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Understanding Wix Filters and Their Purpose

Wix filters are tools used on the Wix website-building platform to help organize and display content in specific ways. When you build a website using Wix, you may need to show certain products, services, or information to visitors based on what they're looking for. Filters make this possible by letting visitors narrow down what they see on your pages.

The Wix Filter Selection Guide is an informational resource that explains how different filter types work and when to use them on your website. This guide does not provide step-by-step instructions for every possible scenario, but rather gives you foundational knowledge about what filters are available and how they function within the Wix platform.

Filters can work in several ways. Some filters let visitors search by category, such as clothing size or product type. Others filter by price range, allowing people to see only items within their budget. Some filters work based on text — for example, showing only items that contain a specific word in their title or description. Understanding these basic concepts helps you decide which filters might work for your website's purpose.

According to Wix's platform data, websites that use organized filtering features see higher visitor engagement rates, as people can find what they need more quickly. When visitors don't have to scroll through irrelevant content, they spend more time on pages that actually interest them.

Practical takeaway: Before setting up any filters, think about how your website visitors might want to search or browse your content. Do they look by category? By price? By type? This thinking will guide which filter options make sense for your site.

Types of Filters Available on Wix

The Wix platform offers several filter categories that work differently depending on your website's needs. Understanding each type helps you choose the right ones for your specific situation. The most common types include category filters, price range filters, text-based filters, and attribute filters.

Category filters organize content into groups or sections. If you run an online store selling clothing, for example, a category filter might separate items into "Men's," "Women's," and "Kids'" clothing. Visitors can then select the category that interests them, and the page updates to show only those items. This type of filter works well when your content naturally falls into distinct groups.

Price range filters let visitors see only items within a certain cost range. This is particularly useful for e-commerce websites where products vary significantly in price. A visitor might select "Under $50" or "$100 to $200," and only products in that range display. Research shows that 67% of online shoppers use price filters when browsing products, making this filter type valuable for retail websites.

Text-based filters search for specific words or phrases. If someone types "blue" into a color filter, the page shows only blue items. This works differently from filters that show pre-set options — instead, the visitor can enter what they want to find. This type of filter is helpful when you have many variations and can't list every possibility.

Attribute filters let people narrow by specific characteristics or qualities. For example, a furniture website might have filters for "Material Type" (wood, metal, fabric) or "Color" (red, black, white). You set up these attributes in advance, and visitors select which ones they want.

Practical takeaway: List the main ways your visitors would want to search or browse your content. Match these needs to the filter types described above. You likely won't use all filter types — focus on the ones that match your visitors' actual searching habits.

How to Set Up Basic Filter Structures

Setting up filters on Wix begins with organizing your content in a way that supports filtering. Before you create any filters, your website's content needs to be tagged or categorized properly. This means adding information to your products or content pieces that the filters can recognize and use to organize items.

For product-based websites, each item should have relevant information attached to it. If you sell shoes, each shoe might be tagged with its size, color, material, and price. These tags are what the filter system reads when someone uses a filter. Without proper tagging, filters won't work well because the system won't know which items to show or hide.

The guide explains the importance of consistent naming conventions. If you tag some shoes as "blue" and others as "navy," your filter won't group these similar colors together. You might instead create a standardized list like "Blue," "Black," "Red," and "White," then apply these exact names to every relevant item. Consistency matters because filters work by matching exact words or categories.

You'll also learn about filter hierarchies, which means deciding which filters appear first or most prominently. If most of your visitors first search by category, that filter might appear at the top. If they next filter by price, that filter appears second. This ordering can affect how easily visitors find what they need.

The guide includes information about default filter settings. Some filters might be "open" by default, showing all options when a page loads. Others might be "closed," with visitors clicking to see the available options. Choosing between these affects how much screen space your filters use and how prominent they are to visitors.

Practical takeaway: Start by listing every possible tag or category your content needs. Create a written list of these tags and use exactly the same words every single time you apply them to content. This consistency is the foundation that makes filters work well.

Filter Display Options and Best Practices

How filters look on your website affects whether visitors will use them. The Wix Filter Selection Guide explains different ways to present filters visually, and the guide suggests considerations for each approach.

One common display method is a vertical sidebar filter, where filter options appear in a column on the left or right side of your page. This layout keeps filters always visible as visitors scroll through content, and studies show that 52% of e-commerce sites use this layout because it's familiar to shoppers. A sidebar filter typically shows checkboxes that visitors click to select options, and the main content area updates to show filtered results.

Another display option is a horizontal filter bar, placed above content. This approach uses less vertical space and can feel cleaner on mobile devices. Some websites show filter options as buttons or tags that visitors click, creating a more visual, interactive experience. This works well when you have fewer filter categories.

Dropdown filters hide options until a visitor clicks to reveal them. This saves screen space but requires extra clicks to use. The guide notes that dropdown filters work better for mobile websites where space is limited, but might feel clunky on desktop computers where space isn't a concern.

Best practices for filter display include showing how many results match each filter option. If a category shows "Blue (23 items)" next to the color option, visitors know whether that filter will show a lot or just a few items. This helps them make better choices. Websites using result counts see 34% more filter use than those without them, according to usability research.

The guide also covers filter responsiveness, meaning how filters behave on phones versus computers. Mobile visitors need filters designed differently than desktop visitors — smaller screens mean filters need to be more compact and easier to tap. Good filter design works smoothly on all devices.

Practical takeaway: Test your filters on both a phone and computer to see how they feel to use. Make sure they're easy to click or tap, and make sure it's clear how many results each option will show. If something feels awkward to use, your visitors likely feel the same way.

Common Filter Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced website builders make filter mistakes that hurt visitor experience. The guide describes common problems and explains how to prevent them, helping you avoid these pitfalls when designing your own website filters.

One frequent mistake is creating too many filter options. If you offer 47 different color filters or 23 price ranges, visitors become overwhelmed rather than helped. Research shows that offering more than 5-7 filter options in a single category actually decreases usage because visitors can't easily decide. The guide suggests grouping similar options together or hiding some options behind a "more options" button.

Another common problem is using unclear filter names. If your filter is labeled "Textile Composition" instead of "Material," many visitors won't understand what it does. The guide recommends using simple, everyday language that matches how real people talk about your products. If customers say "material," use that word — not "textile composition."