Full Site Editing

Full Site Editing changes the way we think about building websites with WordPress. Instead of switching between the Customizer, widgets, and theme files, you can now design everything directly in the editor.

This unified approach makes website building more accessible, especially for beginners who don’t want to dive into code. At the same time, it gives experienced users powerful tools to create flexible, modern designs.

The best part is how quickly you can experiment. Want to test a new homepage layout? Duplicate your template, rearrange blocks, and preview the changes. FSE makes iteration fast and low-risk, which is key for creative site design.

Patterns are pre-built collections of blocks you can insert into your content with a single click. Think of them as reusable building blocks that speed up your workflow.

For instance, if you frequently add testimonials to your blog posts, you can create a testimonial pattern with text, image, and star-rating blocks. Instead of recreating it every time, just drop in the pattern and tweak the content.

The WordPress community also provides a library of free patterns you can use. This means you don’t have to design everything from scratch—patterns let you focus on content while still keeping your site visually polished.

Global Styles give you control over your entire site’s design from one place. Instead of adjusting fonts or colors on each page, you can make a change once and see it applied everywhere. This is perfect for maintaining a consistent brand identity.

Imagine you want all your headings to use a bold sans-serif font. With Global Styles, you set that rule once, and every heading across your site updates automatically. The same goes for colors, spacing, and even block-level defaults.

This not only saves time but also reduces errors. No more worrying that one page looks “off” compared to the rest of the site. With Global Styles, everything stays in sync.

Block templates are at the heart of Full Site Editing. They allow you to set up predefined layouts for different types of content on your site. For example, you might create a single post template that always displays the title, featured image, and metadata in the same style.

Templates save time because you don’t need to rebuild your layout every time you publish something new. They also ensure a consistent design across your site, which is especially important if multiple people are adding content.

With Full Site Editing, customizing templates doesn’t require touching code. You can open the template in the editor, move blocks around, and style them to match your brand. Once saved, those changes instantly apply to all relevant posts or pages.

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The Block Editor—also known as Gutenberg—has become the standard content editor in WordPress, offering a more intuitive and flexible editing experience compared to the older Classic Editor.

The Block Editor is designed to be user-friendly and can help students confidently start their blogging journey. Still, those who are new to WordPress may need a bit of guidance as they get familiar with its block-based layout.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through what the WordPress Block Editor—often called Gutenberg—is and highlight its key benefits. We’ll also showcase six of the most useful blocks for student bloggers to learn. Let’s get started!