How to Stealthily Manage Your Shopify Collections

Hey! So, you're diving into the depths of Shopify and stumbled across a need to hide the "collections/all" from your store, right? Well, you're in good company. Let's unpack this together.

Why Hide Collections/All?

Picture this: you’ve put up a Shopify store selling awesome handmade candles. You neatly categorize them—scented, unscented, therapy candles, you name it. But then, there's this default "collections/all" page that shows everything. It’s like inviting someone to your meticulously organized home, then flinging open a closet full of every single item you own—certainly not the first impression you want.

Hiding "collections/all" can make your store look more polished and prevent customers from seeing products you might not want to display yet or in that way. This control can refine user experience and guide visitors through your chosen narrative.

Getting Down to Business: How to Hide 'collections/all'

We're going to tackle this step-by-step. Sit back, and imagine we're tweaking a few things under the hood of your website.

Step 1: Understand Your Theme

Before you dash off to adjust settings, know your theme. Shopify themes vary, and each has its peculiarities. If you’re on a popular theme like Debut or Narrative, these steps generally apply. If not, you’ll still be able to follow along with a bit of adjustment.

Step 2: Access Your Theme Code

Login to your Shopify admin. Go to the left sidebar, find Online Store, and click on Themes.
You'll see your live theme with a button labeled Actions. Click it, then select Edit code. This is where the magic happens.

Step 3: Tweak the Templates

Here's where we slightly divert based on what you’re comfortable with. You can either hide the entire page or make it inaccessible to the public.

Option 1: Redirect the URL

This is the gentler approach. You redirect visitors somewhere useful instead of showing an error or a blank page.

Look for the routes.rb or a similar file in the code editor.
Add a redirect rule:
```
get '/collections/all', to: redirect('/collections')
```
This line tells Shopify: "Hey, if someone tries to go to 'collections/all', just take them to the general collections page instead."

Option 2: Hide the Page

If you want to completely hide the "collections/all" page:

Find the collection-listing.liquid file in the Templates directory.
Look for code that might be pulling all collections. It might look something like:
```
{% for collection in collections %}
```

Comment it out by adding {% comment %} and {% endcomment %} around the code:

{% comment %}
{% for collection in collections %}
…
{% endfor %}
{% endcomment %}

Now, add a polite message or redirect script inside this comment block, so visitors aren’t just met with a blank page.

Step 4: Test Your Changes

Don’t skip this step. Open your store in a new tab and try accessing "collections/all". Based on the method you chose, you should either see a redirect happening or a customized message/alternative page. Adjustments might be necessary, so play around a bit.

Step 5: Consider the SEO and User Experience Impact

Quick heads-up! Hiding pages or redirecting them can affect how search engines view your site. If "collections/all" previously saw a lot of traffic, think about implementing SEO-friendly redirects and updating your site’s navigation to guide users naturally.

Wrapping Up

There you have it! Whether you're managing a burgeoning e-commerce empire or just starting out, taking control of how your products are displayed is crucial. Remember, every tweak you make is about enhancing the shopping experience, making it as enjoyable and seamless as possible for your customers.

Feel free to experiment and adjust the steps based on what suits your store best. Shopify is pretty flexible, and often, there's more than one way to achieve the result you want. And as always, if you hit a snag, diving into community forums or reaching out for professional help can offer new perspectives.

Catch you later, and here’s to a sleeker, more curated Shopify store!