Gutenberg changed WordPress for the better

During the Christmas rush 2018, WordPress deployed Gutenberg, their new editor experience. In doing so, they freaked out millions of WordPress users and frustrated developers as well.

Gutenberg changed the very nature of how publishing worked in WordPress. It introduced ‘Blocks’ (modules) that replaced the familiar word-processor-like text-editing interface.

If you are still using WordPress 4.x or lower, upgrade now. If you HAVE to, install the Classic Editor Plugin. That will preserve the functionality you are familiar with. Then, migrate your website to wpSites or a similar service as soon as possible. Once you are used to Gutenberg, disable Classic.

Many users found the Blocks model both frightening and exciting. Nobody likes change, at least not change forced upon them.

That said, being able to add a variety of blocks also meant users would be able to re-design the page easily, without the need for theme development. Coding know-how is not needed to add columns or galleries or other on-page content types.

At the time of the update, we had a large number of clients on WordPress. The update caught our attention, not due to the potential for new website projects as some viewed it, but because of the cost and inconvenience that it placed on our clients.

Win, win, and win again.

Accepting that Gutenberg was here to stay, we opted to embrace the change. We saw it as an opportunity to improve our approach to WordPress website deployment.

To that end, we focussed on creating an upgrade path from the legacy WordPress (4.x) to the new Gutenberg (5.x).

Further, by integrating HubSpot, we could incorporate advanced business tools. And by eliminating several plugins, we could improve stability. And finally, by engineering websites to Kayak’s lead-generation standards, we could improve website ROI as well.

So there you have it. WordPress Gutenberg + HubSpot for a killer site, on a shoestring. An excellent starter or even level up your website.