How to Control the Number of Products Shown on WooCommerce Category Pages
As an e-commerce store owner using WooCommerce, the number of products displayed on your category pages is a crucial factor in providing a seamless shopping experience for your customers. Whether you want to showcase more products or streamline the display to improve navigation, understanding the various methods to control the number of products per page is essential.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the different techniques you can use to manage the product listings on your WooCommerce category pages, including leveraging the loop_shop_columns
filter, adjusting the WordPress Reading settings, and utilizing the pre_get_posts
filter. By the end of this article, you'll have a solid understanding of how to optimize the product display to better suit your business needs.
Understanding the loop_shop_columns
Filter
One common misconception about controlling the number of products per page in WooCommerce is that the loop_shop_columns
filter affects the total number of products displayed. However, this is not the case. The loop_shop_columns
filter actually determines the number of columns, or the number of products displayed across the page before a new row is started.
For example, if you have the loop_shop_columns
filter set to 3, your category page will display 3 products per row, with the total number of products per page determined by other factors. This filter is primarily used to adjust the layout of your product listings, not the quantity of products shown.
To illustrate this, let's say you have 12 products in a particular category and your loop_shop_columns
filter is set to 3. The category page will display 4 rows of 3 products each, resulting in a total of 12 products shown on the page.
If you were to change the loop_shop_columns
filter to 4, the category page would now display 3 rows of 4 products each, still showing a total of 12 products.
So, in summary, the loop_shop_columns
filter controls the layout and number of columns, but not the overall quantity of products displayed on the page.
Adjusting the WordPress Reading Settings
The number of products shown on any WooCommerce category page is actually determined by the "Blog pages show at most" setting in your WordPress Reading settings. By default, this setting is set to 10 posts, which means your WooCommerce category pages will display a maximum of 10 products per page.
To change the number of products per page, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Navigate to "Settings" > "Reading".
- Locate the "Blog pages show at most" setting and enter the desired number of products you want to display per page.
- Click "Save Changes" to apply the new setting.
Now, when customers visit your WooCommerce category pages, they will see the updated number of products per page, as defined in your WordPress Reading settings.
It's important to note that this setting applies to all post types, including blog posts and WooCommerce product listings. If you want to set a different number of products per page specifically for your WooCommerce category pages, you'll need to use the pre_get_posts
filter, which we'll discuss in the next section.
Utilizing the pre_get_posts
Filter
While the WordPress Reading settings provide a global way to control the number of products per page, you may want to set a different number for your WooCommerce category pages specifically. This is where the pre_get_posts
filter comes into play.
The pre_get_posts
filter allows you to modify the query that retrieves the products for your category pages, enabling you to set the number of products to display per page.
Here's an example of how you can use the pre_get_posts
filter to change the number of products per page for your WooCommerce category pages:
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'my_woocommerce_products_per_page');
function my_woocommerce_products_per_page($query) {
// Check if the current query is for a WooCommerce product category page
if (!is_admin() && $query->is_main_query() && $query->is_post_type_archive('product')) {
$query->set('posts_per_page', 15); // Set the number of products per page to 15
}
return $query;
}
In this example, we're using the pre_get_posts
action to hook into the WordPress query process. We then check if the current query is for a WooCommerce product category page (using the is_post_type_archive('product')
check), and if so, we set the posts_per_page
parameter to 15, effectively changing the number of products displayed per page.
You can adjust the number 15 to any value you prefer, depending on your specific needs and the desired user experience for your WooCommerce store.
It's important to note that the pre_get_posts
filter is a powerful tool, and you should use it with caution, as it can impact other aspects of your WordPress and WooCommerce site. Always test your changes thoroughly to ensure they don't cause any unintended consequences.
Real-World Examples and Best Practices
Now, let's look at some real-world examples and best practices for controlling the number of products per page in WooCommerce:
Example 1: E-commerce Store Selling Luxury Products
A luxury e-commerce store selling high-end products may want to display fewer products per page to create a more curated and premium shopping experience. In this case, the store owner could set the posts_per_page
parameter to 6 or 8 using the pre_get_posts
filter, allowing customers to focus on the individual products without feeling overwhelmed.
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Example 2: Wholesale B2B E-commerce Site
A wholesale B2B e-commerce site may want to display more products per page to help buyers quickly find the items they need. The store owner could increase the posts_per_page
parameter to 20 or 25, allowing buyers to browse a larger selection of products on each category page.
Example 3: Seasonal Product Listings
For e-commerce stores that sell highly seasonal products, the number of products per page may need to be adjusted based on the time of year. During peak seasons, the store owner could decrease the posts_per_page
parameter to highlight the most relevant products, while in off-seasons, they could increase the parameter to showcase a wider selection.
Best Practices
- Test and Analyze: Always test the impact of changing the number of products per page on your site's performance, bounce rates, and overall user experience. Use web analytics tools like Flowpoint.ai to monitor the effects of your changes and make data-driven decisions.
- Consider Responsive Design: Ensure that your product listings are responsive and adapt well to different screen sizes. The number of products per page may need to be adjusted for mobile devices to provide an optimal user experience.
- Offer Pagination: If you have a large number of products in a category, consider implementing pagination to allow customers to navigate through the listings more easily. This can help improve the overall user experience and reduce the strain on your server resources.
- Leverage Filters and Sorting: Provide customers with the ability to filter and sort the product listings, allowing them to quickly find the items they're looking for. This can help reduce the need to display a large number of products per page.
By understanding the various techniques for controlling the number of products per page in WooCommerce and following best practices, you can create an optimized and engaging shopping experience for your customers, ultimately driving more sales and conversions for your e-commerce business.