How to Redirect to a Custom Page After WooCommerce Checkout (SEO-Friendly Guide)
Introduction:
WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce platform for WordPress, but sometimes the default behavior doesn’t perfectly align with your business needs. One common requirement is to redirect customers to a specific thank you page or a custom landing page after they complete the checkout process. This can be useful for several reasons: displaying upsells, providing detailed order instructions, or tracking conversions more effectively. In this guide, we’ll explore various methods to achieve this, ensuring a seamless and personalized customer experience.
Why Redirect After Checkout?
Redirecting after checkout offers several benefits:
- Enhanced User Experience: Guide customers to a page with clear order confirmations, shipping information, or instructions.
- Upselling Opportunities: Present relevant products or services on the thank you page to increase average order value.
- Improved Conversion Tracking: Track conversions accurately by placing conversion pixels or scripts on the redirected page.
- Brand Reinforcement: Customize the thank you page to reinforce your brand identity and messaging.
- Collect Feedback: Include a survey or feedback form on the redirected page to gather valuable insights.
- The `woocommerce_thankyou` hook is triggered after the order is successfully placed.
- This hook provides the order ID, allowing you to customize the redirect based on order details if needed.
Methods to Redirect After Checkout in WooCommerce
There are several ways to implement a redirect after checkout in WooCommerce. We’ll cover the most common and effective methods:
1. Using the `woocommerce_thankyou` Hook (Recommended)
This is the most robust and recommended approach as it leverages WooCommerce’s built-in hooks for maximum compatibility and future-proofing.
Here’s the code snippet you can add to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin):
<?php /**
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
// Check if the order is paid.
if ( $order && $order->has_status( ‘completed’ ) ) {
wp_safe_redirect( $thankyoupage );
exit;
}
}
add_action( ‘woocommerce_thankyou’, ‘custom_redirect_after_checkout’, 10, 1 );
?>
Explanation:
1. `custom_redirect_after_checkout( $order_id )`: This function takes the order ID as an argument.
2. `get_permalink( get_option(‘woocommerce_checkout_thankyou_page_id’) )`: This line retrieve permalink to thank you page, which has been set in Woocommerce Settings->Advanced->Page Setup
3. `if ( ! $order_id ) { return; }`: Checks if an order ID exists to prevent errors.
4. `$order = wc_get_order( $order_id )`: Retrieves the WooCommerce order object.
5. `if ( $order && $order->has_status( ‘completed’ ) ) { … }`: Verifies that the order exists and its status is ‘completed’. This ensures the redirect only occurs after successful payment.
6. `wp_safe_redirect( $thankyoupage )`: Performs the actual redirect to the specified URL. Using `wp_safe_redirect` is safer than `header(‘Location: …’)` as it checks if the URL is safe for redirection.
7. `exit;`: Terminates script execution after the redirect to prevent further processing.
8. `add_action( ‘woocommerce_thankyou’, ‘custom_redirect_after_checkout’, 10, 1 );`: This line hooks the function `custom_redirect_after_checkout` to the `woocommerce_thankyou` action with a priority of 10 and accepting one argument.
How to use:
1. Go to WooCommerce settings -> Advanced -> Page setup.
2. Set the ‘Thank you’ page to your custom page.
3. Add the code snippet above to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin).
2. Using a Plugin
Several plugins offer pre-built solutions for redirecting after checkout. Here are a couple of popular options:
- Redirection for WooCommerce: This plugin is dedicated specifically to redirect after checkout to a custom Thank you page or to a custom URL. It provides a user-friendly interface to configure redirects based on various conditions.
- Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce: Some checkout field editor plugins also include redirect functionalities as a bonus feature.
Pros of using a plugin:
- Ease of use: Plugins usually provide a graphical interface, making the process more user-friendly.
- No coding required: You don’t need to write any code to implement the redirect.
- Advanced features: Some plugins offer advanced features like conditional redirects based on product categories, order totals, or customer roles.
Cons of using a plugin:
- Potential for conflicts: Plugins can sometimes conflict with other plugins or themes.
- Performance overhead: Adding too many plugins can slow down your website.
- Cost: Some plugins are premium and require a paid license.
3. Conditional Redirects Based on Product Categories or Order Total (Advanced)
The `woocommerce_thankyou` hook allows you to implement more sophisticated redirect logic. For instance, you might want to redirect customers to different thank you pages based on the products they purchased.
Here’s an example that redirects to a specific page if the order contains a product from the “Special Offer” category:
<?php /**
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
$redirect_url = false; // Initialize redirect URL as false
foreach ( $order->get_items() as $item ) {
$product_id = $item->get_product_id();
if ( has_term( ‘special-offer’, ‘product_cat’, $product_id ) ) {
// Replace ‘your-special-offer-page’ with the slug of your special offer page
$redirect_url = get_permalink( get_option(‘woocommerce_checkout_thankyou_page_id’) );
break; // Stop checking after finding one product in the category
}
}
if ( $order && $order->has_status( ‘completed’ ) && $redirect_url ) {
wp_safe_redirect( $redirect_url );
exit;
}
}
add_action( ‘woocommerce_thankyou’, ‘custom_conditional_redirect’, 10, 1 );
?>
Explanation:
1. `has_term( ‘special-offer’, ‘product_cat’, $product_id )`: This checks if the product belongs to the ‘special-offer’ category. Replace `’special-offer’` with the actual slug of your product category.
2. `$redirect_url = ‘your-special-offer-page’`: If a product from the ‘special-offer’ category is found, the `$redirect_url` is set to the URL of the special offer page. Remember to replace `’your-special-offer-page’` with the actual URL of your desired page.
3. The rest of the code is similar to the previous example, ensuring that the redirect only occurs for completed orders and when a redirect URL has been determined.
You can adapt this code to create redirects based on order total, specific products, or other order details.
Conclusion
Redirecting after checkout in WooCommerce is a valuable technique for improving user experience, boosting sales, and tracking conversions. Choosing the right method depends on your technical skills and the complexity of your requirements. For most users, the `woocommerce_thankyou` hook is the recommended approach as it provides flexibility and ensures compatibility. Using a plugin can be a quicker solution, but be mindful of potential conflicts and performance implications. By implementing a well-planned redirect strategy, you can create a more engaging and effective shopping experience for your customers.
