A comprehensive look at the Gutenberg editor: from default theme integration to feature optimization (01)

Before we officially start the tutorials for the default theme and the tutorials for the Gutenberg blog, let's take a deeper look at the Gutenberg editor. As the default content editor for WordPress, Gutenberg has become an important tool for web design and content management since its release in 2018. With several updates, especially the optimization in 2024, Gutenberg has not only enhanced its functionality, but also tightly integrated with the WordPress default theme, which greatly improves the efficiency of site building and page loading speed.

What is Gutenberg?

Gutenberg is the default content editor for WordPress and has a similar relationship with WordPress as Office has with Windows. It was released with WordPress version 5.0 in December 2018, bringing a "block" based approach to editing. Each individual content element (e.g., text paragraphs, images, videos, etc.) is called a "block," and users can build and customize page layouts by dragging and dropping these blocks. Initially, Gutenberg was primarily used for editing blog posts, but with constant updates and feature extensions, it is now able to support more complex web designs and has become a full-featured web content management tool (Torque,WordPress.org).

Is Gutenberg good?

One of the biggest advantages of Gutenberg is that the pages of the websites it creates load very quickly, which is great for improving website performance. While Gutenberg was more basic in its functionality in its early versions and was mainly suitable for blog writing, the experience and functionality of Gutenberg has improved significantly with several WordPress updates, especially after the 2024 update.

In the 2024 update, Gutenberg introduces several new features, including more flexible layout controls, more powerful global style management, an optimized media library, and improved article revision capabilities. These improvements not only enhance the user experience, but also expand the scope of Gutenberg's application in website building. While Gutenberg may still fall short in some complex e-commerce site building, it has excelled in most content creation and site optimization scenarios (WP Tavern,WP Full Care).

Why is the Gutenberg rating only 2 stars?

The low ratings of Gutenberg's early releases are attributable to two main reasons:

1. Changes in user habits: Before the launch of Gutenberg, WordPress used the Classic Editor. This editor has simple functions and an old interface, but long-term use has made many old users accustomed to this way of operation. The introduction of Gutenberg was too much of a change for these users, and many were unable to adapt to it for a while, thus giving it a low rating (WordPress).
2. Problems with earlier versions: Early versions of Gutenberg did have a number of problems, including some bugs, incomplete setting options, and unclear menu structure. These issues led to a poor user experience, which affected the rating (WordPress).

However, with the constant updates in 2024, Gutenberg has significantly improved its functionality and user experience. It's not just a tool for writing blogs, but also a powerful platform for content management and web design. Other more specialized third-party editors may still be required for some e-commerce website development, but in most website optimization scenarios, Gutenberg has excelled (WordPress.org,WP Full Care).

Default theme with Gutenberg: a more efficient site building experience

With several updates in 2024, the default theme for WordPress has become more tightly integrated with the Gutenberg editor, making website building more efficient and flexible. These updates not only extend the functionality of Gutenberg, but also enhance the design capabilities of the default theme, making it more suitable for different types of website building needs.

1. Seamless integration of Gutenberg with default themes: Default themes such as Twenty Twenty-Four are optimized specifically for Gutenberg. These themes not only come with rich preset styles and layouts, but are also designed to take full advantage of Gutenberg's block editing capabilities. Users can drag and drop and combine blocks to create complex page layouts without relying on cumbersome code or third-party plugins. This makes it easy for even inexperienced developers to create professional-looking websites (WP Tavern).
2. Enhancements to global styles and custom designs: The combination of Gutenberg with the default theme also greatly enhances the ability to global style and customize the design. In the 2024 update, the Global Styles panel has been further optimized, allowing users to more easily adjust colors, typography, and other visual elements throughout the site. This centralized approach to design management not only improves the efficiency of building websites, but also ensures consistent styling (WordPress).
3. Optimized for speed and performance: The tight integration of the default theme with Gutenberg also brings significant performance optimizations. Since Gutenberg is the native editor for WordPress, sites created with it perform better in terms of load speed and performance.The 2024 update further enhances this advantage by optimizing page load speed and resource usage, making sites built with Gutenberg responsive on a wide range of devices (WP Full Care).
4. Wide applicability, to meet a variety of site requirements: While Gutenberg was initially thought to be more suited for blogs and simple websites, with the continued expansion of features and optimization of the default theme, it is now well equipped to support more complex website building needs, such as corporate websites, online stores, and artwork showcase sites. While third-party page editors like Elementor may still be required for some highly customized needs, the combination of Gutenberg and the default theme is more than enough to meet the website building needs of most users (WP Tavern).

future trends

As Gutenberg and the default theme continue to evolve, so does the WordPress website building experience. The tight integration of the default theme with Gutenberg not only simplifies the website design process, but also reduces maintenance costs, making WordPress a more powerful and easy-to-use content management system. In the future, further optimization of Gutenberg with the default theme will continue to push WordPress to dominate among site-building tools. With these improvements, Gutenberg is more than just a blog writing tool, it is becoming a powerful and widely applicable website building platform, especially with the support of the default theme, users can more easily build high-performance websites that meet modern standards (WordPress.org,WP Full Care).

As the Gutenberg editor and WordPress default themes continue to evolve, the website building experience has become easier and more efficient. Whether it's blog writing or corporate website building, Gutenberg offers users a wealth of features and great performance. In the upcoming tutorials, we will explain in detail how to create and optimize blog posts using the Gutenberg editor and how to make the most of its various features. See you in the next installment!