Managing product display on your WooCommerce store is essential for creating a smooth user experience that keeps customers engaged. One overlooked aspect of optimizing store navigation is controlling the number of products displayed per page. WooCommerce Product Per Page plugins allow you to set a custom number of products per page, helping to enhance your store’s performance and usability. In this article, we’ll explore how WooCommerce Product Per Page can boost your store’s performance and improve the shopping experience for your customers.
What Is WooCommerce Product Per Page?
The WooCommerce Product Per Page feature allows store owners to set how many products appear on a single page. Instead of overwhelming customers with an endless scroll or leaving them frustrated with only a few items per page, this feature strikes the right balance for better usability. By giving users control over how many products they view at once, you can create a smoother navigation experience.
Many WooCommerce stores use the Product Per Page WooCommerce plugin to customize these settings. This plugin enables users to select the number of items they wish to view per page, giving them flexibility while shopping and improving the site’s load speed by limiting the data loaded on each page.
Benefits of Setting a Custom Product Per Page Limit
1. Enhanced User Experience
An improved user experience is one of the most significant benefits of setting a custom product per page. When customers can easily view and browse your products, they’re more likely to engage with your store and make purchases.
- Simplified Navigation: Offering an option to display more or fewer products per page allows users to navigate your store in the way that suits them best.
- Personalized Browsing: Some shoppers may want to view all available options at once, while others may prefer fewer items per page for a less overwhelming experience.
2. Faster Load Times
One of the primary factors that influence site performance is load time. When a WooCommerce store loads too many products per page, it can lead to slow page speeds. A Product Per Page setting optimizes loading times by displaying fewer products if the customer prefers, which leads to a better shopping experience and helps retain customers.
- Reduced Load on Servers: Limiting the number of products on a page reduces the amount of data the server needs to handle, resulting in faster load times.
- Improved Page Speed: Faster pages lead to reduced bounce rates, as customers are less likely to abandon a page that loads quickly.
3. Better Mobile Experience
Mobile shopping has become increasingly popular, making it essential to optimize your WooCommerce store for mobile devices. Using a Product Per Page feature helps in adjusting the layout and speed to create a seamless mobile experience.
- Less Scrolling: On smaller screens, an optimal number of products per page prevents excessive scrolling, which can be inconvenient for mobile users.
- Mobile-Responsive Navigation: The Product Per Page feature ensures that users on mobile devices can view the products they want without clutter or lagging performance.
How WooCommerce Product Per Page Helps Boost SEO
1. Improved Dwell Time and Reduced Bounce Rate
The time a customer spends on your website, or “dwell time,” is an important metric for search engines. If users stay longer on your site, it signals to search engines that your content is engaging. By improving user experience and load times through Product Per Page settings, you can increase dwell time, reduce bounce rates, and ultimately improve your SEO.
- Higher Engagement: When users can easily find and view products without frustration, they’re likely to spend more time on your site.
- Reduced Exit Rates: By offering customization, you decrease the chances of customers leaving out of frustration, thus improving your SEO metrics.
2. Optimized Product Pages for Better Ranking
With WooCommerce Product Per Page, you can control the content density on each page, creating a balanced mix of text, images, and products that search engines favor.
- Content Optimization: Properly structured pages with optimal product listings allow for more SEO-friendly descriptions, alt tags, and other SEO elements.
- Efficient Crawling: By avoiding pages overloaded with products, search engine bots can crawl your pages more efficiently, increasing the likelihood of higher rankings.
Using WooCommerce Product Per Page with Infinite Scroll
For stores that want to combine seamless navigation with optimized performance, integrating WooCommerce Product Per Page with Infinite Scroll can be highly beneficial. Infinite Scroll dynamically loads products as the user scrolls down, creating an uninterrupted browsing experience.
- Enhanced User Control: While Product Per Page allows users to control how many items they see, Infinite Scroll removes the need for manual page navigation, leading to smoother user interaction.
- Reduced Page Loads: Infinite Scroll prevents full page reloads by loading products in segments, helping to further boost load speeds.
This combination offers a perfect balance of performance and usability, which can keep shoppers engaged and moving through your store’s product catalog.
Customizing Product Per Page Settings
The Product Per Page for WooCommerce plugin is easy to install and highly customizable. Here’s how you can make the most out of its settings:
- Set Default Product Count: Determine a reasonable default number of products to display per page. Depending on your catalog size and customer preferences, this could range from 9 to 24 items per page.
- Enable User Controls: Allow customers to adjust the number of products they see per page. This setting is particularly helpful for stores with a large variety of products, as it caters to users with different browsing preferences.
- Experiment with Infinite Scroll: For stores with larger inventories, consider adding an Infinite Scroll plugin to further enhance the browsing experience. This setting allows customers to continue viewing products without having to click through multiple pages, adding convenience and a modern feel to your store.
Conclusion
Incorporating the WooCommerce Product Per Page feature into your online store can transform the shopping experience by making navigation faster, more customizable, and more enjoyable for your customers. From enhancing user experience and boosting page load speeds to improving SEO and facilitating a better mobile shopping experience, optimizing your WooCommerce store’s product display settings can have a direct impact on customer satisfaction and conversions.