired layout.

6. Customize the styling and arrangement of the widgets to match your brand.

7. Set the display conditions to target your WooCommerce shop page or specific product categories.

8. Click *Publish* to activate your new product archive template.

2. Theme Customization Options

Many premium WooCommerce themes come with built-in options for customizing the products page. Check your theme’s documentation for specific instructions.

* Benefits:

• Seamless integration: Designed to work flawlessly with your theme.
• Often includes customization options for layout, colors, and fonts.
• May offer pre-designed product listing styles.

* How to check:

• Go to *Appearance > Customize* in your WordPress dashboard.
• Look for sections related to *WooCommerce*, *Product Archive*, or *Shop*.

* Example: Some themes may offer options to:

• Change the number of products displayed per row.
• Enable or disable elements like the price, rating, or add-to-cart button.
• Modify the product image size and aspect ratio.

3. Custom Coding (Advanced)

This method requires coding knowledge (HTML, CSS, and PHP) and is suitable for advanced users who need very specific customizations.

* Warning: Editing WooCommerce core files directly is strongly discouraged. It can lead to update conflicts and instability. Instead, use child themes and override template files.

* Creating a Child Theme: Always create a child theme before making any code modifications.

* Overriding Template Files:

1. Locate the template file you want to modify in the WooCommerce plugin folder (usually found in *wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates*). Common files to override include:

• `archive-product.php`: The main product archive template.
• `content-product.php`: The template for individual products within the archive.

2. Copy the file to your child theme’s folder, maintaining the same directory structure (e.g., *your-child-theme/woocommerce/archive-product.php*).

3. Edit the copied file in your child theme.

* Example: Adding a custom message above the product grid:

In your child theme’s `archive-product.php` file, add the following code:

<?php
/**
Template for displaying the product archive page
* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/archive-product.php.
* HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you
(the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to
maintain compatibility. We try to do this as little as possible, but it does
happen. When this occurs the version of the template file will be bumped and
the readme will list any important changes.
* @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
@package WooCommerceTemplates
@version 3.4.0
*/

defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) || exit;

get_header( ‘shop’ );

/

* Hook: woocommerce_before_main_content.

*

* @hooked woocommerce_output_content_wrapper_start – 10 (outputs opening divs for the content)

* @hooked woocommerce_breadcrumb – 20

* @hooked WC_Structured_Data::generate_product_data() – 30

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_before_main_content’ );

?>

Check out our amazing products below!

<?php

if ( woocommerce_product_loop() ) {

/

* Hook: woocommerce_before_shop_loop.

*

* @hooked woocommerce_output_all_notices – 10

* @hooked woocommerce_result_count – 20

* @hooked woocommerce_catalog_ordering – 30

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_before_shop_loop’ );

woocommerce_product_loop_start();

if ( wc_get_loop_prop( ‘total’ ) ) {

while ( have_posts() ) {

the_post();

/

* Hook: woocommerce_shop_loop.

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_shop_loop’ );

wc_get_template_part( ‘content’, ‘product’ );

}

}

woocommerce_product_loop_end();

/

* Hook: woocommerce_after_shop_loop.

*

* @hooked woocommerce_pagination – 10

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_after_shop_loop’ );

} else {

/

* Hook: woocommerce_no_products_found.

*

* @hooked wc_no_products_found – 10

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_no_products_found’ );

}

/

* Hook: woocommerce_after_main_content.

*

* @hooked woocommerce_output_content_wrapper_end – 10 (outputs closing divs for the content)

*/

do_action( ‘woocommerce_after_main_content’ );

get_sidebar( ‘shop’ );

get_footer( ‘shop’ );

4. Using WooCommerce Hooks and Filters

This allows you to modify the output of WooCommerce templates without directly editing them, making your changes more update-proof. This method also requires coding knowledge.

* Benefits:

• Less prone to conflicts during WooCommerce updates.
• Provides a flexible way to add or modify elements.

* Example: Adding a custom button to each product:

Add the following code to your child theme’s `functions.php` file:

add_action( 'woocommerce_after_shop_loop_item', 'add_custom_button_to_product', 10 );

function add_custom_button_to_product() {

global $product;

echo ‘get_id() ) . ‘” class=”button custom-button”>View Details‘;

}

Potential Drawbacks

While customizing your product page can greatly improve the user experience, it’s crucial to consider potential drawbacks:

• Plugin Conflicts: Some plugins might conflict with your theme or other plugins, leading to unexpected behavior or broken layouts. Thoroughly test any new plugins before implementing them on a live site.
• Performance Issues: Adding too many custom elements or using poorly optimized code can slow down your website. Optimize images and use caching plugins to mitigate this.
• Maintenance: Custom code requires ongoing maintenance to ensure compatibility with future WooCommerce updates. Make sure you’re familiar with PHP, CSS and HTML or hire a developer.
• Over-Customization: While customization is important, avoid over-customizing the product page. Keep the design clean, user-friendly, and focused on showcasing your products effectively.