How To Separate Products On Woocommerce

How to Separate Products on WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

So, you’re diving into the world of WooCommerce and want to get your products organized? Great! Separating your products effectively is crucial for a smooth customer experience and better sales. Think of it like this: would you rather shop in a neatly organized supermarket or a chaotic warehouse where everything is jumbled together? Exactly!

This guide will walk you through the common methods to separate your products on WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete newbie. We’ll keep it simple, practical, and packed with examples.

Why Separate Your Products?

Before we jump into the “how,” let’s quickly understand the “why.” Separating your products is essential for:

• Improved User Experience: Customers can easily find what they’re looking for. Imagine selling clothing. Separating items into categories like “T-shirts,” “Jeans,” and “Dresses” makes browsing much easier.
• Better SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Well-structured product separation helps search engines understand your website and products, leading to better rankings. For example, having clear category pages allows Google to understand the theme of those products.
• Increased Sales: A clear and organized store leads to higher conversion rates. If customers can’t find what they want, they’ll likely leave.
• Easier Management: Managing your inventory and product listings becomes significantly easier when everything is properly categorized.

Method 1: Using Product Categories

This is the most common and effective way to separate products on WooCommerce. Think of categories as the broad sections of your store.

• What are Product Categories? Product categories are like the main sections in a physical store. For example, if you’re selling books, you might have categories like “Fiction,” “Non-Fiction,” “Mystery,” and “Science Fiction.”
• How to Create and Use Product Categories:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Products > Categories.

2. Name: Enter the name of your category (e.g., “T-shirts”).

3. Slug: This is the URL-friendly version of your category name (e.g., “t-shirts”). WooCommerce usually generates this automatically, but you can customize it.

4. Parent Category: If you want to create subcategories (e.g., “T-shirts” as the parent category and “Graphic T-shirts” as a subcategory), select the parent category here.

5. Description: Add a brief description of the category. This can help with SEO.

6. Display type: You can choose to display only the products, or you can also display the subcategories.

7. Thumbnail: Upload an image to represent the category.

8. Click Add New Category.

9. Now, when you edit a product (or create a new one), you’ll see a “Product categories” box on the right-hand side. Simply check the box next to the category (or categories) you want to assign the product to.

Example:

Let’s say you sell handmade jewelry. You might create the following categories:

• Necklaces
• Earrings
• Bracelets
• Rings

Then, when you add a new necklace, you’d simply check the “Necklaces” box. Easy peasy!

Method 2: Using Product Tags

While categories are broad sections, product tags are more specific keywords that describe your products. Think of them as labels.

• What are Product Tags? Tags are like keywords that help customers find specific items. For example, if you sell coffee, you might use tags like “Arabica,” “Dark Roast,” “Fair Trade,” and “Organic.”
• How to Create and Use Product Tags:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Products > Tags.

2. Enter the name of your tag (e.g., “Organic”).

3. Enter the slug (e.g., “organic”).

4. Add a description (optional).

5. Click Add New Tag.

6. Similar to categories, when you edit a product, you’ll see a “Product tags” box on the right-hand side. Start typing the tag you want to use, and WooCommerce will suggest existing tags or allow you to create a new one.

Example:

Using the jewelry example again, you might use the following tags:

• Silver
• Gold
• Beaded
• Crystal

A silver beaded bracelet would then have both the “Bracelets” category and the “Silver” and “Beaded” tags.

Method 3: Using Product Attributes

Product attributes are specific characteristics of a product that can be used to filter and refine search results. This is especially useful for products with variations.

• What are Product Attributes? Attributes are characteristics like color, size, material, or style. For example, a t-shirt might have attributes for “Color” (Red, Blue, Green) and “Size” (Small, Medium, Large).
• How to Create and Use Product Attributes:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Products > Attributes.

2. Name: Enter the name of the attribute (e.g., “Color”).

3. Slug: Enter the slug (e.g., “color”).

4. Enable Archives?: If enabled, it will create a archive page for each attribute.

5. Default sort order: Choose the default sort order.

6. Click Add Attribute.

7. Now, click “Configure terms” under the attribute you just created.

8. Add the specific terms for the attribute (e.g., “Red,” “Blue,” “Green”).

9. When you edit a product, go to the “Attributes” tab.

10. Select the attribute you want to add.

11. Choose the values for that attribute for the product.

12. Make sure you check the “Visible on the product page” option so customers can see the attributes. If you’re selling variable products (e.g., a t-shirt available in multiple colors and sizes), you’ll also need to check “Used for variations.”

Example:

Selling shoes? You might use the following attributes:

• Size
• Color
• Material

A specific pair of shoes might then have the attributes “Size: 9,” “Color: Black,” and “Material: Leather.”

Method 4: Using Custom Fields (For Advanced Users)

While categories, tags, and attributes cover most needs, you might encounter situations where you need more specific ways to separate products. This is where custom fields come in.

• What are Custom Fields? Custom fields allow you to add extra information to your products that isn’t already covered by WooCommerce’s built-in options. This requires some coding knowledge or the use of a plugin.
• How to Use Custom Fields:

1. Install a plugin like “Advanced Custom Fields” (ACF).

2. Create a new field group.

3. Define the fields you want to add (e.g., “Author” for books, “Ingredients” for food products).

4. Assign the field group to the “Product” post type.

5. Now, when you edit a product, you’ll see the custom fields you created, allowing you to enter the relevant information.

Example:

Selling artwork? You might use custom fields to store information like:

• Artist Name
• Year Created
• Medium (Oil, Watercolor, etc.)

Best Practices for Separating Products

• Plan Your Structure: Before you start adding products, take some time to plan your category structure. Think about how customers will browse your store and what makes the most sense for your product range.
• Use Clear and Descriptive Names: Use category and tag names that are easy to understand and relevant to your products.
• Don’t Over-Categorize: Avoid creating too many categories or tags, as this can confuse customers.
• Be Consistent: Apply categories and tags consistently across all your products.
• Use a Combination of Methods: Categories, tags, and attributes can be used together to create a powerful and flexible product organization system.
• Regularly Review and Update: As your product range grows and changes, regularly review your categories and tags to ensure they’re still relevant and effective.

In Conclusion

Separating your products effectively on WooCommerce is crucial for creating a user-friendly and successful online store. By using categories, tags, attributes, and (if needed) custom fields, you can create a well-organized and easily navigable shopping experience for your customers, ultimately leading to more sales and a thriving business. Remember to plan carefully, be consistent, and regularly review your product organization to ensure it meets the evolving needs of your business. Good luck!