he Gutenberg Editor is the default content editor in WordPress, introduced to make creating and formatting posts and pages easier. It’s a block-based editor that allows you to build posts with different types of content blocks, such as text, images, buttons, quotes, and more. This is a significant shift from the classic WordPress editor and offers greater flexibility and control over your layout and design without requiring any coding skills.
If you’re new to Gutenberg, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to use it for content writing.
1. Accessing the Gutenberg Editor
To start writing a post using the Gutenberg editor, follow these steps:
- Log in to WordPress: Navigate to
www.yoursite.com/wp-adminand log in with your credentials. - Go to Posts > Add New: Once you’re logged in, go to Posts in the left sidebar of your dashboard and click Add New.
- Start Writing: You’ll be taken to the Gutenberg editor where you can begin writing your content.
2. Understanding the Block System
In Gutenberg, each piece of content is treated as a block. This could be a paragraph, image, list, video, quote, or many other types of content. Blocks are the building blocks of your content, allowing for more design flexibility.
- Each block can be individually customized, which makes it easy to add and modify content.
- You can move blocks around freely by dragging and dropping them, so your layout is as flexible as you want.
3. Adding Blocks
To start adding content, click the plus (+) icon that appears when you hover over the blank area or at the top of a new block. This will show you a range of block types to choose from.
Here are some common block types you might use for writing content:
a) Paragraph Block
- The Paragraph block is the most basic block, where you can write your main text.
- When you first click on the editor, it’s automatically in a Paragraph block.
- Simply start typing your content, and Gutenberg will automatically add new paragraphs as you press Enter.
b) Heading Block
- To create headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.), you can use the Heading block.
- Headings are important for SEO because they provide structure to your content.
- Select Heading from the block options, then choose the heading level (H1 for titles, H2 for subheadings, etc.).
c) Image Block
- Add images using the Image block. Click the plus icon, select Image, and then upload your image or select it from the media library.
- Once the image is added, you can align it left, center, or right, and resize it directly within the editor.
d) List Block
- For bullet points or numbered lists, use the List block.
- Just select the List block, and you can start typing items, each followed by hitting Enter to create a new list item.
e) Quote Block
- To add a quote, use the Quote block.
- You can add the content of the quote and the author’s name directly into the block, and the editor will format it nicely.
f) Button Block
- Use the Button block to add buttons with links. This is useful for call-to-action (CTA) buttons, such as “Subscribe Now” or “Learn More.”
4. Customizing Blocks
Each block comes with its own set of settings and customization options. Here’s how you can customize blocks in Gutenberg:
- Select the Block: Click on the block you want to customize. You’ll see options in the block toolbar above it and the block settings in the right sidebar.
- Block Toolbar:
- The toolbar at the top of each block offers options like text formatting (bold, italic, etc.), alignment options, and block-specific settings like adding a link to a button or changing the size of the heading.
- Block Settings (Right Sidebar):
- On the right-hand side, you can access more detailed options like:
- Typography: Adjust font size, style, and spacing.
- Color Settings: Change the text and background colors.
- Advanced Settings: Some blocks may allow you to add custom CSS classes if you want advanced styling.
- On the right-hand side, you can access more detailed options like:
- Transforming Blocks:
- Blocks can be converted from one type to another. For example, you can turn a paragraph block into a quote block, or a list block into a quote block. To do this, click on the block and choose Transform from the block toolbar.
5. Moving Blocks
One of the main advantages of Gutenberg is that you can easily reorder blocks.
- Drag-and-Drop: Hover over the block you want to move, and you’ll see arrows appear. Simply click and drag the block to the desired position.
- Up and Down Arrows: You can also click the up or down arrows in the block toolbar to move the block up or down.
6. Using Block Patterns and Templates
Block patterns are pre-designed groups of blocks that you can insert into your content. These patterns can help speed up content creation by allowing you to use pre-built layouts.
To use a block pattern:
- Click the plus (+) icon to add a block.
- Select Browse all to see a list of patterns.
- Choose a pattern from the options (e.g., “Two-column layout,” “Contact form,” etc.), and it will be inserted into your content.
You can customize these patterns just like regular blocks.
7. Adding Multimedia Content
Gutenberg also makes it easy to add multimedia like videos, audio, and embeds.
- Video Block: Add video from the media library or embed from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo by pasting the URL.
- Audio Block: Upload an audio file directly into the editor.
- Embed Block: Use this block to embed content from external sources such as social media posts, tweets, Google Maps, and more. Simply paste the URL, and Gutenberg will automatically embed it.
8. Saving and Publishing Your Content
Once you’ve written and formatted your content, you can save or publish it:
- Save Draft: If you’re not ready to publish, click Save Draft to save your post as a draft.
- Preview: You can preview how your post will look before publishing by clicking Preview.
- Publish: When you’re ready, click Publish to make the post live. You can also set a Publish Date if you want to schedule it for later.
9. Using Reusable Blocks
Reusable blocks allow you to save any block (or group of blocks) that you use often and reuse them across multiple posts or pages.
To create a reusable block:
- Select the block you want to reuse.
- Click on the three vertical dots in the block toolbar and choose Add to Reusable Blocks.
- Name the reusable block and click Save.
To insert it into another post, just click the plus (+) icon, go to the Reusable tab, and select your block.
10. Keyboard Shortcuts for Faster Editing
To make your editing faster, here are a few handy Gutenberg keyboard shortcuts:
- Shift + Alt + T: Insert a Table block.
- Shift + Alt + P: Insert a Paragraph block.
- Shift + Alt + I: Insert an Image block.
- Cmd + Z (Mac) or Ctrl + Z (Windows): Undo the last action.
- Cmd + Shift + Z (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + Z (Windows): Redo the last action.
Conclusion
The Gutenberg editor provides a much more flexible and user-friendly experience for content creation compared to the classic WordPress editor. By using blocks, you can design and structure your posts more effectively, add multimedia, and control the layout without needing any coding skills. Whether you’re writing a simple blog post or creating more complex content with various multimedia elements, Gutenberg helps make the process intuitive and enjoyable.
