How to Override the WooCommerce Filter Button Text: A Beginner’s Guide
Are you tired of the default “Filter” text on your WooCommerce filter button? Want to make it more engaging and relevant to your customers? Maybe something like “Find My Perfect Product” or “See Results”? You’re in the right place!
This article will guide you through the simple steps to customize the filter button text in WooCommerce. Don’t worry if you’re not a coding expert – we’ll break it down into easy-to-understand explanations with practical examples.
Why Customize the Filter Button Text?
Before diving in, let’s understand *why* customizing the button text is a good idea.
* Improved User Experience: A clear and descriptive button label can significantly enhance user experience. Instead of just saying “Filter”, you can use text that explicitly tells the user what will happen when they click the button.
* Increased Conversions: Compelling button text can encourage users to refine their search, ultimately leading to more sales. Think of it as a gentle nudge towards finding the perfect product.
* Branding Opportunities: Customizing the text allows you to inject your brand voice into the filtering process. This contributes to a more cohesive and memorable brand experience.
* Contextual Clarity: If your website has multiple filters or specialized filter criteria, Learn more about How To Work Shipstation With Woocommerce a custom button text can immediately signal the filter’s purpose.
Example: Imagine you’re selling hiking boots. A button labeled “Filter” is okay, but “Find Boots for My Hike” is much more engaging and specific, instantly conveying the filter’s purpose.
The Simple Way: Using WooCommerce’s Customizer (If Available)
Some themes and filter plugins provide a built-in option within the WooCommerce customizer to change the filter button text. It’s always a good idea to check there first!
1. Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Look for a section related to WooCommerce, Shop, or Product Archives.
3. Within that section, explore options related to Filtering or Widgets.
4. You might find a field specifically designed to edit the “Filter Button Text”.
If your theme or plugin offers this, great! Simply enter your desired text and save your changes. If not, proceed to the next method.
The Code Snippet Method: Overriding with `woocommerce_product_loop_start` filter
If the customizer method doesn’t work for you, don’t panic! We can achieve this with a simple code snippet. This method involves using the `woocommerce_product_loop_start` filter to modify the text on the button.
Here’s how:
1. Access Your `functions.php` File or Use a Code Snippet Plugin: This is VERY important. Editing your theme’s core files can cause issues if done incorrectly. We strongly recommend using a child theme Discover insights on How To Change The Text On My Woocommerce Checkout Page or a code snippet plugin. Read more about How To Add Brand Woocommerce Child themes allow you to make changes without affecting the parent theme, and code snippet plugins provide a safe and easy way to add custom code to your site. Popular plugins include “Code Snippets” or “WPCode”.
2. Add the Code Snippet: Copy and paste the following code into your `functions.php` file (in your child theme) or your code snippet plugin:
add_filter( 'woocommerce_product_loop_start', 'override_filter_button_text' );
function override_filter_button_text( $loop_start ) {
$loop_start = str_replace( ‘Filter’, ‘Refine Search’, $loop_start );
return $loop_start;
}
Explanation:
* `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_product_loop_start’, ‘override_filter_button_text’ );`: This line tells WordPress to run the `override_filter_button_text` function whenever WooCommerce generates the product loop (which includes the filter button).
* `function override_filter_button_text( $loop_start ) { … }`: This defines the function that will modify the filter button text.
* `$loop_start = str_replace( ‘Filter’, ‘Refine Search’, $loop_start );`: This is the key line. It uses the `str_replace` function to find the text “Filter” within the `$loop_start` string (which contains the HTML of the product loop) and replace it with “Refine Search”. You can change “Refine Search” to whatever text you prefer.
* `return $loop_start;`: This line returns the modified HTML, ensuring the changes are displayed.
3. Save Your Changes: If using the `functions.php` file, save the file. If using a code snippet plugin, activate the snippet.
4. Clear Your Cache (Important!): WordPress and your browser often cache content. Clear your cache to ensure you see the changes immediately. This might involve clearing the cache in your WordPress caching plugin (if you have one) and your browser’s cache.
5. Visit Your Shop Page: Check your WooCommerce shop page. You should now see that the filter button text has been updated to “Refine Search” (or whatever text you chose).
Customizing for Different Filter Areas
In some cases, you might have multiple filter areas on your site, and you want different text for each. Learn more about How To Add Widget To Shop Page Woocommerce You can accomplish this by adding logic within your function. This is a bit more advanced, but still manageable.
Example: Differentiating Between Category and Attribute Filters
Let’s say you want “Filter by Category” for the category filter and “Filter by Attribute” for the attribute filter. This requires a bit more investigation to determine how WooCommerce differentiates those areas in the HTML. You might need to use your browser’s “Inspect Element” tool to examine the surrounding HTML.
Here’s a *conceptual* example (the exact HTML might vary):
add_filter( 'woocommerce_product_loop_start', 'override_filter_button_text' );
function override_filter_button_text( $loop_start ) {
if ( strpos( $loop_start, ‘widget_product_categories’ ) !== false ) {
$loop_start = str_replace( ‘Filter’, ‘Filter by Category’, $loop_start );
} elseif ( strpos( $loop_start, ‘widget_layered_nav’ ) !== false ) {
$loop_start = str_replace( ‘Filter’, ‘Filter by Attribute’, $loop_start );
}
return $loop_start;
}
Important Notes:
* The `strpos` function checks if a specific string exists within the `$loop_start` variable.
* The strings `’widget_product_categories’` and `’widget_layered_nav’` are placeholders. You’ll need to inspect the HTML source code of your specific WooCommerce installation to determine the correct strings that identify each filter area. Right-click on the category filter, click on “Inspect” and look for a class or ID surrounding the filter, e.g., `
