How To Remove Shop Page In Woocommerce

How to Remove the Shop Page in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

WooCommerce is a powerful and flexible e-commerce platform built on WordPress. While its default shop page provides a convenient place to display your products, you might find yourself needing to remove it. This could be for several reasons: perhaps you prefer showcasing products directly on your homepage, utilizing category pages instead, or focusing on a single product with a direct purchase link. Whatever the reason, this article provides a step-by-step guide on how to effectively remove the shop page in WooCommerce while ensuring minimal disruption to your website and SEO. We’ll explore different methods, considering the pros and cons of each to help you choose the best approach for your specific needs.

Understanding the Shop Page in WooCommerce

The “Shop” page in WooCommerce is automatically created during the installation process. It’s usually designated as the main product archive and displays all your available products in a grid or list format. This page is critical for easy product browsing and often linked to from your navigation menu. However, its prominence might not align with your overall design or marketing strategy.

Main Part: Methods to Remove the Shop Page

There are several methods to remove the shop page, ranging from simple settings adjustments to more advanced code modifications. Let’s explore the most common and effective techniques:

1. Redirecting the Shop Page

This is the easiest and recommended method for most users. Instead of completely deleting the page, you redirect it to another relevant page, such as your homepage, a specific category page, or a custom landing page. This ensures visitors are still guided to your products.

Steps:

• Install a Redirection Plugin: Plugins like “Redirection” or “Yoast SEO” (Premium version) offer robust redirection features. For this example, we’ll use “Redirection”.
• Configure the Redirection:
• Go to Tools -> Redirection in your WordPress dashboard.
• Click “Add New”.
• In the “Source URL” field, enter the URL of your shop page (usually `/shop/`). Make sure to verify the exact URL.
• In the “Target URL” field, enter the URL of the page you want to redirect to (e.g., your homepage `https://yourdomain.com/`, or a specific category page `https://yourdomain.com/product-category/category-name/`).
• Set the “Match” to “URL only.”
• Set the “Action” to “301 – Moved Permanently” (This is the most SEO-friendly option as it tells search Check out this post: How To Restore To Factory Setting Storefront Woocommerce engines the page has permanently moved).
• Click “Add Redirect.”

2. Setting the Shop Page as a Draft

Another straightforward approach is to set the Shop Learn more about Woocommerce How To Override Css page status to “Draft”. This effectively removes it from public view. However, it’s important to remember that it still exists within WordPress.

Steps:

• Go to Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
• Find the “Shop” page.
• Click “Quick Edit”.
• Change the “Status” to “Draft”.
• Click “Update”.

Important: This method might cause issues if other parts of your WooCommerce setup rely on the Shop page’s existence.

3. Unassigning the Shop Page in WooCommerce Settings

WooCommerce has a specific setting that designates the Shop page. Unassigning it will remove its function as the main product archive.

Steps:

• Go to WooCommerce -> Settings -> Products.
• In the “Shop page” dropdown, select “– Select a page –“.
• Save Changes.

This method will prevent WooCommerce from using the designated page as the shop page, effectively removing it from its role as the main product archive. It is a good practice, after taking this action, to redirect the previous shop page url to a new one using the method outlined above, so users don’t end up on a 404 page.

4. Code-Based Removal (Advanced)

For developers and those comfortable with code, you can use PHP to modify the WooCommerce templates and functionality. This is a more complex method and requires caution. Always back up your website before making code changes.

Here’s an example snippet you can add to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin):

 <?php /** 
Remove the WooCommerce Shop page link from navigation.
 */ function remove_shop_page_link( $items, $args ) { $shop_page_id = wc_get_page_id( 'shop' ); 

if ( is_numeric( $shop_page_id ) ) {

foreach ( $items as $key => $item ) {

if ( $item->object_id == $shop_page_id ) {

unset( $items[ $key ] );

break;

}

}

}

return $items;

}

add_filter( ‘wp_nav_menu_objects’, ‘remove_shop_page_link’, 10, 2 );

/

* Redirect the Shop Page

*/

add_action( ‘template_redirect’, ‘custom_redirect_shop_page’ );

function custom_redirect_shop_page() {

if ( is_shop() ) {

wp_redirect( home_url() ); // Change home_url() to your desired redirect URL

exit;

}

}

?>

Explanation:

• The first function `remove_shop_page_link` removes the shop page from the WordPress navigation menu.
• The second function `custom_redirect_shop_page` redirects users trying to access the `/shop/` page to the homepage (replace `home_url()` with your desired URL).

Important Considerations When Choosing a Method:

• SEO Impact: Redirection (especially 301) is the most SEO-friendly approach. Deleting the page outright without redirection can lead to 404 errors, harming your search engine ranking.
• User Experience: Ensure users can still easily find your products. If you remove the Shop page, clearly guide them to product categories or Learn more about How To Check Abandon Cart On Woocommerce individual product pages.
• Theme Compatibility: Code-based modifications can be affected by theme updates. Use child themes to safeguard your changes.
• Plugin Conflicts: Plugins can sometimes interfere with these methods. Discover insights on How To Delete Products From Facebook Woocommerce WordPress Test thoroughly after implementing any changes.