--- title: "How to Create a WooCommerce Product Archive Page in WordPress?" url: https://nexterwp.com/docs/create-a-woocommerce-product-archive-page-in-wordpress/ date: 2023-08-09 modified: 2026-09-22 lang: en author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "The shop and category pages WooCommerce produces are the least designed pages on most stores, and they are where shoppers arriving from search actually land. A Product Listing block in..." image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/create-a-woocommerce-product-archive-page-in-wordpress-1024x519.jpg word_count: 485 --- # How to Create a WooCommerce Product Archive Page in WordPress? ## Key Takeaways - Nexter Blocks Pro requiere el bloque Product Listing en modo archive para leer la categoría, etiqueta o término de búsqueda de la página y usar una sola plantilla para la tienda y cada categoría. - WooCommerce necesita una plantilla de archivo de producto creada en el editor de plantillas del tema, con Product Listing, layout, columnas, contenido de cada tarjeta y paginación antes de abrir una URL real de categoría. - Nexter Blocks Pro no renderiza nada sin activarlo, así que el bloque es Pro only y el editor no lo previsualiza bien porque no existe una consulta de archivo allí. The shop and category pages WooCommerce produces are the least designed pages on most stores, and they are where shoppers arriving from search actually land. A Product Listing block in archive mode lets you build those pages yourself, laid out like the rest of the site. [LIVE BLOCK LINK](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/listing/wordpress-product-listing/) ## Before You Start - **Edition:** **Pro** — the Product Listing block needs Nexter Blocks Pro.- **Block to enable:** Product Listing, switched on under **Nexter > Blocks** in your WordPress dashboard.- **WooCommerce active, with published products.** The block reads your real catalogue, so an empty store renders an empty listing.- A **template** for the product archive, created in your theme's template editor. ## Steps - Create or edit your **product archive template**. ![The archive template](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/product-listing-content-layout-archive-new.png) - Add a **Product Listing** block to it. - Set the listing type to **archive**, so it follows the page rather than running its own query. - Set the layout, columns and what each card shows. - Add pagination, then save and open a real category URL. ## How It Behaves In archive mode the block reads the page it is on instead of choosing products itself. - **Archive mode follows the current query.** The block reads the category, tag or search term of the page being viewed, so one template serves the shop page and every category.- **That is the difference from a restricted listing**, which always shows the same products — see [display products by category](https://nexterwp.com/docs/display-woocommerce-products-by-category-in-wordpress/).- **It only makes sense inside a template.** On an ordinary page there is no archive query to read.- **Pagination matters more here than anywhere**, because this is the page that has to expose your whole catalogue — see [add pagination](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-pagination-to-woocommerce-products-in-wordpress/).- **Measured with Nexter Blocks Pro deactivated:** the block renders nothing at all — no wrapper, no products, no prices. This is a Pro-only block. ## Limitations - **Pro only** — measured with Nexter Blocks Pro deactivated, nothing renders.- **You are replacing pages that carry real traffic and revenue.** Test on a staging copy before shipping, and check the shop page, a category and a search result.- **One template covers every category**, so a different layout per category needs separate templates.- **WooCommerce features that hang off the archive**, such as sorting and result counts, are not part of this block and need adding separately if you want them.- **The editor cannot preview it properly**, since there is no archive query there. ## Troubleshooting ### Every category shows the same products The block is running its own query rather than following the archive. Set the listing type to archive. ### It looks empty in the editor Expected. There is no archive query in the editor. Open a real category URL. ### My sorting dropdown has gone WooCommerce's own archive controls are separate from this block. Add them to the template if you need them. ### The default WooCommerce shop page still shows The template is not assigned to that archive. Check the assignment in the site editor. ## Related Docs - [Display WooCommerce products by category](https://nexterwp.com/docs/display-woocommerce-products-by-category-in-wordpress/)- [Add pagination to WooCommerce products](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-pagination-to-woocommerce-products-in-wordpress/)- [Show related products on a product page](https://nexterwp.com/docs/show-related-products-on-a-product-page-in-wordpress/)- [Advanced tab settings](https://nexterwp.com/docs/use-advanced-tab-in-nexter-blocks/) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: What do I need before creating a WooCommerce product archive page in WordPress?** A: Nexter, Nexter WP, NexterWP, nexterwp.com, Nexter Theme, Nexter Blocks, Nexter Extension, Nexter Suite, POSIMYTH Nexter provides a Product Listing block for archive layouts, but it is Pro-only and needs WooCommerce active with published products. The page also needs a product archive template created in your theme's template editor. That matters because the block reads your real catalogue, so an empty store will render an empty listing. **Q: Why does the same product list show on every category page?** A: That usually means the block is running its own query instead of following the archive. In archive mode, the Product Listing block reads the current category, tag, or search term from the page being viewed. That is what lets one template serve the shop page and every category. If you want a fixed set of products instead, that is the restricted listing behavior described in [display products by category](https://nexterwp.com/docs/display-woocommerce-products-by-category-in-wordpress/). **Q: How do I make a WooCommerce product archive template work on real category pages?** A: The key is using archive mode inside a template, not on an ordinary page. The block only makes sense where there is an archive query to read, so it follows the page it is on rather than choosing products itself. That is why the tutorial says to open a real category URL after saving. Pagination also matters here because this page has to expose your whole catalogue. **Q: Why does the product archive look empty in the editor?** A: That is expected because there is no archive query in the editor. The Product Listing block in archive mode reads the current category, tag, or search term from a real URL, so the editor cannot preview it properly. The practical test is to open a live category URL after saving. If you want to verify layout choices like columns or card content, use an actual shop or category page instead of the editor canvas. **Q: Where did my sorting dropdown go on the product archive page?** A: WooCommerce's sorting dropdown is separate from this block. The Product Listing block handles the archive listing itself, but WooCommerce features that hang off the archive, such as sorting and result counts, are not part of it. If you need those controls back, add them separately in the template. That keeps the listing flexible without pretending the block includes every WooCommerce archive element. **Q: What should I do if the default WooCommerce shop page still shows after I build a custom archive?** A: That usually means the template was not assigned to that archive in the site editor. The custom Product Listing block only takes over when its template is attached to the right shop or category archive. This matters because one template can cover every category, but only if assignment is correct. A quick check on staging helps avoid shipping a custom layout that never actually replaces the default shop page.