How To Stop Showing Description Woocommerce Product

How to Stop Showing the Description on WooCommerce Product Pages: A Comprehensive Guide

The WooCommerce product description, often found below the product title, is a valuable asset for providing potential customers with detailed information and persuading them to buy. However, there might be situations where you want to hide it. Perhaps you’re selling a product with self-explanatory visuals, aiming for a minimalist design, or prefer to direct users to a more elaborate “Additional Information” tab. Whatever your reason, this article provides a comprehensive guide on how to effectively hide the product description in your WooCommerce store. We’ll cover various methods, from code snippets to plugins, ensuring you can choose the solution that best fits your technical comfort level and needs.

Understanding Why You Might Want to Hide the Description

Before diving into the “how,” let’s briefly examine the “why.” The default WooCommerce product description area displays content entered into the main text editor field when creating or editing a product. Sometimes, this content can be:

Redundant: If your short description or product images already convey the necessary information.
Visually Cluttering: For minimalist designs, less text can be more impactful.
Unnecessary: In certain industries or for specific product types where detailed specifications are handled elsewhere (e.g., technical drawings, downloadable datasheets).
Confusing: If you have dynamic product information displayed through custom fields or other methods, the standard description might conflict with this Learn more about How To Make Specific Shipping On One Item Woocommerce data.

Ultimately, the decision to hide the product description depends on your specific business requirements and design preferences.

Methods to Hide the WooCommerce Product Description

There are several ways to achieve this, each with its advantages and disadvantages. We’ll cover the most common and effective techniques, ranked in terms of technical complexity (from easiest to more advanced).

1. Using CSS (The Quick and Dirty Method)

This is the simplest, but least recommended, approach. It hides the description visually but the content still exists in the HTML source. Search engines still see the content, which may or may not be desirable. This method is best used for quick aesthetic tweaks, not for long-term SEO or content management strategies.

How to do it:

1. Go to Appearance -> Customize -> Additional CSS in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Add the following CSS code:

.woocommerce div.product div.summary .woocommerce-product-details__short-description {

display: none;

}

Pros:
Extremely simple and fast.
Requires no coding knowledge.
Cons:
Only hides the element visually. The description is still present in the HTML.
Not ideal for SEO purposes.
Can be overridden by theme updates or other CSS rules.

2. Using a WooCommerce Hook in `functions.php` (Recommended Method)

This is a cleaner and more robust method. It uses a WooCommerce hook to remove the function responsible for displaying the product description. This completely removes the description from the HTML, which is better for SEO and website performance if you truly don’t need it.

How to do it:

1. Backup your `functions.php` file before making any changes. This is crucial!

2. Open your theme’s `functions.php` file (located in `/wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/`). Important: It’s best practice to use a child theme to avoid losing your changes when your theme updates.

3. Add the following PHP code:

 remove_action( 'woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'woocommerce_template_single_excerpt', 20 );

Explanation:

`remove_action()` is a WordPress function that removes a function hooked to an action.
`’woocommerce_single_product_summary’` is the action hook where the product summary (including the description) is added.
`’woocommerce_template_single_excerpt’` is the function responsible for displaying the short description.
`20` is the priority of the function.

Pros:
Completely removes the description from the HTML.
Better for SEO than CSS.
More robust than CSS as it’s less likely to be overridden.
Cons:
Requires editing the `functions.php` file.
Requires caution. Incorrect code can break your site. Using a child theme is highly recommended.

3. Using a Plugin (Easiest Method for Non-Coders)

Several plugins offer options to customize WooCommerce product pages, including the ability to hide elements like the description. These can be a great option if you’re not comfortable with code.

Example Plugin: “WooCommerce Product Page Customizer” (search for variations of this on the WordPress plugin repository)

How to do it:

1. Install and activate the plugin.

2. Navigate to the plugin’s settings page (usually found under WooCommerce or a similar menu).

3. Look for options to customize the product page layout or hide specific elements.

4. Find the option to hide the “Product Description” or “Short Description” and enable it.

5. Save the settings.

Pros:
Easy to use, even for non-coders.
Often offers a visual interface for customization.
Provides a range of other customization options for product pages.
Cons:
Adds another plugin to your site, potentially impacting performance (though most well-coded plugins have minimal impact).
Requires researching and selecting a suitable plugin.
Plugin functionality can sometimes conflict with other plugins or themes.

4. Using a Child Theme Template Override (Advanced Method)

This method involves creating a child theme and overriding the WooCommerce template responsible for displaying the product description. This gives you the most control but requires a good understanding of WooCommerce templates.

How to do it:

1. Create a child theme for your current theme. This is essential to avoid losing your changes during theme updates. Numerous tutorials are available online on how to create a child theme.

2. Locate the WooCommerce template file responsible for displaying the product description. This is usually `woocommerce/templates/single-product/short-description.php`.

3. Copy this file to your child theme’s WooCommerce directory: `your-child-theme/woocommerce/single-product/short-description.php`. You might need to create the `woocommerce/single-product/` directories.

4. Open the copied file in your child theme and remove or comment out the code that displays the description. For example, you could comment out the entire block:

 <?php /** Single Product Short Description
 * This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/single-product/short-description.php.
 * HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you
 (the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to
 maintain compatibility. We try to do this as little as possible, but it does
 happen. When this occurs the version of the template file will be bumped and
 the readme Learn more about How To Bulk Delete Products In Woocommerce will list any important changes.
 * @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
 @package WooCommerceTemplates
 @version 3.3.0
 */

if ( ! defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) ) {

exit; // Exit if accessed directly

}

<!–

–>

5. Save the file.

Pros:
Maximum control over the product description display.
Robust and avoids conflicts with other plugins or themes (when done correctly).
Cons:
Requires a strong understanding of WooCommerce templates and child themes.
More complex than other methods.
Requires careful maintenance to ensure compatibility with future WooCommerce updates.

Conclusion

Hiding the product description on WooCommerce product pages can be achieved in several ways. The best method depends on your technical skills and the specific requirements of your online store. For simple visual adjustments, CSS might suffice, though it’s not recommended for SEO. Using a WooCommerce hook in `functions.php` offers a cleaner and more SEO-friendly solution. Plugins provide a user-friendly interface for non-coders, while child theme template overrides offer the most control but require advanced knowledge.

Remember to always back up your website before making any changes to code. Using a child theme is crucial to protect your customizations from being overwritten during theme updates. By choosing the right approach, you can effectively customize your WooCommerce product pages and create a shopping experience that best suits your brand and target audience.