Creating well-structured product categories in WooCommerce is essential for improving user experience and helping customers navigate your online store more efficiently. Categories make it easier to organise products and allow customers to browse related items seamlessly, increasing the chances of them finding and purchasing products.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up product categories in WooCommerce and how to effectively manage them on your WordPress website.
Why Are Product Categories Important?
Product categories are crucial for eCommerce stores because they allow you to group related products together. This not only helps your customers find what they’re looking for quickly, but it also improves the overall flow and usability of your store. Additionally, product categories improve search engine optimisation (SEO) by allowing search engines to better understand the structure of your site and the relationships between products.
Step 1: Access the WooCommerce Categories Section
First, you need to log in to your WordPress dashboard. Once logged in, navigate to the Products section located on the left-hand side of your dashboard. Hover over Products, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on Categories from the list of options.
Step 2: Add a New Category
After clicking on Categories, you will be taken to the product categories page where you can view existing categories and add new ones. To create a new category, fill out the fields in the Add New Category section on the left-hand side.
Here’s what each field means:
- Name: Enter the name of the category. Make sure it’s clear and descriptive. For example, if you’re selling clothing, you might create categories like “Men’s Clothing,” “Women’s Clothing,” or “Accessories.”
- Slug: The slug is the URL-friendly version of the category name. If you leave this blank, WooCommerce will automatically generate a slug for you based on the category name. If you’d prefer, you can customise the slug by using lowercase letters and hyphens (e.g., mens-clothing).
- Parent Category: This option is helpful if you want to create subcategories. For example, if you already have a category called “Clothing,” you could create a subcategory under it called “T-shirts.” If the category you’re creating is a top-level category, leave this field set to None.
- Description: Adding a category description is optional, but it can be useful. The description allows you to provide more information about the category, and some themes may display this information on the category page.
- Display Type: You can choose how products within this category are displayed. The options are Default, Products, Subcategories, or Both. You can leave it as the default setting unless you want to display only products or subcategories on the category page.
- Thumbnail: If your theme supports it, you can upload a thumbnail image for the category. This image will be displayed on the category page and is especially useful if you want to make your product listings visually engaging.
Once you’ve filled out all the necessary information, click the Add New Category button.
Step 3: Assign Products to Your New Category
Now that you’ve created your product category, it’s time to assign products to it. Go back to the Products section and click on All Products. You will see a list of all the products you’ve added to your WooCommerce store.
Find the product you want to assign to a category and click Edit below the product name. On the right-hand side of the product editor, you’ll see a Product Categories box. Select the category (or categories) you’d like to assign the product to by checking the appropriate boxes. You can assign a product to multiple categories if necessary.
Once you’ve selected the category, click Update to save your changes.
Step 4: Organising and Managing Categories
If you need to edit or reorder your categories, return to the Categories section under Products. Here, you can see a list of all the categories you’ve created.
To change the order in which categories are displayed on your site, simply drag and drop the categories in the list. This is particularly useful if you want certain categories to appear at the top of a menu or page.
To edit a category, hover over the category name and click Edit. This will allow you to update the name, slug, description, and other details. You can also delete a category from this page by clicking Delete beneath the category name.
Step 5: Displaying Categories on Your Website
To display your product categories on the front end of your website, you can add them to your navigation menus or use widgets.
Adding Categories to Menus:
Go to Appearance > Menus. From the left-hand side, you’ll see a section titled Product Categories. Check the box next to the categories you want to add to the menu, and then click Add to Menu. Arrange the categories within the menu to fit the structure you want, and click Save Menu to apply your changes.
Adding Categories Using Widgets:
You can also display product categories using widgets. Go to Appearance > Widgets and look for the Product Categories widget. Drag this widget to the sidebar or footer area where you want it displayed. You can choose whether to display the categories as a dropdown or as a list. Once you’ve configured the settings, click Save to apply the widget to your site.
Conclusion
Creating product categories in WooCommerce is a simple but powerful way to organise your online store and enhance the shopping experience for your customers. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be able to set up and manage product categories efficiently, ensuring that your store is well-structured and easy to navigate. Plus, with WooCommerce’s flexibility, you can continually adjust and refine your categories as your product range grows.
By organising your products effectively, you’ll not only make it easier for your customers to find what they’re looking for, but you’ll also improve the overall SEO performance of your site.
