Building Shop Page with WooCommerce and Gutenberg – Technical Guide

Building Shop Page with WooCommerce and Gutenberg – Technical Guide

A Step-by-Step Guide for Developers on Constructing Stunning Ecommerce Stores

With the growing popularity of Gutenberg, the new WordPress page builder, many sites are exploring how to leverage it for WooCommerce web development to create compelling ecommerce experiences. One powerful combination for WooCommerce web developers is using Gutenberg alongside the WooCommerce plugin to build shop pages that turn visitors into customers. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps WooCommerce web developers can follow to create a stylish yet simple WooCommerce shop in Gutenberg from scratch. With just a few blocks and some easy customization, WooCommerce web developers can create an engaging storefront highlighting their clients’ products beautifully.

Whether selling physical goods, digital downloads, or services, Gutenberg and WooCommerce make it easy for web developers to build conversion-focused shops within WordPress. We’ll go through selecting the right blocks, customizing the design, and publishing the new page so you can see firsthand how Gutenberg enhances WooCommerce stores built by web developers. Let’s get started building this WooCommerce web development project!

Step 1) Enable WooCommerce and Gutenberg

The first step when building a WooCommerce shop page in Gutenberg is making sure you have the key plugins installed and activated. WooCommerce is the leading ecommerce solution for WordPress, providing all the features and functionality you need to add shopping carts, manage products, process payments, and more.

  • Installing this plugin provides the foundation for your online store. Gutenberg is the innovative new page builder that comes standard with WordPress.

  • Activating Gutenberg gives you access to the block editor when creating pages and posts. This block-based approach allows you to add rich, customizable content modules with just a few clicks.

  • With WooCommerce and Gutenberg enabled, you can tap into the ecommerce tools and design flexibility needed to construct a stunning shop page.

  • Verifying these plugins are installed and activated ensures your site is ready before you begin the fun part - building your dynamic online storefront.

Step 2) Create a new Shop page

  • Once the WooCommerce and Gutenberg plugins are up and running, creating the actual Shop page is time. This is done like any regular page in WordPress.

  • Go to Pages > Add New in your WordPress admin dashboard and give the page an intuitive name like "Shop."

  • Then select the blank Gutenberg template so you have a clean canvas to work on. This creates the foundation of your store's homepage.

  • Later, we can assign this page to the Shop page in the WooCommerce settings. It builds a landing place to start populating products using Gutenberg blocks.

  • Setting up an empty Shop page makes the next steps of designing with blocks much smoother.

  • Just be sure to use the Gutenberg editor, not the classic WordPress page builder, to leverage the blocks.

Step 3) Add a Page Header block

  • Now for the fun part - adding content blocks to your Shop page!

  • A great block to start with is the Page Header. This allows you to create an introductory section welcoming visitors to your store.

  • Search for the "Page Header" block in the Gutenberg editor toolbar and add it to the top of the page. It enables you to enter a title, subtitle, image, and text to kick things off.

  • For example, you may want to add your store name as the title, a catchy slogan as the subtitle, and introduce what types of products you sell.

  • Customize the Page Header with your branding colors and fonts to set the tone.

  • Tweak the header until it gives off the unique vibe you desire.

  • Having this intro block greets visitors in a polished, professional way and gets them primed to start shopping for your products.

Step 4) Add a Products block

  • After the introductory Page Header, it's time to showcase the stars of your store - the products!

  • Search for the "Products" block in Gutenberg and add it below your header; this block will display the products from your WooCommerce store beautifully on the Shop page.

  • You can configure options like columns for how products are laid out, featured products, categories, and more.

  • Take some time to play around with the settings to optimize the presentation of your products.

  • Make sure to arrange your products to encourage visitors to browse and get excited about purchasing. The Products block makes your items shine with eye-catching images, prices, titles, and descriptions right on the homepage.

  • Put some thought into organizing your products in a compelling yet tidy way; this block is the heart and soul of showing off your wares in your WooCommerce storefront.

Step 5) Customize and Publish

  • Once you have your key blocks in place - the Page Header introducing your shop and Products showcasing your items - you can customize the design to bring everything together.

  • Play around with options like colors, typography, padding, and background within each block to get the look just right.

  • You can also add additional blocks like Images & Videos to inject visual interest between products. Take time to get the layout and styling polished.

  • Finally, don't forget to Publish your new Shop page!

  • Preview it first to ensure you are also happy with the mobile experience.

  • Head to the WooCommerce settings to assign this page as your official Shop page that site visitors will land on.

With that, your new WooCommerce storefront created with Gutenberg is live! Use analytics to monitor its performance, and don't hesitate to tweak the blocks further to optimize conversion over time.