Customize a Shopify Collection Page: Full Guide (2026)

Key takeaways

Collection page customisation happens in the Theme Editor — navigate to any collection page to edit its layout.

You can add a banner, description, and additional content sections above and below the product grid.

Filters, sorting, and grid column count are all adjustable in the Theme Editor on most modern themes.

For a fully unique layout on a specific collection, create a custom collection template.

Your collection pages are often the highest-traffic pages on your store. A well-designed collection page makes it easy for customers to browse, filter, and find what they want — which directly affects conversion rate.

Why you can trust us

Jacques has 15+ years of Shopify development experience. We’ve worked with hundreds of merchants on collection page optimisation, and we built Fudge — an AI storefront editor with a 5.0 rating on the Shopify App Store.

How to access collection page settings in Shopify

Step 1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize.

Step 2. At the top of the editor, click the page type selector and choose Collections → Default collection (or navigate to a specific collection URL while the editor is open).

Step 3. The left sidebar shows the sections and settings for your collection template.

What you can customise on a Shopify collection page

Collection header

Most themes show the collection title and optionally an image and description at the top of the page. In the Theme Editor, click the collection header section to update:

Banner image — set a hero image for this collection
Description — the collection description you entered in the Admin appears here
Text overlay — some themes let you control the title position and text colour over the image

Product grid settings

Click the Product grid or Main collection section to adjust:

Products per row — typically 2–4 on desktop
Image ratio — square, portrait, or landscape (keep this consistent with your product photo format)
Show/hide — quick add buttons, product badges, vendor name, sale price

Filters and sorting

Under Filter and sort settings, toggle:

Show sort — lets customers sort by price, best selling, newest, etc.
Show filters — faceted filtering by tag, price range, availability
Filter layout — horizontal bar vs vertical sidebar

Option 1 — Use the collection image. Set a collection image in Products → Collections → your collection → Collection image. Most themes display this as the banner automatically.

Option 2 — Theme Editor section. Some themes have a dedicated “Collection banner” section you can customise per collection.

Option 3 — Custom header section. If your theme doesn’t support per-collection banners natively, a developer or Fudge can add a section that reads the collection image or a custom metafield.

How to add custom text to a Shopify collection page

The collection description (entered in Products → Collections → your collection) renders on the page. This is the simplest way to add unique text to a collection.

For richer content — paragraphs, styled callouts, or sections below the product grid — add content sections via the Theme Editor. Most themes let you add rich text, image-with-text, or feature blocks below the product grid.

Want a custom collection layout? Describe it to Fudge.

Try Fudge for Free

How to create a custom layout for a specific collection

By default, all collections share the same template. To give one collection a unique layout:

Step 1. In the Theme Editor, navigate to a collection page.

Step 2. At the top of the editor, click the template name → Create template → Collection.

Step 3. Name it (e.g., sale or featured).

Step 4. Customise the layout — rearrange sections, add new ones, remove what you don’t need.

Step 5. Assign the template to your collection. Go to Products → Collections → your collection → scroll down to Theme template → select your new template.

That collection now has a unique layout. All others stay on the default.

How to add filters to a Shopify collection page

Filters in Shopify are powered by Search & Discovery — Shopify’s free app for faceted filtering.

Step 1. Install Search & Discovery from the Shopify App Store (it’s free).

Step 2. In the app, go to Filters and add filter options — by product type, vendor, price, availability, or any tag or metafield.

Step 3. In the Theme Editor, enable the filter display under your collection’s filter and sort settings.

Filters only work if your products are consistently tagged. A product tagged “blue” won’t appear in a colour filter if others use “navy” — consistency in tagging is important.

Collection page SEO tips

Collection pages are SEO goldmines if set up correctly:

Use keyword-rich titles — “Men’s Leather Wallets” rather than “Accessories”
Write a real collection description — 100-200 words targeting the category search term
Customise the URL — /collections/mens-leather-wallets not /collections/ac-12
Internal linking — link to collection pages from blog posts and other collection descriptions

FAQ

Why don't my collection page changes apply to all collections?

If you customised the "Default collection" template, changes apply to all collections using that template. If you customised a specific collection's template (e.g., collection.sale), changes only apply where that template is assigned. Check Products → Collection → "Theme template" to see which template each collection uses.

Can I have different filters per collection in Shopify?

Yes via Search & Discovery (Shopify's free app). Filter rules can be set per collection — add a "size" filter to Apparel and a "wattage" filter to Electronics. Some filters apply globally (price, availability) while others can be restricted to specific collection contexts.

Should I write a long description for every collection page?

For top-level/category collections, yes (100–300 words for SEO and shopper context). For minor collections (e.g., "Recently Added", "Coming Soon"), a short description or none is fine. Long descriptions on every collection dilutes effort and creates near-duplicate content if the descriptions feel templated.

Why doesn't my collection banner display correctly on mobile?

Banner images uploaded for collections are usually landscape — they crop awkwardly on portrait mobile screens. Three options: (1) upload a separate mobile image (some themes support this in section settings), (2) adjust the banner section's object-position so the focal point stays visible on portrait crops, or (3) hide the banner entirely on mobile via CSS.

Can I show different products to different customers on a collection page?

Yes via Shopify Markets (different catalogues per market) or customer-tag-based logic. For tag-based gating, describe what you want to Fudge ("hide products tagged 'wholesale-only' from regular customers, show them to logged-in wholesale customers") and it edits the collection template's Liquid to render conditionally per customer. Alternatives: a personalisation app, or hand-edit the Liquid yourself.