Adding Product To Shopify Collections & The Product Grid

Shopify collections enable you to organize products effectively in your online store, improving navigation and boosting SEO rankings.

We explain how to add a product(s) to a collection on Shopify, covering both manual and automated processes, and includes best practices to optimize for search engines and user experience. If wou want to learn more about collections, we have a full collection guide here.

However we will briefly explain below the differences between manual and automated collection, as understanding how these work is important to understand how to add products to each type.

Types Of Collections – Manual & Automated

Shopify offers two ways to create collections: manual and automated. Note you can use a combination of both in your store.

1. Manual collections require you to add products manually. This method is ideal for smaller stores or those that have specific, curated collections like a “Featured” or “Best Selling” pages. It also allows a little more control.
2. Automated collections use rules and conditions, such as price, product title, or tag, to automatically update the collection. For larger stores, this is the most efficient way to manage products. A well-optimized Shopify collection page plays an important role in organizing products and enhancing the shopping experience for customers.

Manual Collections:

• Requires manual updates.
• Best for unique or curated product sets like limited edition or seasonal products.

Automated Collections:

• Updates automatically based on set conditions.
• Ideal for stores with large inventories or dynamic collections like new arrivals or best-selling products.

Key Points:

• Use manual collections for curated selections.
• Use automated collections to efficiently organize larger inventories with specific rules based on product attributes like price or tags.

How to Create Manual Collections in Shopify

To create a manual collection, follow these steps in Shopify Admin:

1. From your Shopify Admin, go to Products > Collections.
2. Click Create collection.

3. Set the collection type to “Manual.”

4. Enter the collection title, description, image (optional depending on your theme and template) and select the collection availability.

5. Click Save to finalize your collection.

6. To add products, click Browse under the “Products” section and manually select products.

7. Click Save after adding products.

To understand how to add a product to a collection on Shopify manually, it is important to follow these steps, especially for curated collections where products may change frequently.

Manual collections are effective for grouping specific products, like holiday specials or limited-time offers.

Best Practices:

• Use specific collection names like “Spring Sale” or “New Arrivals” to match customers’ search intent.
• Ensure collection descriptions are keyword-optimized to boost SEO.

How to Create Automated Collections in Shopify

Automated collections streamline the process of organizing products by setting conditions for Shopify to automatically add relevant items. By using automated collections, it takes away much of the grunt work and time of creating them manually.

Here’s how to create an automated collection:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to Products > Collections.
2. Click Create collection.
3. Set the collection type to “Automated.”
4. Add a collection title and description. Be sure to include keywords like “new products” or “best-selling items” for SEO.
5. Set the conditions that products must meet to be added automatically, such as product tag, product title, or inventory stock.
6. Select whether the products must match all conditions or just any of the conditions.

7. Click Save to apply the settings.

This method works best for dynamic collections that automatically pull in products, where you have large collections or dynamic collections where the products change frequently.

Key Attributes:

• Define specific conditions such as product tags or price ranges.
• Ensure titles and descriptions include SEO keywords to improve visibility in search results.

Best Practices for How to Add Products to a Collection in Shopify

To maximize SEO and user experience, follow these best practices when adding products to Shopify collections:

• Optimize Collection Names: Use clear, descriptive names that match common search queries. For example, “Best Sellers” or “Summer Collection.”
• Include Detailed Descriptions: Write concise but informative descriptions for each collection page. Ensure it contains relevant keywords such as collection type or product categories.
• Use Product Tags: Tags help categorize products. Use specific tags like “new,” “sale,” or “featured” to organize collections and help customers find relevant products faster.

Using Shopify Tags to Organize Collection

Product tags are helpful for organizing products across Shopify collections. They allow you to automatically add products to automated collections based on specific conditions.

Tags play a significant role in creating an effective Shopify collection by enhancing navigation and improving the customer journey, which can lead to higher conversion rates and better product visibility.

For example, if you add a tag “New” to a product, it will automatically appear in any collection that includes products tagged as New.

To add or edit product tags:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to Products.
2. Select the product you want to edit.
3. Add or edit the tags in the Tags field on the product page.
4. Click Save.

Use tags strategically to create collections based on season, price, or special offers. For example, you can use tags like “Summer Collection” or “Under $50” to help customers find what they are looking for quickly.

Key Attributes:

• Tagging products helps organize collections automatically.
• Use descriptive tags that match user intent for SEO optimization.

We also use tags frequently to create sub-collections, and create fully optimized and editable sub-collection pages using OptizenAI.

Managing Products in Multiple Collections

A product can belong to more than one collection, helping increase product visibility across your store. Shopify collection pages play an important role in enhancing website navigation and improving the shopping experience by making it easier for customers to find relevant products quickly.

Here’s how to manage products across multiple collections:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to Products and select the product.
2. Scroll down to Collections and click Browse.
3. Select multiple collections to include the product, such as Best Sellers, New Arrivals, or a Seasonal Collection.
4. Click Save to finalize the changes.

This feature is useful for categorizing best-selling products into multiple collections like “Top Picks” or “On Sale.” This increases the chances of customers finding the product.

Key Points:

• Add products to multiple collections to increase exposure.
• Create relevant collections based on shopping behaviors like best sellers or seasonal promotions.

Customizing Your Collection Page

Customizing your collection page is important for creating a visually appealing and user-friendly shopping experience. We have more detailed guides on how to do this, but below will get you started.

• Use High-Quality Product Images: High-quality images can help showcase your products in the best possible light, increasing the chances of making a sale.
• Write Compelling Product Descriptions: Clear and concise product descriptions can help customers understand the features and benefits of your products, increasing the chances of making a sale.
• Optimize for SEO: Optimize your collection page for SEO by using relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and optimizing images.
• Use Filters and Sorting: Use filters and sorting options to make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.

Creating a Collection Page that Converts

Creating a collection page that converts requires a combination of design, functionality, and optimization. Here are some tips to help you create a collection page that converts:

• Use a Clear and Concise Layout: A clear and concise layout can help customers quickly find what they’re looking for, increasing the chances of making a sale.
• Use Calls-to-Action: Use calls-to-action to encourage customers to take action, such as “Shop Now” or “Add to Cart”.
• Use Social Proof: Use social proof, such as customer reviews and ratings, to increase trust and credibility.
• Optimize for Mobile: Optimize your collection page for mobile devices, ensuring that it is easy to navigate and use on smaller screens.

Streamlining Shopify Collections for Better Product Organization

Creating and managing Shopify collections is essential for organizing products, improving the customer experience, and boosting SEO rankings. By using both manual collections and automated collections, you can optimize how products appear in your store.

Follow these guidelines to enhance the discoverability of your products:

• Use automated collections for large inventories.
• Create specific collections like “New Arrivals” or “Seasonal Sales” with the right tags and conditions.
• Ensure all collection pages are optimized with keywords to help your products rank in search engines.
• Customize your Shopify collection page to enhance the shopping experience for your customers.

Properly organized collections drive traffic, increase sales, and provide a seamless experience for customers in your Shopify store.