WooCommerce: Mastering Category and Subcategory Display on Your Storefront
Introduction: Guiding Customers Through Your Product Range
One of the most important aspects of an effective WooCommerce store is intuitive navigation. Allowing customers to easily find what they’re looking for significantly improves their shopping experience and increases the likelihood of a sale. A key component of this is clearly displaying your categories and subcategories. A well-structured product hierarchy, visually represented on your storefront, guides visitors through your product range, leading them to the items they want with minimal effort. In this article, we’ll explore various methods to effectively display your WooCommerce categories and subcategories, enhancing your store’s usability and boosting conversions. We will cover techniques from using built-in features to employing custom code solutions.
Displaying Categories and Subcategories in WooCommerce
There are several ways to display categories and subcategories within your WooCommerce store. The best approach depends on your specific needs and the desired level of customization.
#### 1. The Built-in WooCommerce Product Category Widget
This is the simplest and most straightforward method. WooCommerce provides a “Product Categories” widget that can be added to your sidebar or other widget areas.
- How to use it:
- Go to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
- Locate the “Product Categories” widget.
- Drag and drop the widget into your desired widget area.
- Configure the widget options:
- Title: The title displayed above the category list.
- Display as dropdown: Display categories in a dropdown menu (useful for saving space).
- Show product counts: Display the number of products within each category.
- Hierarchical: Show subcategories indented under their parent categories (crucial for this article’s topic!).
- Show only top-level categories: Only display top-level categories, hiding subcategories. (We’ll Read more about How To Install Woocommerce Plugin In WordPress likely want to leave this unchecked for the purpose of this article).
- Order by: Sort categories by name or term ID.
- Show category children on single product page: Display categories of the product you are currently viewing.
- Pros: Easy to implement, requires no coding.
- Cons: Limited customization options, basic styling.
- `[product_categories]` shortcode: This displays a list of product categories.
- Attributes for subcategory display: This shortcode provides attributes for controlling the displayed categories. Here are some relevant ones:
- `number`: The number of categories to display.
- `orderby`: Order by ‘name’, ‘slug’, ‘count’, etc.
- `order`: ‘ASC’ (ascending) or ‘DESC’ (descending).
- `columns`: Number of columns for display (e.g., `columns=”3″` for a three-column layout).
- `hide_empty`: `true` to hide empty categories, `false` to show them (even if they contain no products).
- `parent`: You can specify a parent category ID to display only subcategories of that parent. For example, `parent=”123″` would show only the subcategories of the category with ID 123. If `parent=”0″` it will display only top level categories.
- Example:
- Pros: More flexibility than the widget, allows for embedding categories within content.
- Cons: Requires knowledge of shortcode attributes, limited styling options.
- Displaying categories and subcategories recursively:
#### 2. Using WooCommerce Shortcodes
WooCommerce offers shortcodes that can be embedded within pages or posts to display categories.
[product_categories number=”4″ parent=”0″ columns=”2″]
This shortcode would Learn more about How To Use Hailo Woocommerce Plugin display the first 4 top-level categories (i.e., `parent=”0″`) in a two-column layout.
#### 3. Custom Code in Your Theme’s `functions.php` File
For advanced customization, you can use PHP code to display categories and subcategories. Always back up your `functions.php` file before making changes.
'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 'parent' => $parent_cat_id );
$all_categories = get_categories( $args );
echo ‘
- ‘;
- slug, ‘product_cat’) .'”>’. $cat->name .’‘;
$args2 = array(
‘taxonomy’ => ‘product_cat’,
‘child_of’ => 0,
‘parent’ => $category_id
);
$sub_cats = get_categories( $args2 );
if($sub_cats) {
echo “
- “;
- slug, ‘product_cat’) .'”>’. $sub_category->name .’
foreach($sub_cats as $sub_category) {
echo ‘
‘;
}
echo “
“;
}
echo ‘
foreach ( $all_categories as $cat ) {
if($cat->category_parent == 0) {
$category_id = $cat->term_id;
echo ‘
‘;
}
}
echo ‘
‘;
}
// To use the function in your theme:
//
// For displaying only subcategories of a specific category with ID 123:
//
?>
- Explanation: This code snippet defines a function `custom_list_product_categories()` that recursively retrieves and displays product categories and their subcategories. It uses the `get_categories()` function to fetch categories based on the specified criteria (taxonomy, parent category, etc.). It then iterates through the categories and displays them as a nested unordered list (`
- `). If a category has subcategories, it recursively calls itself to display those subcategories.
- Pros: Complete control over the display, allows for custom styling and functionality.
- Cons: Requires PHP knowledge, potential for errors if not implemented correctly, code changes can be lost during theme updates.
#### 4. WooCommerce Category Plugins
Several plugins offer advanced category display features, such as category grids, image thumbnails, and enhanced filtering options. Some popular plugins include:
- WooCommerce Category Accordion
- YITH WooCommerce Category Accordion
- Category and Subcategory Widget
These plugins typically provide a user-friendly interface for configuring category display options without requiring coding. Look for plugins with good reviews and regular updates to ensure compatibility and security.
Conclusion: Enhancing User Navigation for a Better Shopping Experience
Clearly displaying categories and subcategories is crucial for improving your WooCommerce store’s navigation and user experience. Whether you choose the simplicity of the built-in widget, the flexibility of shortcodes, the Learn more about How To Fix Woocommerce Product Page In WordPress Theme power of custom code, or the convenience of a plugin, the goal is the same: to help your customers find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. A well-organized product hierarchy, coupled with intuitive visual presentation, will lead to increased engagement, higher conversion rates, and a more satisfying shopping experience for your customers. Regularly evaluate your category structure and display methods to ensure they meet the evolving needs of your business and your customers. Remember to always backup your website before making any significant changes to your theme’s `functions.php` file or installing new plugins.
