How to Stealthily Hide Collections on Shopify

Hey there!

So, you're diving into the nitty-gritty of Shopify and stumbled upon a need to hide some collections from popping up in search results. This might be because those collections are exclusive, seasonal, or perhaps just not ready for the public eye yet. Whatever the reason, let's get straight into how you can make those collections play hide and seek (successfully!) with your customers.

Understanding the 'Why' Before the 'How'

Before we dive into the steps, let's align on why you might want to hide a collection. Imagine you've got an exclusive line that's only available to certain members, or maybe some products are under review, or undergoing updates. Showing these in search outputs might confuse your shoppers or ruin a well-planned launch. Keeping things under wraps until they're ready to shine can be quite the strategic move.

Prepping Your Shopify Store

Before we adjust any settings, ensure you're logged into your Shopify admin dashboard. It’s where all the magic happens – like a control room for your online store.

Step-by-Step: Hiding Your Collection

1. Choosing the Collection to Hide

Navigate to the 'Products' section, then click on 'Collections'. Here you’ll see all your collections listed. Take a moment to decide which one you want to hide. Remember, deciding this might take a bit of strategizing depending on your sales plan.

2. Adjust the Collection’s Visibility

Click on the collection you want to edit. You'll find yourself on the collection’s detail page. Look for the 'Visibility' section – it’s your gateway to controlling who sees what. By default, collections are visible. Here’s the trick: uncheck the box that allows the collection to be visible on your online store. Simple as that, it’s hidden from the storefront.

3. Understanding the Impact

Now, unchecking that doesn’t make the collection vanish from all existence. It simply won't appear in search results or your shop’s category pages. However, if someone has the direct URL, they can still access it. Quite sneaky, huh?

4. Redirecting Traffic (Optional)

If you're hiding the collection for a redesign or a relaunch, consider setting up a redirect to prevent dead ends. Visitors heading to the old URL can be smoothly transitioned to a related collection or a custom message telling them about what’s coming. To set this up, head over to 'Online Store', then 'Navigation', and you’ll find options to add URL redirects.

Some Quick Tips

- Review Regularly

Business needs change, and collections come and go. Regularly review which are hidden to ensure everything aligns with your current business strategy and sales goals.

- Communicate with Your Team

If you’ve got folks helping you out, make sure they know about visibility settings. A little mix-up here can lead to confusing inconsistencies for your customers.

- Test Impact

Observe how hiding certain collections affects your store’s traffic and sales. Sometimes, exclusivity can drive interest, but you won’t know until you test and gather data.

Wrapping It Up

Hidden collections can be a strategic tool in your Shopify arsenal. They help control the narrative of your store's product lineup, shuffling attention to where you want it most. The steps we went through are pretty straightforward yet powerful in maintaining the aesthetics and functionality of your digital storefront. As with any feature, the real art is in how creatively you use it to enhance the shopping experience and keep your customers curious and engaged.

That’s all for our hide and seek game today. With these tricks up your sleeve, you’re well on your way to becoming a Shopify wizard, managing your collections like a pro!

Wishing you success and all the savvy to use these new tools effectively. Let’s keep rolling out the digital red carpets for our online shoppers!