There are a lot of terms surrounding WordPress websites these days, and sometimes it’s worth looking closely at them. We recognize that our clients aren’t web developers themselves (that’s why we’re here) and, therefore, occasionally don’t use the same language we do when it comes to their website. I thought I’d break down some of the WordPress lingo you may have heard and explain what each word means. Let’s get started!
Plugins
PluginsWhat are plugins? Well, plugins are little bits of extra code attached to your site to do specific tasks! Think of your website as a power strip hooked into your house’s electricity, and from that power strip, you can power fans, lights, heaters, etc. They can’t operate independently; they need to be connected to your website to work! Plugins can come in all shapes and sizes and perform various functions, from calendars and shopping carts to forms and popups. You name it; there’s a plugin for it (probably).
Themes
Sometimes we think of themes more in the case of looks rather than function, but they go hand in hand. Themes also conjoin with WordPress to give your website a set of style rules and some extra options for building your pages or adjusting the look of your navigation. They can create settings like adjusting page templates, a sidebar versus a full-width page, for example. Themes usually provide an interface that lets you change settings site-wide to set global colors or fonts or certain behaviors and default elements.
Gutenberg
We’ve had a couple of posts about Gutenberg already, but it’s worth mentioning again. WordPress rolled out its 5.0 update, known as Gutenberg, which features a new editing experience that is pretty different from its predecessors. The Gutenberg, or block editor, uses blocks instead of freeform text to create rich, flexible layouts for websites and digital products. If you’d like to get more information on using Gutenberg read this post.
Well, those were the basics of WordPress lingo. If you hear us throwing around these terms, you’ll now know what they mean, but if you have any more questions about plugins, themes, or Gutenberg, give us a shout, we’d be happy to help.