How to add a product sidebar to Shopify Blog Posts

Having a sidebar showcasing products next to your Shopify blog posts is a great way to increase conversions and keep your audience engaged. This guide explains clearly how to add a product sidebar to your blog posts, ensuring your readers have easy access to products relevant to your content.

How to Do It (Step-by-Step)

Using Shopify’s Metafields and Theme Editor

1. Set Up Metafields:
   • Go to your Shopify Admin and select Settings > Custom Data > Articles.
   • Create a new metafield called Recommended Products, choosing Product List as the content type.
2. Select Products for Blog Posts:
   • When editing your blog posts, scroll down to the metafield section.
   • Select relevant products for each blog post and save your changes.
3. Edit Your Theme to Display Products:
   • Navigate to Online Store > Themes.
   • Click Actions > Edit code.
   • Open the article-template.liquid or equivalent file.
   • Add the following code snippet to render products:

{% if article.metafields.custom.recommended_products %}
  <aside class="blog-sidebar">
    <h3>Featured Products</h3>
    {% for product in article.metafields.custom.recommended_products %}
      <div class="sidebar-product">
        <a href="{{ product.url }}">
          <img src="{{ product.featured_image | img_url: '200x' }}" alt="{{ product.title }}" />
          <p>{{ product.title }}</p>
          <p>{{ product.price | money }}</p>
        </a>
      </div>
    {% endfor %}
  </aside>
{% endif %}

4. Style Your Sidebar:
   • Adjust your theme’s CSS to ensure the sidebar is visually appealing and responsive.

FAQs

Q: Can I have different products for each blog post?
A: Yes, using metafields allows you to assign unique product recommendations to each post.

Q: Will the sidebar display well on mobile devices?
A: Most themes automatically stack sidebars below the main content on mobile devices. Always preview and adjust CSS as needed.

Conclusion

Adding a product sidebar to your Shopify blog posts is straightforward, even though you might need to work on some coding challenge. Soon you will have an attractive, conversion-boosting blog sidebar ready to enhance your store’s performance.