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Introducing Gutenberg from WordPress

Introducing Gutenberg from WordPress post images

Written By : Liam Webster

Posted 15/11/2019

With media rich posts and pages becoming the norm for most websites, it was about time WordPress delivered a content editing system that could keep up. That’s why, in 2017, they introduced Gutenberg, also known as “the new way to WordPress”.

However, it’s not until now, with the launch of WordPress 5.0, that Gutenberg has become the main content editor. In the past, Gutenberg was available as a plugin for anyone wanting to test the waters, or in case editors were quite happy with the traditional content editor for the time being. But now that Gutenberg is set to become the norm, here’s what you need to know about the brand new editing tool and how you can utilise it for your own website’s content.

What is Gutenberg and why has it been developed?

Gutenberg is the brand new content editor available on WordPress. It’s been made to make content editing as simple as possible, whilst allowing editors to add media, CTAs, lists, columns, files, etc. into content as quickly and as seamlessly as possible.

With Gutenberg, there’s less of a need for as many plugins as you’ve probably been using in the past, and you’ll be able to create sophisticated layouts without a heavy knowledge of code.

Gutenberg’s brilliant blocks

The introduction of content blocks is probably the biggest change to WordPress’ content editing system. Rather than having one large, vast space to add your content into, you’re now able to create smaller independent content blocks for better content arrangement. Together, these content blocks can create a custom post or page layout with your specific wants and needs in mind.

Whether you’re hoping to create higher levels of engagement, an equal mix of content and images or bigger and better CTAs, Gutenberg’s content blocks offers it all! You could have a H2 in one block, a bullet point list in your second, an image in the next and a CTA in the last. You can utilise these independent content blocks in a way that will tailor your post or page to exactly how you want it to look.

Gutenberg’s default content blocks consist of:

  • Paragraphs
  • Headings
  • Quotes – insert standout quotes into your posts or pages
    Images
  • Galleries – Gutenberg will arrange your images in the most user-friendly format
  • Cover Images – new features, including adding text to your cover image
  • Videos
  • Audio
  • Columns – split your content into four columns maximum – each column can be individually edited
  • Files
  • Code
  • Lists
  • Buttons/CTAs – with Gutenberg, there’s no need for additional plugins to create standout CTAs
  • Embeds – embed content from Tumblr, TED, Reddit, Slideshare and more

The HTML view is just as easy to navigate to as it was in the traditional content editor, too. Simply click on the three dots on the right hand side of each of your content blocks and then on “edit as HTML”. In fact, editing as HTML is now significantly easier, as there’s no need to scroll through hundreds of thousands of characters to find the content you want to edit. Instead, simply look through the HTML for that specific content block.

Will your current plugins work with Gutenberg?

All major and widely used plugins including Yoast SEO will work with Gutenberg, however the rarer and less popular plugins may take some time to become fully compatible with the new system. If you have concerns about whether a specific plugin works with the new content editor, you will find a complete list of plugins from the Gutenberg Plugin Compatibility Checker here.

What if I don’t like Gutenberg?

For the traditionalists out there, do not fear! The original WordPress content editor will remain available as a plugin for anyone who doesn’t want to make use of Gutenberg. Simply install the classic editor plugin and you’ll be able to continue making use of the content editor you’ve known and loved for many years.

The launch of Gutenberg is a huge step in the right direction for WordPress and its users, allowing anyone involved with a website to create sophisticated user-friendly and user-centric pages, no matter their skill or expertise. With a basic knowledge and understanding of how to create and publish content using the WordPress editing system, you’ll soon find yourself creating posts and pages like never before, thanks to the introduction of Gutenberg. Give it a go and let us know what you think of this new way of editing!

For more information about Gutenberg or to see some examples of the system in action, head over to WordPress’ introduction to Gutenberg.

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