Woocommerce How To Show All Categories On Home Page

WooCommerce: Displaying All Categories on Your Home Page – A Beginner’s Guide

Want to make it super easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for on your WooCommerce store? Displaying all your product categories right on the home page is a fantastic way to do just that! It provides a visual roadmap, improving user experience and potentially boosting your sales. This guide will walk you through different methods, from simple plugins to a little bit of code, so you can choose the solution that best suits your comfort level and technical skills.

Why Show Categories on Your Home Page?

Think of your website as a physical store. If a customer walks in, they need to quickly understand where to find different types of products. Your home page is like the entrance, and categories are the signs pointing them in the right direction. Here’s why displaying categories is a good idea:

• Improved Navigation: Customers can quickly find what they need without wading through all your products. Instead of scrolling and scrolling, they can directly click on “Shoes” or “Electronics.”
• Enhanced User Experience: A clear and organized website makes browsing more enjoyable, encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more. Happy customers are more likely to buy!
• Boost Sales: By making it easier to find products, you increase the chances of a purchase. Think of it like placing popular items near the entrance of a physical store – it catches the eye and increases the likelihood of impulse buys.
• Better SEO (indirectly): Although not a direct ranking factor, improved user experience leads to lower bounce rates and longer session durations, which *do* signal to search engines that your website is valuable.

Method 1: The Easiest Way – Using a Plugin

For most users, a plugin is the simplest and quickest way to display categories. There are several excellent plugins available in the WordPress repository. Here are a couple of popular options:

* WooCommerce Product Category Grid/List View: This plugin offers flexibility in how your categories are displayed – grid, list, or even carousels.

* Category Image Grid: As the name suggests, it’s perfect for displaying your categories with attractive images, making them visually appealing.

How to install and use a plugin (general steps):

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Go to Plugins > Add New.

3. Search for the plugin (e.g., “WooCommerce Product Category Grid”).

4. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate.”

5. Go to the plugin’s settings page (usually found under WooCommerce or Settings) to configure how you want your categories to be displayed. Each plugin will have slightly different options – experiment and find what works best for your store.

Example: Imagine you’re using “Category Image Grid.” You might upload an image for each category (e.g., a picture of a running shoe for the “Shoes” category), and then the plugin will automatically generate a grid of these images on your home page, linking to each category page.

Method 2: Using the WooCommerce Category Widget

WooCommerce comes with a built-in “Product Categories” widget. This is a simple option that works well if you just want a basic list of categories.

How to use the WooCommerce Category Widget:

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Go to Appearance > Widgets.

3. Find the “Product Categories” widget in the available widgets list.

4. Drag and drop it into the “Home Page” sidebar (or the specific widget area you want to use on your home page – this might depend on your theme).

5. Configure the widget: You can choose to show category counts, display as a dropdown, and show subcategories.

6. Click “Save.”

Reasoning: This method is straightforward and requires no extra plugins. It’s great for a simple, text-based category list.

Method 3: Using Code (For the Slightly More Adventurous)

If you’re comfortable with a little bit of PHP code, you can directly display your categories using WooCommerce functions. Always back up your website before making changes to your theme files!

1. Access your theme’s `functions.php` file. You can usually find this in your WordPress dashboard under Appearance > Theme File Editor (be *very* careful here!) or via FTP.

2. Add the following code snippet to your `functions.php` file:

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

$all_categories = get_categories( $args );

echo ‘

‘; // Add a class for styling

foreach ($all_categories as $cat) {

$category_link = get_term_link( $cat->slug, ‘product_cat’ );

echo ‘

• ‘ . $cat->name . ‘

‘;

}

echo ‘

‘;

}

// Function to display the shortcode

function display_woocommerce_categories_shortcode() {

ob_start();

display_woocommerce_categories_on_homepage();

return ob_get_clean();

}

add_shortcode(‘woocommerce_categories’, ‘display_woocommerce_categories_shortcode’);

3. Explanation of the Code:

• `get_categories()` retrieves all product categories.
• `$args` defines the parameters for retrieving the categories. You can customize the order, whether to show the number of products in each category, etc.
• The `foreach` loop iterates through each category and displays it as a link.
• The `esc_url()` function ensures the URL is properly escaped for security.
• The `woocommerce-categories` class can be used to style the list in your theme’s CSS.
• This snippet provides a shortcode `[woocommerce_categories]` that allows you to easily display the categories on any page or post.

4. Display the Categories on your Home Page:

• Using the Shortcode: Edit your home page (or the page you want to display the categories on) and insert the shortcode `[woocommerce_categories]` in the content area.
• Directly in your Theme: (Advanced) If you know your way around your theme’s template files, you can directly call the `display_woocommerce_categories_on_homepage()` function in your `home.php` or `front-page.php` file (if you have one).

5. Style the Categories: Add CSS to your theme’s stylesheet (`style.css`) to style the list of categories. For example:

.woocommerce-categories {

list-style: none;

padding: 0;

margin: 0;

}

.woocommerce-categories li {

margin-bottom: 5px;

}

.woocommerce-categories a {

text-decoration: none;

color: #333;

}

Reasoning: This method offers the most control over how your categories are displayed. You can customize the code to match your website’s design and functionality exactly. However, it requires a bit more technical knowledge.

Choosing the Right Method

• Beginner: Use a plugin. It’s the easiest and safest option.
• Intermediate: Use the WooCommerce Category Widget for a simple list.
• Advanced: Use code for maximum control and customization (but always back up your site first!).

No matter which method you choose, displaying your product categories on your WooCommerce home page is a worthwhile investment that can significantly improve your customers’ experience and boost your sales. Happy selling!