Ready for Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0? Tips from WebDevStudios

Change is inevitable, especially when it comes to technology. What’s also inevitable are the complaints, groans, and fears that seem to always accompany any change. Since Gutenberg was first announced, WebDevStudios (WDS) has been preparing for this change, one that we see as an enhancement to the current WordPress editor. At WDS, we are ready for Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0, which means our clients will also be ready. Here are some ways that you, too, can also be prepared for this big change happening very soon.

Communicate to Your Clients and/or Team

Our client base relies on us to keep them informed and updated. It would be irresponsible of us to not warn our clients of Gutenberg, only to allow them to log into their WordPress sites and suddenly see an unexpected change. So whether you’re a developer or designer with WordPress customers or you run a team of content creators, communicate to everyone involved. Gutenberg is coming! Stay informed.

Immerse Yourself in the Technology

We’re sure you’ve heard this before, but one of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to immerse yourself in it. That was our strategy with Gutenberg—hence, WDS Blocks. This open-source project allows our team to work directly with the technology and build on it. Additionally, the public is welcome to contribute to the project, which provides our team with more feedback and knowledge. Creating our own branded-Gutenberg blocks not only helps the team at WDS immerse itself in the technology, but we’re also creating and building seamless solutions for our clients on the backend, and setting up an easy-to-use system for them to utilize in the future when Gutenberg becomes the standard WordPress editor.

Plan for Likely Scenarios

We currently have plans set for nine scenarios that we expect to encounter, including clients who refuse to use Gutenberg, potential clients who want their sites built with Gutenberg, and those who want a Gutenberg-readiness audit. Do you have plans and strategies set in place for any circumstances that could come your way? Think about the scenarios you should be prepared for and write down your strategies.

Testing… Is This Thing On?

If you have clients who are up for it, why not test Gutenberg out? Or, test it on your own website. It should go without saying but we’re going to say it: test Gutenberg on a staging site and not your live production website. As you test, look for and note issues. Keep a running document of errors that you discover and report your findings and solutions. Get everyone on your team involved in this documentation and testing.

This is just an example of how WDS is ready for Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0. Our team is looking forward to this additional feature of our favorite open-source project on the web. What are you doing to prepare? Leave us a comment below. Is your company ready for Gutenberg? If you’re interested in a Gutenberg-preparedness audit, contact us today to schedule one.