How to Change/Rename Form Labels in WooCommerce - Wordathemes

Ensuring your WooCommerce forms have clear, concise, and engaging labels is crucial for optimizing the user experience on your online store. Default WooCommerce form labels tend to be generic and bland, often using technical jargon that can confuse customers. By taking the time to refine your labels, you can create more positive and seamless form interactions that drive conversion rates.

WooCommerce allows store owners to customize the checkout process by changing default form labels to suit their brand better. The default field labels may not always resonate with your customers or communicate what you want.

There are two main methods for changing WooCommerce form labels:

Using a plugin
Using custom PHP code

Method 1: Using a Plugin

The easiest way to modify WooCommerce form labels is by using a plugin. Checkout Field Editor is a popular plugin that lets you rename fields, change placeholders, and more.

To use Checkout Field Editor:

Install and activate the plugin in your WordPress admin.
Go to WooCommerce > Checkout Field Editor in the dashboard.
Select the field you want to edit.
Change the Label and/or Placeholder text.
Click Save changes.

The new label and placeholder will now display on your checkout page.

Checkout Field Editor makes it quick and easy to customize form labels without touching any code. See the plugin documentation for more options.

Method 2: Using Custom PHP Code

You can also change form labels by using WordPress hooks and custom PHP code. While this requires some development work, it allows for maximum control and customization.

To rename the label for WooCommerce’s order comments field:

Create a child theme or edit your active theme’s functions.php file.
Add the following code:

function custom_override_checkout_fields( $fields ) {
  $fields['order']['order_comments']['placeholder'] = 'My new placeholder';
  $fields['order']['order_comments']['label'] = 'My new label';
  return $fields;
}
add_filter( 'woocommerce_checkout_fields' , 'custom_override_checkout_fields' );

This will replace the default label and placeholder text for order comments with your custom values. See WooCommerce documentation for more examples.

Why Change WooCommerce Form Labels?

Default WooCommerce form labels frequently fail to resonate with users or convey the purpose of each form field. Ambiguous labels like “Order Note” or overly technical labels like “Billing Address Line 2” can be off-putting for customers. Adaptive form labels that align with your brand voice and tailored to your products can vastly improve comprehension and completion rates.

Optimized labels also allow you to:

Remove friction points in the checkout process
Adapt language for different user demographics
Maintain consistency with your brand messaging
Clearly call out required form fields

The result is forms that are effortless to complete, accelerating the path to conversion.

Strategies for Effective Form Label Optimization

Use Clear, Action-Driven Language

Labels like “Enter Promo Code” and “Please provide your phone number” clearly convey the desired action in a friendly tone.

Avoid Technical Jargon and Ambiguous Terms

Phrase labels using commonly understood language – e.g. “Street Address” rather than “Billing Address Line 1”.

Add Context and Relevance

For example, “Phone number for delivery notifications” provides useful context.

Implement Active Voice and Strong Verbs

“Subscribe to our newsletter” is more compelling than “Newsletter subscription”.

Tips for Personalizing WooCommerce Form Labels

Tailoring form labels based on user behavior and selections is an excellent way to boost relevancy. For example:

Showing dynamic labels after product selection like “When would you like to schedule your yoga class?”
Using conditional logic to display “Company Name” label only if “Business Account” checkbox is ticked
Running A/B tests to determine most effective labels based on conversion rate

Consistency across all forms remains important for a streamlined experience. Maintain uniform styling, tone of voice and branding.

Tools and Plugins for Form Label Optimization

Plugins like Gravity Forms, WPForms and Formidable Forms include built-in features for easily customizing WooCommerce form labels. Benefits include:

Bulk editing of labels on all forms
Conditional logic for smart personalization
A/B testing capabilities
Translation support for multi-language sites
Faster form styling through CSS frameworks

These tools help automate the process of refining labels for enhanced user experience.

Examples of Effective Form Label Optimization

Let’s look at some real-world examples of smart form label optimization:

An e-learning platform using dynamic fields like “Which course would you like to purchase?” after course selection
A travel site displaying “Arrival date in Los Angeles” label after customers choose LA as destination
A makeup shop using scannable formatting like:First Name *Last Name *Phone Number *
A SaaS company testing concise labels like “Work Email” vs “Email Address for Work”

In each case, tailored and relevant labels create more seamless form completion for customers.

Conclusion

Customizing form labels in WooCommerce is easy using plugins like Checkout Field Editor or your own PHP code. Clear and concise label text leads to better completion rates and less confusion for customers. Ensure your form labels accurately reflect your products and brand voice for the best results.

For more WooCommerce customization tips, see our posts on translating your store and changing date formats.

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How to Change/Rename Form Labels in WooCommerce – Wordathemes