New store. Still in draft mode. Trying to link products to collections and have the products show when the main menu header is clicked.
The products were added manually to each collection and appear when I review a collection under the Products>Collections menu on the left side menu but after I set up a header on the main for a collection that I associated with main menu, it takes me to the collection page but no products appear.
What I am missing?
Hey there, @Echostar ! Thanks for reaching out to the Shopify Community with your situation! This is a great place to come by anytime you have questions about anything Shopify related.
I can think of three likely scenarios causing this issue to occur for you:
Most likely, your products aren’t set to be available, or active. Let’s try tackling this suspected issue first, and then address the other potential causes.
This is actually pretty quick to change (depending on how many products you have), and I have a screenshot here of the setting you need to toggle to get things visible! I’ll also outline the steps for you below:
Login to your Admin
On the left hand menu, click ‘Products’
Click on one of the products that’s in the collection that isn’t appearing on the store
On the right of the screen, look for the 'Product Status’ box. Make sure that the dropdown here says ‘Active’.
Click ‘manage’ next to ‘Sales Channels and Apps’ in this same box. Make sure that the ‘Online Store’ checkbox has been checked off.
If you have lots of products, you can use the bulk editor to quickly make all of your products active and available in just a few clicks instead of doing so manually.
Do a quick look into these steps for me, and let me know if they resolve the issue or not. If not, we can troubleshoot the other two suspected causes, and keep working away! I noticed that you mentioned that this is a new store, so I wanted to make you aware of our free video learning platform, Shopify Learn! It has loads of free videos for you to check out that address pretty much all things Shopify!
I’ll keep my eyes peeled for your reply.
You nailed it! That is exactly what was happening. I went changed my items from Draft to Live status and then went live with the store. I got 2 orders my first day and everything worked perfectly! Thank you!
Hey again, @Echostar ! Happy to have been able to help!
Yeah it’s pretty common to see this issue pop up! I had a feeling that was the cause!
Congrats on those two orders! So happy to hear that things are going well! Do you mind sharing some more information about your business with me? I’d love to check out your website! My family and I operate a small art store that sells in person and online, so I always love checking out other stores and exchanging tips and tricks!
A work in progress…
Hey again, @Echostar ! We all have to start somewhere! I think your products look great, and for someone just starting out, your site isn’t bad at all!
I do have a few recommendations for you to look into:
Consider making an ‘About Us’ page to share your story - I love the blurb at the top of your homepage letting everyone know about you and your business! These stories are really helpful in terms of building brand trust. However, it’s the first thing we see when loading your homepage, and typically you want your products to be one of the first things seen, as this leads to more sales. I have a resource for you here that goes over how to make an ‘About Us’ page, where you can share your story! Then, you can connect that page to a menu item (like the one you have in your footer) and folks can click on it to learn more!
Remove empty sections from your homepage - When I was scrolling through your homepage, I noticed an empty section at the bottom before the footer. It’s a good idea to have no empty sections on your page, as it helps your store look finished and professional. I recommend jumping into your theme editor and removing that section until you have some time to get it filled up in one fell swoop! I have a screenshot of the section I’m talking about:
If you need any help removing this section, just let me know! If you’re interested in more feedback, or have any additional questions, just let me know about that, too! Since you’re just starting out, I always wanted to make you aware of ‘Shopify Learn’. This is a free, video learning platform we made to help all new business owners learn more about the Shopify Platform. It’s one of my favourite resources to share, because people always find it useful!
Thank you, Imogen. I have changed the page around more as less as you have suggested. I put the About Us at the bottom of the page and added a small section about how we make and source our products. I was able to figure out how to hide the blank sections! I think it does look better and I thank you for your suggestions! Still going to tweak it as time goes on. I have some items that I will add that aren’t a direct fit with the product line of the store so I am trying to figure out how to present them.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Hey, @Echostar !
When it comes to adding products that don’t ‘match’ with the theme of other products, there are actually quire a few stores that do this. A really good example is when an automotive parts shop has a ‘merch’ collection where they sell hats of shirts of their branding.
The easiest way to do this is to just make a new collection with some different themeing from your other collections, and include a small paragraph of info to help differentiate. Some businesses actually use their products as prop items around their ‘not quite matching’ products to help bridge that gap and help keep the themeing uniformed, too!
Thank you, Imogen! You have been very helpful and made it easier for me to get started!
Happy to have helped, @Echostar !
If you ever need anything else, don’t be shy to follow up with me here in this thread! I’ll always be around to lend a hand (unless I’m out sick like I was earlier this week 
)!
I also invite you to post new threads and ask questions in that way, too! There are loads of Shopifolk like myself browsing the forums every day, and there are other merchants and Experts, too! There will always be someone around to jump in and lend a hand! Let your friends know about the Community, too!
