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Master WooCommerce Product Filtering: Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to the definitive guide on transforming your WooCommerce store! If you’ve ever wondered why some online shops effortlessly convert browsers into buyers, the answer often lies in their ability to guide customers precisely to what they seek.

Just like global retail giants such as Amazon intuitively offer powerful filters for price, color, size, and sorting by new arrivals, successful eCommerce businesses understand the true psychology of online shopping. Without efficient navigation, customers get lost, frustrated, and—most critically—they leave without buying.

This isn't just about convenience; it's about optimizing your sales funnel and maximizing revenue. When customers can't quickly locate their desired products, your bounce rates soar, and your conversion rates plummet.

That's why we've crafted this comprehensive, step-by-step guide. We’ll show you how to implement robust product filtering in your WooCommerce store, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience that drives sales. Get ready to learn how to create dynamic, attribute-based filters that elevate your store's navigation and delight every shopper.

Why Smart Product Filtering is a Game-Changer for Your WooCommerce Store

Imagine a customer entering a sprawling physical store, unable to find the aisle they need. They'd probably walk out. The same applies to your digital storefront. Product filters aren't just a luxury; they are a fundamental pillar of exceptional user experience and a powerful driver of sales.

Filters radically simplify the browsing experience in your WooCommerce store. They empower shoppers to immediately narrow down their search using common attributes like color, price range, fabric type, size, and much more. Instead of endlessly scrolling through your entire inventory, customers can instantly hone in on the products that genuinely interest them.

Implementing effective product filtering brings a cascade of benefits:

  • Superior User Experience (UX): Happy customers are repeat customers. Intuitive filters reduce friction and make shopping enjoyable.
  • Enhanced Search Functionality: Go beyond basic search. Filters provide precise ways for users to find what they're looking for, even if they don't know the exact keyword. This also helps fix common WooCommerce product search issues.
  • Reduced Bounce Rates: When visitors find what they need quickly, they're less likely to abandon your site.
  • Increased Conversions and Sales: By enabling customers to effortlessly explore all available options for products they are interested in, filters facilitate more informed purchasing decisions, directly boosting your bottom line.

Ready to transform your WooCommerce sales? Let's dive into setting up powerful product filters. We’ll cover two primary methods: filtering by standard WooCommerce attributes and filtering by custom attributes you define.

Seamless Filtering: By Standard WooCommerce Attributes

If you’re seeking a fast and efficient way to implement product filtering, this method is your go-to. We’ll walk you through setting up attribute-based filters using a dedicated WooCommerce product filter plugin.

Getting Started: Plugin Installation

First, you'll need the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter plugin. Begin by installing and activating it on your WordPress site. If you need a refresher, our comprehensive guide on how to install a WordPress plugin has you covered.

Note: While a free version of the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter is available, our demonstration utilizes the premium version for its advanced functionalities. For a deeper dive into our experience with this tool, read our YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter review.

Creating Your First Filter Preset

Upon activation, navigate to YITH » Ajax Product Filter from your WordPress dashboard. Here, click the ‘+ Create a new preset’ button to begin crafting your filter set.

Assign a Preset name for internal reference; this won't be visible to your customers.

Next, select ‘Horizontal’ as your preset layout (if using the premium version) or stick with ‘Default’ for the free version. Then, click ‘+ Add a new filter button’ at the bottom to define your first filter.

Configuring Individual Filters

Now it's time to define the criteria for your filter:

  1. Filter Name: Provide a user-friendly name, e.g., ‘Filter by Category’.

  2. Filter For: This crucial dropdown determines the filter's scope.

    • Product Categories/Tags: Only available in the free version.
    • Price Range: Ideal for price-based filtering.
    • Order by: Use for sorting by popularity or average rating.
    • Taxonomy: This is your power option for filtering by product tags, categories, colors, sizes, materials, styles, and more. For this tutorial, we'll select Taxonomy.

    To understand the nuances between these options, refer to our guide on how to add tags, attributes, and categories to WooCommerce.

  3. Choose Taxonomy & Terms: If you selected Taxonomy, pick the specific attribute (e.g., ‘Product Categories’, ‘Colors’, ‘Sizes’) from the taxonomy dropdown. Then, in the Choose terms section, list all the relevant terms found on your website for that taxonomy (e.g., "Electronics", "Apparel", "Books" for Product Categories).

  4. Filter Type: Select how this filter will appear on your storefront. Options include Checkbox, Dropdown Menu (Select), Text, Color Swatches, and more. For this example, we’ll choose ‘Select’ for a dropdown menu.

  5. Display Options:

    • Show Search Field: Enable this toggle to include a search box within your filter dropdown.
    • Show as toggle: Allow customers to collapse/expand the filter.

  6. Order Settings: Define the default display order for the filtered terms. You can sort by name, term count, or slug, and choose Ascending (ASC) or Descending (DESC) order.

Finally, click Save Filter. Repeat this process to add as many filters as your store requires.

Configuring General Settings

After creating your individual filters, navigate to the ‘General Settings’ tab at the top.

  • Filter Mode: Decide if filters apply in real-time using AJAX or if an ‘Apply Filters’ button is required.

  • Display Results: Choose to show results on the same page (AJAX) or reload on a new page.

  • Hide Empty Terms: Toggle this on to prevent categories or terms without products from showing in the filter. For example, if your "Mugs" category is empty, it won't appear.

  • Hide Out of Stock Products: Enable this to automatically exclude out-of-stock products from filter results.

Adjust other settings as needed, then click ‘Save options’.

Customization Settings (Premium Only)

Switch to the ‘Customization’ tab (available only in the premium version). Here, you can visually tailor your filters to match your brand:

  • Label Style Color
  • Textual Term Color
  • Color Swatch Size
  • Filter Area Color

These options ensure your filters seamlessly integrate with your e-commerce store's design.

Click ‘Save Options’ once satisfied.

Optimizing for SEO

The ‘SEO’ tab allows you to configure settings crucial for search engine visibility. Toggle ‘Enable SEO option’ to activate.

  • Meta Tags: Add appropriate meta tags for your filtered pages to improve your site's SEO. If you're unfamiliar, learn more about WordPress metadata and meta tags.
  • Nofollow Filter Anchors: Toggle ‘Add “nofollow” to filter anchors’ if you want search engines to ignore these filtered links for ranking purposes, preventing duplicate content issues.

Save your settings after configuration.

Displaying Filters on Your Product Page

Finally, let's make your new filters live!

  1. Go to the ‘Filter presets’ tab.

  2. Copy the shortcode for the filter preset you just created.

  3. Open your WooCommerce products page in the WordPress block editor.

  4. Click the Add Block ‘(+)’ button and search for the Shortcode block.

  5. Paste your copied filter preset shortcode into this block.

  6. Click ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ to save your changes.

Congratulations! Your WooCommerce store now features dynamic, attribute-based product filtering, enhancing customer experience and driving conversions.

Advanced Control: By Custom WooCommerce Attributes

What if you need to filter by a unique characteristic not covered by standard WooCommerce attributes? This method allows you to create and utilize custom attributes for even more granular product organization and filtering.

Step 1: Create a Custom Attribute

Start by defining your custom attribute:

  1. Go to Products » Attributes from your WordPress dashboard.

  2. Enter a Name (e.g., ‘Filter by Material’) and a Slug for your new attribute.

  3. Check ‘Enable Archives’ if you want a dedicated archive page for all products sharing this attribute.

  4. Click ‘Add Attribute’.

  5. Once created, click ‘Configure Terms’ to add specific values for your attribute.

  6. On the new screen, type a Name for each term (e.g., ‘Wool’, ‘Cotton’, ‘Silk’ for a ‘Material’ attribute). Add as many terms as needed.

  7. Click ‘Add new [your attribute name]’ to save each term.

Step 2: Assign Custom Attributes to Products

Now, link your newly created custom attributes to your individual WooCommerce products:

  1. Edit the product you wish to assign the attribute to.

  2. Scroll down to the ‘Product data’ section and select the ‘Attributes’ tab.

  3. From the ‘Custom Product Attribute’ dropdown, choose the custom attribute you just created.

  4. Click ‘Add’.

  5. In the ‘Select Terms’ field, find and select the appropriate term for this product (e.g., ‘Wool’ for a wool product).

  6. Click ‘Save attributes’.

  7. Update or Publish the product to save changes.

Repeat this process for all relevant products that share this custom attribute.

Step 3: Create a Custom Attribute Filter Using a Plugin

We'll use the same YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter plugin, which supports custom attributes in both its free and premium versions.

  1. If you haven't already, install and activate the plugin as detailed earlier. For guidance, refer to our WordPress plugin installation guide.

  2. Navigate to YITH » Ajax Product Filter in your dashboard.

  3. Click ‘+ Create a new preset’.

  4. Enter a Preset name and click ‘+ Add a new filter button’.

  5. Filter Name: Give your filter a name (e.g., ‘Filter for Material’).

  6. Filter For: Select ‘Taxonomy’ from the dropdown. (This might be default in the free version).

  7. Choose Taxonomy & Terms: Your custom attribute will now appear in the ‘Choose taxonomy’ dropdown. Select it, and then type the specific terms for this attribute into the ‘Choose terms’ box (e.g., ‘Wool’, ‘Cotton’ for a 'Material' attribute).

  8. Filter Type & Order Settings: Choose how the filter will display (checkbox, dropdown, etc.) and its order, just as you did for standard attributes.

  9. Click ‘Save Filter’.

Step 4: Configure General, Customization, and SEO Settings

Return to the ‘General Settings’ tab to configure filter mode, visibility of empty/out-of-stock terms, and more.

Click ‘Save options’.

If you have the premium plugin, proceed to the ‘Customization’ tab to design the filter’s appearance.

Finally, visit the ‘SEO’ tab to enable SEO options, add meta tags, or apply the nofollow attribute to filter anchors, helping your filtered pages rank correctly.

Click ‘Save Options’.

Step 5: Add the Custom Attribute Filter to Your Product Page

The final step is to display your custom attribute filter on your WooCommerce product page:

  1. Go to the ‘Filter presets’ tab.

  2. Copy the shortcode for your custom attribute filter preset.

  3. Edit your product page in the block editor.

  4. Add a Shortcode block and paste your copied shortcode.

  5. Click ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’.

Your custom attribute filter is now live, offering unparalleled navigation for your customers!

Beyond Filters: Bonus Strategies to Skyrocket WooCommerce Sales

While powerful product filters are crucial for boosting sales, they are just one piece of the puzzle. To truly maximize your WooCommerce store's potential, consider these additional performance-enhancing strategies:

1. Optimize Website Speed & Performance: A lightning-fast WooCommerce store isn't just a nicety; it's a necessity. Faster load times directly translate to lower bounce rates, higher customer retention, and significantly more conversions.

  • Choose High-Performance Hosting: We highly recommend SiteGround. They are a WooCommerce-recommended hosting provider known for speed-optimized features like Ultrafast PHP and e-commerce caching.

  • Implement Caching: Caching stores your site's data temporarily, drastically cutting down load times for repeat visitors. Leverage one of the best WooCommerce caching plugins to handle this effortlessly.

2. Optimize Product Visuals: High-quality, optimized product images are vital. While beautiful photos grab attention, ensure they're optimized for web performance. Large, unoptimized images can drag down your site speed. Learn how to optimize images for search engines (Image SEO).

3. Select a Fast-Loading WooCommerce Theme: Your theme is the foundation of your store's design and performance. Opt for a lightweight, well-coded WooCommerce theme that prioritizes speed and efficiency.

4. Keep Software Updated: Always use the latest PHP version for your WordPress installation. Newer PHP versions offer significant performance improvements and enhanced security.

5. Enhance Security with a DNS-Level Firewall: Protecting your store from threats also means maintaining performance. A DNS-level firewall can filter out malicious traffic before it even reaches your server, reducing server load and improving overall speed.

For detailed instructions on all these points, dive into our comprehensive guide on how to speed up WooCommerce performance.

Final Thoughts: Unlock Your WooCommerce Store's Full Potential

Implementing effective product filtering is more than just a technical tweak; it's a strategic investment in your WooCommerce store's future. By empowering your customers to easily find exactly what they're looking for, you'll not only enhance their shopping experience but also significantly boost your conversion rates and reduce cart abandonment.

This guide has provided you with the precise steps to set up powerful attribute and custom attribute filters using the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter plugin. We've also armed you with critical bonus tips to further optimize your store's performance and skyrocket your sales.

Now it's your turn to act! Start by implementing smart product filtering today. Watch as your customers enjoy a smoother, more intuitive shopping journey, leading to increased satisfaction and a healthier bottom line.

Ready to take your WooCommerce store to the next level?

If you found this article helpful, connect with us for more expert WordPress insights!

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