The WordPress block editor (also called Gutenberg) for WordPress was introduced in December 2018, when WordPress version 5.0 was released. It was a historic moment in the progression of the WordPress open-source project. Since then, we have seen how Gutenberg has changed the way people use WordPress daily.
But what does the WordPress block editor mean for you? As a freelancer, agency owner, or business owner, how can Gutenberg make your ability to design, build, launch, and sell websites easier? With the recent introduction of Gutenberg 9.7, I was compell to try to answer this question.
Read on to learn the WordPress block editor and how it differs from the WordPress Classic Editor and WordPress page builders. We’ll also cover why a block editor is a good option for selling websites and a quick 101 to get your feet wet.
What is The WordPress Block Editor?
So, first things first: what is the WordPress block editor?
The WordPress block editor, also called Gutenberg, is an alternative to the traditional way we built pages and posts in WordPress.
Before, when you edit a page or post in WordPress, you would be met with a page that looked similar to a Microsoft Word document. The WordPress Classic Editor had space to add a title, then a body area for text, images, and embeds. Along the bottom and slides, you got additional options and features to dictate how that page works.
WordPress Blocks Explained
The WordPress block editor introduces WordPress blocks as a new way to add and edit your content. This approach allows you to align and stack content areas depending on what they actually are, rather than plopping all your content in one big editable area.
WordPress blocks can be as simple as a text block or more complex. Gutenberg allows you to not only add content to a page or post but to get specific about the design and layout of the page.
One of the benefits of the block editor is that it gives you built-in content options without the need for separate plugins. The block editor shows you pretty close to exactly what your front-end users will see.
WordPress Themes for the Block Editor
The good news is that the new WordPress editor works with all WordPress themes. If you’ve got a theme on your site that you absolutely love and you want to swap over to Gutenberg, you can! You don’t have to worry about making sure the builder you like is compatible with your theme.
There are, however, themes that have been optimize and design specifically with the block editor in mind. For example, the latest WordPress default theme, Twenty Twenty-One, requires Gutenberg to work.
Gutenberg-centric themes offer pre-made templates, which can drastically reduce the amount of work you’d have to do to build out a page or post.
Some other Block editor-optimized themes include:
- Neve
- Zakaria
- Hestia Lite
The WordPress Block Editor vs. Page Builders
If you’ve used a WordPress page builder before (such as Beaver Builder, Elementor, or Divi), the block editor should actually feel somewhat familiar.
Page builders are great no-code options for building pages and posts. And Gutenberg was develop to serve that same need, only as a built-in feature of WordPress core.
The block editor gives you more flexibility with an ever-growing block library. However, it should be noted that page builders come with much more functionality out of the box and, anecdotally, are easier to use.
The primary benefit of Gutenberg over page builders? Performance. Overall, using WordPress blocks for the pages and posts of your site will help with overall site performance. Especially if your site contains many pages, Gutenberg is better for speed and other performance metrics.
Pros and Cons of WordPress Blocks
We’ll touch on tons of pros below, but we want to be transparent! Gutenberg isn’t perfect. In fact, since the WordPress block editor was release, there has been a significant amount of pushback against it.
If you recently learned how to use WordPress or have been using it for years. The block editor requires quite a shift. It’s difficult to learn to use Gutenberg. If you already have a solid workflow with the Classic Editor or your favorite builder.
The Classic Editor plugin – which reinstates the original page and post editor, essentially “removing” Gutenberg – is one of the most downloaded plugins of all time with 5+ million active installations.
Another con is that the new WordPress editor is not very accessible. Problems included insufficient color contrast, lack of functions announced to assistive technologies, lack of proper labels, and more. If this strikes a chord with you. Make WordPress is currently asking people to help test and improve the accessibility of the Block Editor.
There are problems to be aware of regarding backward compatibility for people who are building blocks for Gutenberg. This is pretty technical but what it boils down to is that changes and updates to Gutenberg may come along more slowly than needed.
Finally, as with everything you build on the web, sometimes things break. Most popular plugins and themes have been rigorously tested with Gutenberg. But with 50,000 plugins in the repository and countless themes floating around out there to be downloaded, everything can’t be perfectly compatible.
If you enjoyed this article, then you’ll really enjoy the 24/7 WordPress website management and support services has to offer! Partner with the team that offers every aspect of premium WordPress support services.
Our expert engineers have your back from speed optimization services to unlimited website edits, security, 24/7 support, or even white-label site management for agencies and freelancers. Bring us in as part of your team to make your site Bufftastic! Check out our plans.
