How to Change Proceed to Checkout Text in WooCommerce

Are you looking for an easy way to change the proceed to checkout text on your WooCommerce store? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll show you different methods to do so.

Many site owners customize their shop page and product pages, edit their checkout pages, and think that their whole site is optimized. However, there are many other details you can change to boost your conversion rates and improve your store.

We’ve already seen how to change the Add-to-Cart message, and today we’ll show you how to change the Proceed to Checkout text in WooCommerce.

Before jumping into the different methods to do so, let’s better understand what the Proceed to checkout text is and why you should customize it.

What is the Proceed to Checkout Text?

By default, the checkout button contains the text Proceed to Checkout:

This text is set by default in WooCommerce’s template files, and most store owners don’t take the time to change it. However, since this is an essential step in closing the sale, you should optimize it as much as possible. The good news is that you can easily customize this text to make it more meaningful and better fit your shop design.

For example, you can change this text to “Join our service now!” or “Checkout here” to simplify the checkout flow. All the small steps you take to improve your checkout experience can add up to boost your website’s conversion rate.

Most store owners don’t take the time to customize the proceed-to-checkout text because it involves editing WooCommerce template files. For some users, especially beginners, this seems difficult or risky. However, it doesn’t need to be.

In the following section, we’ll show you different methods for changing the Proceed to Checkout text, with and without code, so you can choose the one that best suits your skills.

How to Change Proceed to Checkout Text in WooCommerce

There are two primary methods to edit the Proceed to Checkout text:

1. Programmatically
2. With plugins

Let’s have a closer look at both of them.

1) How to Change Proceed to Checkout Text using a Theme Function

Let’s start with the programmatic method of customizing the checkout text in WooCommerce by adding a custom function to the functions.php file.

The process is quite simple, and all you need to do is paste a small code script into your functions.php file. Before starting, we recommend you backup your site and use a child theme.

Apart from being safer, using a child theme ensures that if you update your theme, your customization won’t be overwritten by the new theme files. That’s why it’s always a good practice to install a child theme on your site.

Once you’ve done that, open your WP Admin Dashboard and head to Appearance > Theme editor. Then, click Theme Functions or functions.php on the theme files sidebar on the right.

Now, use the editor to paste in the following code snippet. The code will create a custom function that updates the checkout text. Simply change the Checkout-Text-Here part of the code to anything that you’d like.

function quadlayers_woocommerce_button_proceed_to_checkout() { ?>
<a href="<?php echo esc_url( wc_get_checkout_url() ); ?>" class="checkout-button button alt wc-forward">
<?php esc_html_e( 'Checkout-Text-Here', 'woocommerce' ); ?>
</a>
<?php
}

For example, in the following script, we’ll use the text “Please Move to Checkout Here”, so the script will be:

function quadlayers_woocommerce_button_proceed_to_checkout() { ?>
<a href="<?php echo esc_url( wc_get_checkout_url() ); ?>" class="checkout-button button alt wc-forward">
<?php esc_html_e( 'Please Move to Checkout Here', 'woocommerce' ); ?>
</a>
<?php
}

Add the text you want, paste it into your child theme’s functions.php, then click Update File to finish.

The function simply replaces the text of the WooCommerce Proceed to Checkout button, so it should work regardless of what theme you’re using or additional function scripts that you may have enabled.

However, if you still don’t feel comfortable editing core files, you can use a dedicated plugin instead.

2) How to Change Proceed to Checkout Text using Plugins

Another alternative to customize the Proceed to checkout text is to use a dedicated plugin. For this demonstration, we’ll use a simple tool called Change Proceed to Checkout Text, which makes it super easy to edit the checkout text in just a few clicks.

This is a free plugin, so it’s an excellent option for those who don’t want to use code to change the text or who want to change the Proceed to Checkout text frequently for testing and customization.

Installing and Activating The Plugin

To install the plugin, simply open your WP Admin Dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New. Use the search bar on the top right to search for Change Proceed to Checkout Text, click Install on the plugin’s tab, and then press Activate.

Using the Plugin To Change Proceed To Checkout Text

To use the plugin, go to Settings > Change Proceed to Checkout text.

To change the checkout text, all you have to do is type in the new checkout button text in the corresponding field. Let’s say we want to change the text to Move to Checkout. Then, press Update, and your change to the proceed to checkout text field will be saved.

Now check out the frontend, and you will see the result as shown below:

This way, you can easily test different texts and see which one performs better.

Bonus: How to Change the Added to Cart Message

Apart from customizing the Proceed to Checkout text, there’s a lot more you can do to improve the checkout experience in your store.

For example, another recommended practice is to edit the Add to Cart messages. The more steps you take to improve your checkout experience, the better the results will be, so it’s a good idea to leave nothing to chance.

Let’s have a look at how you can customize the “Added to Cart” message.

Adding a Simple Added to Cart Message and Customizing the Added to Cart Message

To replace your Added to Cart message with a simple custom text, you can add a code snippet to the functions.php file. To do that, head to Appearance > Theme Editor on your WordPress Dashboard. Then, open the functions.php file by clicking on the functions.php or Theme functions on the right sidebar.

Now, you can add the following script to the editor to customize the Added to Cart message inside the $message= ‘ ‘ section of the code. In the following script, the message will say “Your product has been added to cart. Thank you for shopping with us!”.

add_filter( 'wc_add_to_cart_message_html', 'quadlayers_custom_add_to_cart_message' );
function quadlayers_custom_add_to_cart_message() {
$message = 'Your product has been added to cart. Thank you for shopping with us!' ;
return $message;
}

Let’s say you want to change it to something like “Thank you for purchasing our product”. In that case, you will use this script:

add_filter( 'wc_add_to_cart_message_html', 'quadlayers_custom_add_to_cart_message' );
function quadlayers_custom_add_to_cart_message() {
$message = 'Thank you for purchasing our product!' ;
return $message;
}

If you check the frontend, the message will look like this:

Customizing the Added to Cart Message

Alternatively, you can personalize the message and add the name of the product that your customer has added to the cart. To do that, use this script:

add_filter( 'wc_add_to_cart_message', 'quadlayers_custom_wc_add_to_cart_message', 10, 2 ); 
function quadlayers_custom_wc_add_to_cart_message( $message, $product_id ) { 
$message = sprintf(esc_html__('%s has been added to your cart. Thank you for purchasing the product !','tm-organik'), get_the_title( $product_id ) ); 
return $message; 
}

Press Update file, check out the frontend, and you should see something like this:

This requires customizing the message in the $message statement. These are just a few examples, but there’s a lot more you can do. To learn more about this, check out our guide about how to customize the Add to cart messages.

Alternatively, if you want to hide or remove the Add to the cart message, you can do so by adding this code to your functions.php file.

Simply paste this script into the file, update it, and you should be done!

add_filter( 'wc_add_to_cart_message_html', '__return_null' );

Best WooCommerce Tips for Better UX and Conversions

Improving user experience (UX) on your WooCommerce store can directly lead to higher conversions and fewer abandoned carts.

Below are some smart tips you can apply alongside customizing your checkout button:

• Use Action-Oriented Button Text: Replace “Proceed to Checkout” with more engaging phrases like “Secure Checkout,” “Continue to Payment,” or “Complete My Order.” Action-focused language builds urgency and trust.
• Minimize Checkout Steps: Streamline the checkout process by removing unnecessary fields. Use plugins like “Checkout Field Editor” to reduce friction.
• Enable Guest Checkout: Let customers check out without creating an account. This reduces cart abandonment, especially for first-time buyers.
• Display Trust Signals: Show security badges, SSL seals, and payment icons near the checkout button. These elements boost confidence.
• Use Autofill and Address Validation: Make forms faster and smarter by enabling browser autofill and integrating address suggestion tools.
• Ensure Mobile Optimization: The checkout button and process must work flawlessly on mobile devices. Use responsive design and large tap targets.
• Highlight Free Shipping or Discounts: Reinforce offers on the cart page to motivate users to complete their purchase.
• Use Sticky Checkout Button on Mobile: A floating checkout button ensures it’s always accessible, which is great for long cart pages.
• A/B Test Checkout Text and Layouts: Test variations of your button text, colors, and layout to find what works best for your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next, let’s take a look at some of the frequently asked questions regarding the topic.

Conclusion

In summary, the proceed to checkout text appears at a critical stage of the purchase process, so it’s always a good idea to customize it. Most store owners overlook this, so you can take advantage of this and stand out from your competitors.

In this guide, we’ve shown you two different methods to change the proceed to checkout text in WooCommerce:

• By using a custom WooCommerce hook and a function in your theme files
• By using a dedicated plugin

Both methods get the job done, so choose whichever is most suitable for you. If you have some coding skills, you can use the programmatic method.

Using a simple script, you can quickly customize the text. On the other hand, if you’re a beginner and don’t feel comfortable editing theme files, we recommend you use a dedicated plugin.

For this demo, we’ve used Change Proceed to Checkout Text, a free tool that lets you edit and test different texts in a few clicks.

Which method have you tried?

Do you know of any others that we should include?

Let us know in the comments below!

Finally, if you want to learn more about how to customize other components of your online store, check out some other guides:

• How to Remove Additional Information Tab in WooCommerce
• How to customize WooCommerce templates
• Methods to customize the My Account page