There’s a new content editor headed to WordPress, it’s called Gutenberg. What does it mean for your site?
Change.
You don’t need to change today, or tomorrow. While it’s planned for WordPress 5.0, that’s not due out yet (4.9.8 is in beta and scheduled for Tuesday, July 31st). You will be seeing more about it through a callout asking you to “Try Gutenberg”.
Example of Gutenberg Block Interface. See Design Principles for more.What’s different?
Gutenberg is fundamentally different from the classic editor. It formats content with blocks. The goal is to make editing across WordPress more consistent instead of looking in multiple places to edit different things. If you have experience with other systems, such as squarespace, it may in part look familiar to you!
What do you need to know right now?
That’s up to you. I suggest checking out the introduction materials and play (yes play!) with the live demo.
Do you have to change?
No. If you don’t want to change when 5.0 comes out, don’t worry — there’s an official plugin to help you disable it.
Do you have to upgrade your theme?
Not necessarily, but if you have an older theme with a custom framework (such as from Elegant Themes or Genesis), it would be good idea to plan for some testing.
I hope this quick post helps you feel more confident about the changes upcoming in WordPress. If you want some advice tailored to your specific needs, please get in touch. I’d love to help you evaluate what you need to do to prepare.