Universal Filter Basics for SquareWebsites

Learning Objectives

• Understand what the Universal Filter does and why it's useful
• Learn how to set up basic filtering on your SquareWebsites pages
• Identify where filters work best on your website

Introduction

The Universal Filter helps your website visitors find what they're looking for quickly. Instead of scrolling through long lists of products, blog posts, or gallery items, visitors can sort and filter content based on what matters to them.

This chapter covers the basics of adding and using Universal Filter on your SquareWebsites site. You'll learn where it works best, how to set it up, and how to make it look good on your pages.

Lessons

What Universal Filter Does

Universal Filter adds sorting and filtering controls to your website pages. Visitors can use these controls to narrow down content lists based on categories, tags, dates, or other criteria you choose.

Here's where it works well:

• Product galleries (filter by price, category, or colour)
• Blog posts (sort by date or topic)
• Portfolio items (filter by project type)
• Staff directories (sort by department or role)
• Event listings (filter by date or location)

The filter works by showing or hiding items based on what visitors select. Everything happens instantly without page reloads.

Setting Up Your First Filter

Getting Universal Filter working on your site takes a few steps:

Step 1: Check your SquareWebsites plan includes plugin access. Most paid plans include this feature.

Step 2: Go to your site's plugin section and look for Universal Filter options. The exact name varies depending on which plugin you're using.

Step 3: Choose the page or section where you want filtering. Pages with multiple items work best.

Step 4: Pick your filter criteria. Start simple – categories or tags usually work well for most content types.

Step 5: Test the filter by adding it to a page and checking it works on both desktop and mobile.

This is the bit most people miss – always test your filters on different devices before going live.

Making Filters Look Good

Basic filters work fine, but customised ones look more professional:

Choose clear filter labels: Use words your visitors understand. "Product Type" is clearer than "Category."

Match your site design: Most filter plugins let you change colours and fonts to match your website.

Keep it simple: Too many filter options confuse visitors. Start with 3-5 main categories.

Show active filters: Make it obvious which filters are currently applied so visitors know what they're seeing.

Add a reset option: Always include a way to clear all filters and show everything again.

Roll your sleeves up and spend time getting the visual design right. A filter that looks like part of your site gets used more than one that obviously looks like an add-on.

Practice

Find a page on your website with at least 10 items (products, blog posts, or gallery images). Add a simple Universal Filter that sorts these items by one obvious category.

Start with something straightforward like sorting blog posts by month or filtering products by main category. Get this working properly before trying more complex filtering options.

FAQs

Does Universal Filter slow down my website?
Well-designed filters actually improve user experience by helping visitors find content faster. The filter code itself is usually lightweight and shouldn't cause speed issues.

Can I use multiple filters on the same page?
Yes, but be careful not to overwhelm visitors. Two or three related filters (like category and date) work better than lots of separate options.

What happens if someone has JavaScript disabled?
Most Universal Filter plugins rely on JavaScript to work. Without it, visitors see all items but can't filter them. This affects a very small percentage of users.

Do filtered pages help with SEO?
The filtering itself doesn't directly help SEO, but making your content easier to navigate can reduce bounce rates and improve user engagement signals.

Jargon Buster

Universal Filter: A tool that adds sorting and filtering controls to website content, letting visitors narrow down what they see based on categories, tags, or other criteria.

Plugin: Additional software that adds new features to your SquareWebsites site.

Responsive: Describes website elements that adapt to different screen sizes and work properly on mobile devices.

JavaScript: Programming code that makes websites interactive. Most filtering features need JavaScript to work.

Wrap-up

Universal Filter transforms long content lists into organised, searchable sections that visitors actually want to use. Start with simple category filtering on your busiest pages, then expand to more detailed options as you see what works.

The key is understanding your visitors' needs. What are they trying to find? How do they think about your content? Build your filters around their mental model, not your internal organisation system.

Ready to take your SquareWebsites skills further? Join other website owners learning practical techniques at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership