If your website is built using WordPress, you need to know about Gutenberg – a new editor platform being developed by the WordPress open-source team…
Currently a plugin available only to wordpress.org users, it will soon be rolling out as the default editing interface for all WordPress users.
What makes Gutenberg different?
The current editing interface focuses on content creation – using rich text and HTML, to drive page and post development. Gutenberg will integrate “blocks,” that the WordPress user can use to customize every page and post of his or her website. Much like the current page builders plugins such as the “Visual Composer” plugin we often use, Gutenberg blocks can be embedded with content, images, videos; moved around using drag & drop; and customized for size or width. This will allows the user to create rich, compelling content – in seemingly infinite variations.
Why Does it Matter to You?
Gutenberg is expected to launch when WordPress 5.0 is released — sometime in Q1 of 2018. At that time, it’s expected that all WordPress users will see Gutenberg as the interface when they login to create or edit a page or post. (We talked about this and gave some examples in a Facebook Live video recently which you can see here.) This editor platform will be the default so all users will have to learn the ins and outs. Whether you just want to write a new blog, redesign your website, or create new and exciting landing pages, knowing how to use Gutenberg will be important.
What Does This Mean for Your Website?
If you’re one of our clients, chances are your website was built using one of the current page builder plugins. Because it still in development, there are some question marks as to whether Gutenberg will have an effect on the look and function of current sites. We will be monitoring the release of Gutenberg and will be vigilant in doing what we can do to update and keep the websites we are responsible for running well. If you have a maintenance package with us, your websites are among those we will be actively monitoring. If you are not currently a maintenance client, but have specific questions about how Gutenberg will impact you, please go ahead and contact us. We’d be happy to discuss your concerns and see how we might be able to help you through the transition.
The Upside
Gutenberg ushers in an exciting time for WordPress and for the internet at large. Putting more design tools in the hands of users opens the floodgates of possibility and creativity. We look forward to seeing what becomes of this development – and stand ready to make the most of it for our clients.