Woocommerce How To Specify Brands

WooCommerce How To Specify Brands: A Beginner’s Guide

Are you selling products on WooCommerce and want to make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for? Specifying brands is a fantastic way to do just that. Think of it like this: You walk into a shoe store knowing you want Nike. Would you rather sift through *every* shoe, or go straight to the Nike section? Brands organize your store and make it easier for customers to navigate, leading to happier customers and potentially, more sales!

This article will walk you through how to add and manage brands in WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete beginner. Let’s get started!

Why Use Brands in WooCommerce?

Before we dive into *how*, let’s understand *why* specifying brands is so beneficial:

• Improved Navigation: Customers can easily filter and browse products by their favorite brands. Imagine selling phone cases. Customers loyal to OtterBox will appreciate being able to quickly find all your OtterBox cases.
• Enhanced User Experience: A well-organized store is a pleasant store to shop in. Brands contribute Discover insights on How To Access Wishlist Woocommerce to a cleaner, more intuitive shopping experience.
• Better SEO: Google loves organized websites! Proper use of brand names in your product descriptions and categories can improve your search engine rankings. Someone searching for “Levi’s jeans” is more likely to find your store if you’ve correctly specified “Levi’s” as the brand.
• Increased Sales: Easier navigation and a better user experience often translate into increased sales. Happy customers are more likely to buy!

How to Add Brands to WooCommerce: Two Simple Methods

There are two primary ways to specify brands in WooCommerce:

1. Using WooCommerce’s built-in Product Categories: This is a workaround and not ideal, but it’s a possibility if you’re trying to avoid plugins.

2. Using a dedicated WooCommerce Brands plugin: This is the recommended method, as it provides much more functionality and control.

We’ll focus primarily on the plugin method, as it’s the superior choice for most users.

#### Method 1: Using Product Categories (Not Recommended)

While not the intended purpose, you *could* technically create product categories named after brands. However, this quickly becomes messy because you’ll likely also want *actual* categories for product types.

Here’s the basic idea:

1. Go to Products > Categories in your WordPress admin.

2. Create a new category for each brand you want to add. For example, “Nike”, “Adidas”, “Samsung”, etc.

3. When adding a product, assign it to the relevant brand category.

Why this isn’t recommended:

• Poor Organization: It mixes brands with actual product categories, making navigation confusing.
• Limited Functionality: You can’t display brand logos or dedicated brand pages easily.
• Bad for SEO: Overloading categories can dilute their SEO value.

#### Method 2: Using a WooCommerce Brands Plugin (Recommended)

This is the *much better* and recommended approach. A dedicated brands plugin adds a proper taxonomy for brands, giving you more control and features.

Step 1: Install a WooCommerce Brands Plugin

There are several excellent WooCommerce brands plugins available, both free and paid. Some popular options include:

* WooCommerce Brands: A straightforward and free option by WooCommerce itself.

* Perfect Brands for WooCommerce: Another free option with good features.

* Brand Categories for WooCommerce: Premium option.

For this example, we’ll use the official WooCommerce Brands plugin, as it’s free and widely used.

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New.

2. Search for “WooCommerce Brands”.

3. Install and activate the plugin by WooCommerce.

Step 2: Add Your Brands

Once the plugin is installed, you’ll find a new “Brands” menu item under Products.

1. Go to Products > Brands.

2. Here, you’ll see a form to add new brands. Fill in the details:

• Name: The name of the brand (e.g., “Nike”, “Samsung”).
• Slug: A URL-friendly version of the name (usually generated automatically).
• Description: A short description of the brand (optional, but recommended for SEO).
• Thumbnail: Upload the brand’s logo. This is crucial for visual appeal!

Step 3: Assign Brands to Your Products

Now that you’ve added your brands, you need to assign them to your products.

1. Go to Products > All Products.

2. Edit the product you want to assign a brand to.

3. In the product editing screen, you’ll find a “Brands” section in the sidebar (usually on the right).

4. Select the appropriate brand for the product.

5. Update the product.

Step 4: Display Brands on Your Website

Now, you’ll want to showcase these brands on your website! Most WooCommerce brands plugins offer widgets, shortcodes, or blocks you can use to display brand logos or lists.

* Widgets: Often used in sidebars to display a list of brands. Go to Appearance > Widgets and drag the “Brands” widget to your desired sidebar.

* Shortcodes: Allow you to embed brand lists or logos within pages or posts. Refer to the plugin’s documentation for the specific shortcode.

* Blocks (Gutenberg): If you’re using the Gutenberg editor, the plugin may provide a block specifically for displaying brands.

 // Example of a potential shortcode (check plugin documentation) echo do_shortcode('[product_brands]'); 

Example: Let’s say you’re selling a “Samsung Galaxy S23”. You would:

1. Go to Products > Brands.

2. Create a brand called “Samsung”, adding the Samsung logo as a thumbnail.

3. Edit the “Samsung Galaxy S23” product.

4. In the “Brands” section, select Read more about How To Export Order Transactions From Woocommerce “Samsung”.

Advanced Tips for Managing WooCommerce Brands

• Brand Pages: Some plugins create dedicated brand pages that list all products from that brand. These are great for SEO and user experience. Make sure to fill in the “Description” field for each brand to optimize these pages.
• Brand Filters: Use WooCommerce’s filtering options (or a plugin) to allow customers to filter products by brand on your shop pages.
• Consistency is Key: Be consistent with your brand names. “Nike” should always be “Nike”, not “Nike Inc.” or “Nike Shoes”.
• High-Quality Logos: Use high-quality brand logos for a professional look.
• Consider a Premium Plugin: If you need advanced features like brand sliders, specific brand styling, or advanced filtering, consider investing in a premium WooCommerce brands plugin.

Conclusion

Adding and managing brands in WooCommerce is an essential step for creating a well-organized and user-friendly online store. By using a dedicated WooCommerce brands plugin, you can improve navigation, enhance the user experience, boost your SEO, and ultimately increase sales. Start specifying your brands today and watch your WooCommerce store thrive! Remember, happy customers buy more!