Category Pages are Ugly/Weird

Hi,

It seems like you’re facing an issue with the display of your WooCommerce shop’s category pages. The behavior you described, with an unrelated image and a string of product names, could be due to several reasons. Let’s troubleshoot step by step:

1. Check Permalinks:
   Ensure that your WordPress permalinks are set to a format that works well. To do this, go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Settings” > “Permalinks,” and choose a suitable permalink structure. This can sometimes resolve issues with incorrect page rendering.
2. Theme Compatibility:
   It’s possible that your current theme might not be fully compatible with WooCommerce or its category pages. Try temporarily switching to a default WordPress theme (such as Twenty Twenty-One) to see if the issue persists. If the category pages work fine with the default theme, the problem could be related to your current theme.
3. Check WooCommerce Settings:
   Double-check your WooCommerce settings to ensure they are configured correctly. Go to “WooCommerce” > “Settings” and review the settings related to product and category pages. Make sure the options are configured the way you want them.
4. Check Category Images and Descriptions:
   Make sure that each category has a proper image assigned to it. Also, check the category descriptions for any unusual content. Sometimes, category descriptions can impact how the page is displayed.
5. Plugin Conflict:
   Deactivate all non-WooCommerce plugins and check if the issue persists. If the issue disappears, reactivate the plugins one by one to identify the conflicting plugin. This can help narrow down the source of the problem.
6. Cache and Browser Issues:
   Clear your website’s cache and your browser cache. Cached content can sometimes cause unexpected display issues.
7. Update WooCommerce and Theme:
   Make sure you are using the latest version of WooCommerce and your theme. Outdated software can lead to compatibility issues.
8. Customizations:
   If you have made any customizations to your theme or WooCommerce templates, review them to ensure they are not causing the display problem.
9. Page Templates and Layouts:
   Some themes offer specific page templates or layout options for WooCommerce category pages. Check your theme’s documentation to see if there are any specific instructions for configuring these pages.
10. Theme Support:
    If the issue persists after trying the above steps, consider reaching out to your theme’s support. They might be able to provide specific guidance for troubleshooting and resolving issues with WooCommerce category pages.

By systematically addressing these points, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue causing the abnormal display of your WooCommerce category pages.

Thank you! I still can’t figure out where the content is being pulled in from. (It’s not showing up as any part of the category descriptions, etc.) But I was at least able to figure out how to use Content Views to “override” it, to a point, so I have functional product lists displaying above whatever that junky thing is.

Hi @a2jc4life

Based on your explanation, it sounds like your theme might be causing a conflict, or it has built-in functionality that displays a default photo or a product photo as the category cover or header photo. By default, WooCommerce should only show the thumbnail you set for the category, not any single photo.

Although you were able to fix the issue using another plugin, it is worth checking if your theme is causing the issue. Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Three or Storefront and see if the issue persists. If it doesn’t, the issue is likely with your theme and you may need to contact the theme developer for support.

If changing the theme doesn’t solve the issue, try deactivating all your plugins except WooCommerce. If this resolves the issue, reactivate the plugins one by one until you find the one causing the conflict. Once identified, you can contact the plugin developer for help, or find an alternative plugin.

Let us know how that goes. Looking forward to helping you.