How to Add a Featured Products Section in WooCommerce

Shoppers decide what to buy in seconds. WooCommerce powers about 33.4% of all online stores, which is more than 4.5 million shops (StoreLeads, August 2025). 

In a market that crowded, you cannot make people hunt for your best items. A featured products section in WooCommerce puts your top picks front and center, so buyers see them first.

This guide shows you every way to mark and display featured products. It takes about two minutes to set up. No code needed.

What is a Featured Products Section in WooCommerce?

A featured products section is a block on your store that shows the products you tag as “featured.” You mark a product with a star in your dashboard. Then WooCommerce can pull those starred items into a special spot on your homepage, shop page, or sidebar.

Think of it as a spotlight. You choose what gets the light.

Good picks to feature:

• Bestsellers
• New arrivals
• High-margin items
• Sale or seasonal products
• Products you want to clear out

Why Add Featured Products to Your Store

Featured products help you guide the shopper. Instead of showing everything at once, you point to a few strong choices.

Here is what that does for your store:

• More sales. Your best items get more views, so more people buy.
• Faster choices. Shoppers feel less overwhelmed when you narrow the field.
• Better flow. You can promote what fits the season or a sale.
• Cleaner homepage. A tight, curated grid looks more professional.

Now let’s set it up. There are two parts. First you mark products as featured. Then you display them.

Good Read: How to Add Product Tags in WooCommerce

Part 1: How to Mark a Product as Featured in WooCommerce

You can mark a product as featured in three ways. Pick the one that fits.

Method 1: Use the star icon (fastest)

This is the quickest way.

1. Go to Products > All Products in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Find the Featured column. It shows a star next to each product.
3. Click the star. A filled star means the product is now featured.

Click the star again to turn it off.

Can’t see the star column? Click Screen Options at the top right of the page. Check the box for Featured. The star column will appear.

Method 2: Edit the product

Use this when you are already editing a product.

1. Open the product you want to feature.
2. In the right sidebar, find the Publish panel.
3. Look for Catalog visibility and click Edit.
4. Check the box This is a featured product.
5. Click OK, then click Update.

Method 3: Quick Edit

1. In Products > All Products, hover over a product name.
2. Click Quick Edit.
3. Check the Featured box.
4. Click Update.

Part 2: How to Display Featured Products on Your Store

Marking products is only step one. Now you need to show them. WooCommerce gives you a few ways to build the actual section.

Option 1: The Featured Products block (best for a full section)

This block shows many featured products at once. It pulls in every product you starred.

1. Open the page where you want the section. This is often your homepage or shop page.
2. Click the + button to add a block.
3. Search for Featured Products and add it.
4. The block fills in with your starred items right away.
5. Click any part of the block to change columns, product count, or button text.
6. Click Update or Publish.

This is the closest thing to a true “featured products section.” It updates on its own when you star or unstar items.

Option 2: The Featured Product block (for a single item)

Note the name. This block shows one product only.

1. Add a block and search for Featured Product (no “s”).
2. Pick the product you want.
3. Adjust the image, text, and button.

Use this for a hero banner or a single spotlight. If you want a grid, use the Featured Products block instead.

Option 3: Shortcode (works anywhere)

A shortcode lets you drop featured products into any page, post, or widget.

Use this shortcode:

 [products limit="4" columns="4" visibility="featured"]

• limit sets how many products show.
• columns sets how many appear per row.
• visibility=”featured” tells WooCommerce to show only featured items.

The older

[featured_products per_page="4" columns="4"]

shortcode still works too. But the newer one above is the current standard.

Option 4: A page builder or plugin (for full design control)

Blocks are fine for most stores. But if you want more design freedom, use a page builder.

Tools like SeedProd, Elementor, or a WooCommerce blocks plugin let you drag a featured products grid and style it your way. You control spacing, colors, hover effects, and layout. This helps if the default block feels too plain.

Good Read: How to Edit WooCommerce Shop Page with ShopBuilder

Best Plugins for Featured Products in WooCommerce

The built-in blocks work for most stores. But if you want more layout and design control, a plugin helps. Here are a few worth knowing.

• ShopBuilder is an Elementor addon for WooCommerce with 100+ widgets. Its Highlighted Product widget and product grid and slider layouts let you build a styled featured section with drag and drop. It has a free version, and no code is needed.
• SeedProd is a page builder with a featured products grid block. You set the product count and style the layout to match your brand.
• Elementor Pro adds WooCommerce widgets that can pull products by featured status. Good if you already use Elementor.
• Product Slider and Carousel plugins turn your featured items into a moving slider. This saves space and adds motion to your homepage.

Pick one only if the default block feels too limited. For a simple grid, the Featured Products block is enough.

Common Problems & How to Fix Them

Most guides stop after the steps. But this is where real store owners get stuck. Here are the issues people run into most, based on WooCommerce forums and support threads.

My featured products are not showing up

Check these three things first:

1. Is the product published? Draft products never show.
2. Is catalog visibility set to visible? Open the product, check Catalog visibility, and make sure it is set to Shop and search results. If it says “Hidden,” the product will not appear.
3. Is the product in stock? Some themes hide out-of-stock items.

Also clear your site cache. A cached page can hide new changes.

The Featured Products block is empty

The block shows nothing until you star at least one product. Go back to Products > All Products and mark a few items with the star.

I can’t find the star or Featured column

This is a very common one. The Featured column is hidden by default in some setups. Click Screen Options at the top of the products page and turn on Featured.

Out-of-stock products still show as featured

WooCommerce does not remove the featured tag when stock hits zero. To hide sold-out items everywhere, go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory and turn on Hide out of stock items from the catalog.

Note that this hides out-of-stock items across your whole store, not just the featured ones.

I want to see only my featured products in one list

WooCommerce has no built-in “show only featured” filter in the admin. The star column is the closest tool. You can scan it to see what is featured. For a real filter, you would need a plugin or a small code snippet.

Good Read: How to Show Stock Status on WooCommerce Products

Best Practices for Featured Products

A few smart habits go a long way.

• Feature 4 to 8 products. Too many kills the “special” feeling.
• Use strong images. The photo does most of the selling.
• Rotate often. Swap items for sales, seasons, or new stock.
• Place it high. Put the section near the top of your homepage.
• Match your goal. Feature high-margin items if you want profit, or slow movers if you want to clear stock.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Thoughts

Adding a featured products section in WooCommerce is quick and free. Star your best items, drop in the Featured Products block, and you are done.

Your next step is simple. Open your dashboard, pick your five strongest products, and give them the spotlight. Then watch which ones your shoppers click most, and adjust from there.