There is a big change coming to WordPress this year in the next update to WordPress 5.0. They call it “Gutenberg” and its goal is to make editing easier and strengthen WordPress’s security online. Here’s what you can expect from Gutenberg.
The most noticeable change will be in the way you add and edit content. The way you add and edit content will change from a big text area with buttons for formatting to blocks of different content. This will give you more flexibility in the type of content you can add, allowing you to create rich page layouts for your pages and blog posts. But, like any new update, it’s not without a few potential problems.
Unlike many updates, WordPress will not automatically update to this version. So, you don’t have to worry about your website completely changing – unexpectedly – overnight. Upgrading will be done manually by our team and on a schedule. This is not something that you should update and tackle yourself as there are multiple factors to monitor. There are a few areas that will be affected by the change: content, plugins, and theme, any of which may need some troubleshooting when we update to Gutenberg.
Last week WordPress updated to version 4.9.8 and with it came the “Try Gutenberg” prompt that now appears in user dashboard. The prompt invites users to install Gutenberg if they want to try the new editor. It also advises that the new editor will be enabled by default in the next major release of WordPress. WE ARE ASKING OUR CLIENTS TO REFRAIN FROM INSTALLING OR TRYING GUTENBERG ON THEIR SITE. If you are interested in taking Gutenberg for a spin, please call us at 540.869.5991 and we will discuss any questions and options with you. If you manage your website yourself, you can also visit the Official Gutenberg Site or Frontenberg and experience it for yourself without creating an account or signing up.
There’s no set date for when this WordPress 5.0 “Gutenberg” is coming out however, it’s important to be proactive in preparing your site for this change to come. In preparation, we are have a game plan for getting the websites in our care ready for the WordPress update. This will be a collaborative, multi-step process to ensure you website is updated and functioning as it should be before, during and after.
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