{"id":41438,"date":"2023-08-10T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/?p=41438"},"modified":"2025-05-21T19:42:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T02:42:50","slug":"how-to-use-wordpress-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/how-to-use-wordpress-blocks\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use WordPress Blocks (+ How To Create Your Own!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Would this be a weird place to mention how my wife is holding onto a mint-condition, unopened, limited-edition Lego Star Wars BB-8 kit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those things are going for like $500!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay. It would be weird. Got it, loud and clear\u2026 But this will all make a bit more sense in a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019re going to cover everything you need to know about WordPress blocks. If you\u2019re an old-school WP user like myself, then you probably still think of blocks as \u201cnew\u201d WordPress<\/a> because you began by using the classic editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been over five years since WordPress introduced blocks, but they\u2019re still one of the most misunderstood and underutilized CMS features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress blocks are sort of like Legos \u2014see, I told you<\/i> it would tie back in \u2014 they allow you to build and customize your website in a way that would\u2019ve required hiring a professional website designer and developer just a few short years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s one of the reasons why people love them so much. Once they understand them, that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I explain how they work, there\u2019s no doubt that you\u2019ll love them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are WordPress Blocks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Wordpress<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WordPress blocks are, as the name suggests, like stackable building blocks<\/i> that you can add to pages and posts on your WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were added to WordPress 5.0 along with the inclusion of the Gutenberg editor that most of us are now familiar with. Blocks are now the standard way to customize your WordPress site \u2014 and you can use blocks across your entire site, not just within posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n

Gutenberg<\/h3>\n

Gutenberg is the name for the Block Editor project in WordPress. A lot of WordPress developers and enthusiasts use the terms Gutenberg Editor and Block Editor interchangeably.<\/p>\n \n Read More <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Think about it sort of like a site or page builder. You can click the \u201c+\u201d button to add a block to a page or post and then select from various block options. The current version of WordPress comes with 90+ options out of the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each block is essentially a widget. They can do various things, like embed content from another site or service, add new functionality like calendars or contact forms to the page, or even add specific content with predefined formatting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, most blocks have customization options that allow you to adjust how they display or function on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WordPress block editor is a massive upgrade from the classic editor. In the pre-Gutenberg days, WordPress users could only add text and images to a post before having to dive into custom code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nerd note:<\/b> If for some reason, you don\u2019t have access to blocks from the WordPress editor, it could be for one of two reasons: One is that your WordPress installation<\/a> could be horribly outdated (like years and years old). Secondly, it\u2019s possible that the block editor has been disabled by the Classic Editor plugin. When active on a WordPress site, this plugin reverts you back to the classic editor experience. Check your plugins page from wp-admin to figure out if that\u2019s the case for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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