Once again, a new version of WordPress is released, and is now available to update on your website, but what’s new? We always recommend going to the latest version of WordPress purely because of the security and bug fixes that are included, however there’s always some shiny new features that are included that makes the upgrade worth it.
New Blocks & Editing Experience
Not many have made the plunge to “Gutenberg”, the new editor in WordPress yet, however for those who have, there’s some nifty improvements, including some new layouts and styling options. This is an important update as it shows WordPress’ direction of travel for Gutenberg, and that it will still push for users to use the new editor. What is interesting is how this will place WordPress in the market of page builders – are they actively going up against them? In any case, the functionality we see in page builders still offer more than Gutenberg at this stage.
2020 Theme
A biggie that always comes with a major upgrade – the “year” theme. This time, it’s a sleek and modern design that has actually come from an already existing theme ( Chaplin, by Anders Noren), rather than being built from the ground up like all the previous themes. As with the last one, the focus in on the integration with Gutenberg, another sign of WordPress doubling down. We’ve had a good look around 2020 here at Gwe Cambrian Web, and we have to say it’s very impressive. It gives you a lot of control over the fonts and colours, but unfortunately that’s it. If you are a small group or a blogger wanting to have a sleek finish, we’d highly recommend it, however, for a business or organization that needs to have a professional image we would recommend a bespoke theme from a professional web designer (like Gwe Cambrian Web!)
Other Improvements
- Automatic Image Rotation – forgot to rotate the image before uploading? WordPress will do it for you.
- Site Health Checks – Makes it easier to diagnose issues with your website, and prevent errors from happening in the first place!
- Admin Email Verification – This could be really useful, or really annoying. Every so often, the administrator on your website will have to confirm their email is correct.
Ready to Upgrade?
Great! However, as with all major upgrades, we recommend treading carefully. Plugins and Themes can break, the database can become corrupted, and things can take an ugly turn. If you are worried, and would prefer us to take a look, get in touch with us! We’d be happy to help. We take care of everything, from backups to plugin updates and theme compatibility. Send us a message today!