How To Hide Related Products In Woocommerce

Comprehensive Guide on How to Hide Related Products in WooCommerce

If you’re running an online store with WooCommerce, you might find yourself looking for ways to customize the product pages to suit your specific needs. One common customization is to hide related products on product pages. Whether you want to clean up the design or improve page load times, this comprehensive guide will help you achieve that with ease.

Why Hide Related Products in WooCommerce?

Before we dive into the how-to, it’s vital to understand the why. Here are several reasons why you might want to hide related products:

**Cleaner Design**: Simplifying your product pages can provide a cleaner, more focused shopping experience for your customers.
**Improved Load Times**: Related products often require additional queries and data fetching, which can slow down your site.
**Better Conversion Rate**: By reducing distractions, you can potentially increase the conversion rate on your product pages.

Methods to Hide Related Products in WooCommerce

There are multiple methods to hide related products in WooCommerce. You can choose a technique based on your comfort level with coding and customization.

Using Theme Customization or CSS

Most WordPress themes have customization options that allow you to add CSS. Here’s a quick way to hide related products using CSS:

1. Access the Customizer:

Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
Navigate to **Appearance** > **Customize**.

2. Add Custom CSS:

Click on **Additional CSS**.
Add the following CSS code to hide related products:

 .related.products { display: none; }

3. Publish Changes:

Click **Publish** to apply the changes.

Using a Child Theme

For those familiar with WordPress development, using a child theme is a robust solution. This method involves editing your WooCommerce template files.

1. Create a Child Theme:

If you haven’t already, create a child theme to ensure your changes aren’t lost during theme updates.

2. Edit the WooCommerce Template:

Copy the `single-product/related.php` file from the WooCommerce plugin directory into your child theme’s `woocommerce/single-product` folder.
Edit this copied file and either comment out or remove the code that displays related products.

Using a Plugin

For users who prefer not to deal with code, there are plugins available that can help you hide related products without any hassle.

**WooCommerce Customizer**: This plugin provides options to disable related products via an easy-to-use interface.
**Disable WooCommerce Related Products**: A straightforward plugin that does exactly what its name suggests.

To use a plugin:

1. Install and Activate the Plugin:

From your WordPress Dashboard, navigate to **Plugins** > **Add New**.
Search for your preferred plugin and click **Install Now**.
Activate the plugin.

2. Configure Settings:

Follow the plugin’s instructions to disable related products.

SEO Considerations

While hiding related products can streamline your product pages, it’s essential to consider the SEO implications:

**Internal Linking**: Related products can enhance internal linking, which is beneficial for SEO. Be sure to compensate for this by linking strategically elsewhere on your site.
**User Engagement**: Ensure that removing related products doesn’t negatively impact user engagement or the average time spent on your site.

Conclusion

Choosing to hide related products in WooCommerce can have several benefits, from a cleaner design to improved performance. Whether you opt for CSS tweaks, child theme modifications, or plugin solutions, there’s a method suitable for every comfort level. Always remember to consider the SEO implications and ensure that any changes enhance the user experience on your site.

By following this guide, you can effectively manage the display of related products and tailor your WooCommerce store to better meet your business objectives.