UPDATE: 12/6/18 some sites are down and hosting companies will be buried, so please share this information:
If your website runs on WordPress, Gutenberg mandatory change is on the way.
It will be optional at first, but later it may be mandatory. Even when it is optional, though, you MUST take action!
For now, there is only one thing you really need to do: install the WordPress Classic Editor plugin.
There is no reason not to go ahead and do this now. But as with all new plugins, it is recommended that you ensure you have a good backup of your site first.
Do NOT Switch to WordPress 5.0 Gutenberg Without Testing First!
What the Classic Editor plugin does is allow you to keep using the dashboard and editor you already know how to use.
Why Is WordPress Changing the Editor?
Web developer Will Patton tells me that the existing editor is unable to benefit from features available in newer browsers.
We will be able to stay on the existing editor for months and possibly years. But, eventually, if we want our sites to be full compatible with newer browsers, we will want to make the transition.
Full Details About Gutenberg
The post I wrote for SmallBizTrends contains the full details about this change. In 2 days, on July 31, 2018, the first prompts about Gutenberg are supposed to roll out to all WordPress sites when WordPress version 4.9.8 arrives.
See Heads Up for Small Businesses Running WordPress, Huge Changes Coming with 5.0 Gutenberg for everything you need to know
What is in the Above SmallBizTrends Gutenberg Post
Find out all about Gutenberg including:
- Why you should expect Delayed Support from Hosting companies
- What to do if your hosting company can’t help
- How to Vet hosting companies to choose a new one that can
- What WordPress Gutenberg is (plus multiple videos showing the new editor)
- Look to WordPress developers for guidance
- Freelance income opportunities created by Gutenberg
- Which 3 Gutenberg-related plugins you need (out of the 19+ pages of plugins already available)
- What is Gutenberg Ramp
- Why WordPress 5.0 May Break Your Site
- DO THIS BEFORE 5.0 Rolls Out
- How to Clone a WordPress site so you can test Gutenberg [Video]
- Which existing themes and frameworks are ready – and which are NOT!
- Theme Forest
- Genesis
- StudioPress Thesis 1 and 2
- Elegant Themes
- Which plugins are tested and how to find out if yours will work – mentions:
- Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Caldera Forms
- Yoast
- CommentLuv
- Gutenberg’s Impact on Ecommerce Platforms including Woocommerce / Wootenberg
- What Happens to Old Content in Gutenberg
Do NOT Switch to WordPress 5.0 Gutenberg Without Testing First!
Why You MUST Test
Some developers insist that every site will work fine. They’ve taken me to task about the post I published at SmallBizTrends.
But you should know that I had the content reviewed by three WordPress developers including two who are actively involved in the Gutenberg roll-out.
There is a good reason WordPress advises testing – and not on a live site!
If you don’t do your own techie stuff, ask your web developer or a friend for assistance. Or read the full post on SmallBizTrends for information on how to clone your site.
There are four videos in my SmallBizTrends post. Here is one to give you an idea how different Gutenberg is:
Are You Ready for the WordPress Mandatory Gutenberg Change?
Have questions? Ask me in the comments and I’ll answer. If I don’t know, I’ll find out for you.
Originally published July 7, 2018; updated December 6, 2018.
