How To Show Woocommerce Categories In Sidebar

How to Show WooCommerce Categories in Your Sidebar for Enhanced Navigation

Introduction:

One of the most effective ways to improve user experience and boost your WooCommerce store’s SEO is to strategically utilize your sidebar. A well-placed and organized sidebar provides easy navigation, allowing customers to quickly find the products they’re looking for. Showing your Read more about How To Accept Crypto Payments Woocommerce WooCommerce categories in the sidebar is a prime example of this. This article will guide you through different methods to achieve this, helping you create a more user-friendly and navigable online store. We’ll explore both built-in options and plugin-based solutions, ensuring you can choose the best approach for your needs.

Main Part:

There are several ways to display WooCommerce categories in your sidebar. We’ll cover the most common and effective methods:

1. Using the Built-in WooCommerce Widget

WooCommerce comes with a built-in widget specifically designed for displaying product categories. This is the easiest and often the most straightforward method.

Steps:

1. Access the Widgets Area: Navigate to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Find the “WooCommerce Product Categories” Widget: Scroll through the available widgets until you locate the “WooCommerce Product Categories” widget.

3. Drag and Drop (or Add) to Sidebar: Drag the widget to your desired sidebar (e.g., “Sidebar,” “Shop Sidebar,” etc.). Alternatively, click the widget and select the sidebar from the dropdown menu.

4. Configure the Widget: The widget provides several customization options:

Learn more about How To Change Product Tab Names And Headings In Woocommerce
• Title: Enter a title for your widget (e.g., “Product Categories,” “Shop by Category”).
• Display as dropdown: Choose to display categories as a dropdown menu instead of a list. This can be useful if you have a large number of categories.
• Show product counts: Display the number of products in each category. This gives customers an idea of the size of each category.
• Hierarchical: Display categories in a hierarchical (nested) structure, reflecting parent-child relationships.
• Show only top-level categories: Only display the main categories, hiding any subcategories.
• Order by: Choose the order in which categories are displayed (Name, Slug, Count, Term ID).
• Hide empty categories: Exclude categories that don’t contain any products from being displayed. This is highly recommended to avoid confusing customers.

5. Save: Click the “Save” button to apply your changes.

Example Configuration:

You might configure the widget to display “Product Categories” with hierarchical structure, showing product counts and hiding empty categories.

2. Using a Custom Menu (More Control)

If you need more granular control over the appearance and ordering of your categories, using a custom menu is a good option.

Steps:

1. Create a Menu: Go to Appearance > Menus in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Create a New Menu: Give your menu a name (e.g., “Category Menu”).

3. Add Product Categories: In the “Add menu items” section, find the “Product Categories” tab. Select the categories you want to include in your sidebar and click “Add to Menu.”

Read more about How To Display Product Image In Woocommerce

4. Reorder and Nest: Drag and drop the menu items to rearrange their order and create nested (subcategory) structures. This gives you complete control over the category hierarchy displayed.

5. Read more about How To Make Pinterest Symbol To Easy Pinning On Woocommerce Save the Menu: Click the “Save Menu” button.

6. Add the “Custom Menu” Widget: Go to Appearance > Widgets and drag the “Custom Menu” widget to your desired sidebar.

7. Select Your Menu: In the widget settings, select the menu you created in step 2.

8. Save: Click the “Save” button.

Benefits:

• Custom Ordering: You can arrange categories in any order you prefer, not just alphabetically or by count.
• Exclude Categories: Easily exclude specific categories from the sidebar.
• Add Custom Links: Include links to other pages or sections Discover insights on How To Check Abandoned Cart Woocommerce of your website within the category menu.

3. Using PHP Code (For Advanced Users and Theme Developers)

If you’re comfortable with PHP, you can directly add code to your theme’s `functions.php` file or a custom plugin to display WooCommerce categories. This method offers the most flexibility but requires technical knowledge.

Example Code:

 function woocommerce_categories_sidebar() { $args = array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_cat', 'orderby' => 'name', 'show_count' => 1, // 1 for yes, 0 for no 'pad_counts' => 1, // 1 for yes, 0 for no 'hierarchical' => 1, // 1 for yes, 0 for no 'title_li' => 'Product Categories', 'hide_empty' => 1 // 1 for yes, 0 for no ); 

echo ‘

‘;

wp_list_categories( $args );

echo ‘

‘;

}

// To display in your sidebar, use this function within your sidebar.php file:

//

Important Considerations:

• Child Themes: Always modify your theme through a child theme to prevent changes from being overwritten during theme updates.
• Backup: Back up your website before making any code changes.
• Testing: Test your code thoroughly in a staging environment before deploying it to your live site.

4. Using a WooCommerce Sidebar Plugin

Several plugins are available that provide advanced sidebar customization options, including enhanced WooCommerce category displays. These plugins often offer features like:

• Conditional Display: Show different category lists on different pages.
• Custom Styling: Customize the appearance of the category list beyond the built-in options.
• Widget Area Management: Create and manage multiple widget areas.

Examples of such plugins include:

• WooSidebars: Create custom sidebars for specific pages, posts, or categories.
• Content Aware Sidebars: Display different sidebars based on various conditions.

Conclusion:

Displaying WooCommerce categories in your sidebar is a fundamental step in improving your store’s navigation and user experience. By making it easy for customers to browse product categories, you’ll encourage them to explore more of your offerings and ultimately increase sales. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and the level of customization you require. Whether you opt for the simplicity of the built-in widget, the control of a custom menu, the flexibility of PHP code, or the features of a dedicated plugin, a well-organized category sidebar will be a valuable asset to your WooCommerce store. Remember to prioritize user experience and regularly analyze your site’s performance to ensure your category structure and sidebar layout are effective.