Online shoppers follow the crowd. When they see what others buy most, they feel safe clicking “add to cart.” That trust pays off. Strong social proof, like best seller labels and reviews, can lift conversion rates by up to 270%, based on research from Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center (source).
So if you want more sales, your top products should be easy to find. This guide shows you how to sort products by best selling in WooCommerce. You will learn the free built-in way, a shortcode, a block, and a plugin method. Pick the one that fits your store.
Quick Answer
To sort products by best selling in WooCommerce, go to Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog. Set Default product sorting to Sort by popularity. Click Publish. WooCommerce ranks products by total sales, so your best sellers show first.
That is the fastest fix. Read on for more control and other options.
What “best selling” means in WooCommerce
WooCommerce does not use a setting literally called “best selling” for the main shop order. It uses Popularity. Popularity sorts products by how many units each one has sold. More sales means a higher spot.
Here is the key detail most guides skip. Popularity counts all-time sales. It does not reset each week or month. A product that sold well two years ago can still sit on top today. If you want best sellers for the last 7 or 30 days, you need a plugin. More on that below.
Now let’s go through each method.
Good Read: How to Add a Featured Products Section in WooCommerce
Method 1: Set the default sort to popularity (free)
This sets the order for your whole shop. Every visitor sees best sellers first.
Go to your WordPress dashboard. Click Appearance > Customize. Open WooCommerce > Product Catalog. Find Default product sorting. Choose Sort by popularity. Click Publish.
Visit your shop page to check. Your top sellers should now lead the grid.
Note for block themes: Some newer themes hide the Customizer. If you do not see it, install a theme that supports WooCommerce sorting, or use Method 3 or 4 instead.
Best for: Store owners who want a simple, site-wide default with no code.
Method 2: Let customers sort by popularity
You do not have to force one order on everyone. WooCommerce adds a sort dropdown at the top of the shop and category pages. Customers can pick their own view.
The dropdown includes Sort by popularity. When a shopper selects it, your best sellers move to the top for them. Featured items, price, rating, and newest are also there.
You do not need to set this up. The dropdown shows by default with most WooCommerce themes. Just make sure your theme is not hiding it.
Best for: Stores that want to give shoppers control instead of one fixed order.
Method 3: Show best sellers with a shortcode or block
Sometimes you do not want to change the whole shop. You just want a “Best Sellers” section on your homepage or a landing page. A shortcode or block does this.
Use the shortcode
Paste this into any page or post:
[best_selling_products limit="8" columns="4"]- limit sets how many products show.
- columns sets how many per row.
WooCommerce fills the section with your top-selling items. Change the numbers to fit your layout.
Use the block
If you use the block editor:
- Edit a page and click the + button.
- Add the Product Collection block.
- Choose the Best Sellers preset.
Older WooCommerce versions have a Best Selling Products block instead. Both pull from your sales data.
Best for: Adding a best sellers section to one page without touching the main shop order.
Method 4: Use a plugin for full control (ShopBuilder example)
The free options work well. But they have limits. You cannot fully style the grid. You cannot switch layouts with a click. You cannot mix best sellers with sliders and filters.
ShopBuilder fixes this. It is an Elementor addon for WooCommerce. You drag, drop, and design a best sellers section with no code. The Best Selling Products sort option comes with ShopBuilder Pro.
Follow these four steps.
Step 1: Upload and install ShopBuilder Pro
Go to Plugins > Add Plugin, then click Upload Plugin at the top. Click Choose file and pick the shopbuilder-pro.zip file. Click Install Now, then activate it. This unlocks the Pro widgets, including best selling sorting.
Step 2: Edit your page with Elementor
Open the page or shop template where you want best sellers to show. Click the blue Edit with Elementor button at the top. This opens the drag-and-drop editor.
Step 3: Add the Products – Grid Layouts widget
In the Elementor panel on the left, type “products” in the search box. Drag the Products – Grid Layouts widget onto your page. You can also pick List or Slider layouts if you like.
Step 4: Set the sort to Best Selling Products
Open the widget settings and find Display Products By. Choose Best Selling Products from the dropdown. Your grid now shows top sellers first. Other choices include Featured, On Sale, Top Rated, and Recently Viewed.
Set how many products to show, style the cards, then click Publish. You now have a clean best sellers block that fits your brand. Add one to any page, like a best sellers row for each category.
Best for: Store owners who want design control, sliders, or category-based best seller sections.
Compare the methods
| Method | Best for | Code needed | Time-based sorting |
| Default sort (popularity) | Whole-shop order | No | No |
| Customer dropdown | Shopper choice | No | No |
| Shortcode or block | One page section | No | No |
| ShopBuilder plugin | Design and control | No | Yes, with settings |
Fix common problems
Popularity sorting shows the wrong order. New stores have little sales data. Until orders come in, WooCommerce falls back to the default order. Give it time and real sales.
Best sellers are not updating. WooCommerce records a sale when an order is processing or completed. Refunded and failed orders do not count. Check your order statuses.
The sort dropdown is missing. Some themes hide it. Switch to a WooCommerce-ready theme, or use a plugin like ShopBuilder to add your own grid.
Nothing changes after saving. Clear your site cache and your browser cache. Caching plugins often store the old order.
Two products have the same sales. WooCommerce then uses menu order or date as a tiebreaker. That is normal.
Tips to get more from best sellers
- Add a “Best Sellers” section near the top of your homepage. Shoppers see proven items first.
- Keep the list short. Six to eight products is enough. Too many hides your winners.
- Add a “Best Seller” badge to top items. It works like Amazon’s label and builds trust.
- For sales and holidays, use a plugin to show recent best sellers, not all-time ones.
- Test on mobile. Most shoppers browse on phones, so the top rows matter most.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does “Sort by popularity” mean in WooCommerce?
It sorts products by total units sold. The product with the most sales shows first. This is WooCommerce’s built-in best selling order.
How does WooCommerce decide which products are best sellers?
WooCommerce counts total sales for each product. It saves this number and uses it to rank items. Only processing and completed orders count.
Can I show best sellers from the last 30 days?
Not with the free tools. The built-in sort uses all-time sales. To sort by a time range, use a plugin like ShopBuilder or a dedicated best seller plugin.
Why is my best selling sort not working?
The usual causes are low sales data, cached pages, or a theme that hides the dropdown. Add real sales, clear your cache, and check your theme settings.
What is the difference between popularity and featured?
Popularity ranks by sales. Featured is a manual tag you set yourself. Featured products do not need any sales to show first.
Is there a free way to sort by best selling?
Yes. The default sort setting, the customer dropdown, and the
shortcode are all free with WooCommerce.Start showing your best sellers
Your top products are your best salespeople. Put them where shoppers look first. Start with the free popularity setting today. If you want design control, sliders, or time-based best sellers, try a builder like ShopBuilder.
Pick one method, set it up, and watch which products your customers reward with clicks.
