The WordPress team has been working around the clock to enhance features in the WordPress core. There have also been exciting new developments with WordPress themes and tools.
Learn what’s new in the WordPress community, including:
- Integration of Gatsby with WordPress
- Release of WordPress Beta 2
- Launch of Black Canvas theme
- Introduction of JetPack’s customer-centric research project
- Launch of Kinsta’s WordPress development tool
Gatsby Introduces Its Official Plugin For Headless WordPress
Gatsby (also called GatsbyJS), a static website generator for headless WordPress, was developed a year ago. It has now been marked as stable for release to the public.
Static website generators like Gatsby will empower users to produce a static model of WordPress. Static websites load faster, are more secure, and reducing server hosting costs.
Gatsby does the above by generating a listing of HTML pages for the content on your website.
WordPress 5.7 Beta 2 Now Ready for Testing
After the release of Beta 1 earlier in February 2021, the WordPress team has announced WordPress 5.7 Beta 2. The developers have fixed 38 bugs in this latest beta release.
Other notable improvements from the 5.7 Beta 2 update include:
- Removal of italicized text for better readability and access
- Ability to add Content-Security-Policy script loaders
- Twenty Twenty One theme fixes
- Support for custom spacing in the Gutenberg editor
- Solution for issues on the Menu UI on large screens
It’s impressive that the WordPress team has so far added 68 new features and improvements to its development of WordPress 5.7. We expect more bug fixes soon as we look forward to the final release of the update on March 9, 2021.
If your WordPress website is experiencing problems, you can check out a list of common bugs to help solve your issue.
WordPress Launches Black Canvas for Building Single-Page Websites
WordPress has launched a free theme, Blank Canvas, for users looking to build a single-page website.
The Black Canvas theme’s page layout is a blank page with a footer message and no navigation menus, header, or widgets.
With the theme, you get six ready-to-use block patterns to start designing your website.
The block patterns included are:
- About Me
- Split Screen
- Invitation
- Links
- Email Sign Up
- Card
If you’re using self-hosted WordPress, you will have four block patterns to choose from to customize your website.
Jetpack’s New Approach to Interacting With Customers
The launch of a customer-centric research project by Jetpack is a welcome move for the WordPress community.
The new customer research panel will collect important feedback before launching new updates and features.
Jetpack has now scheduled monthly Zoom sessions with customers to discuss upcoming product changes and preview what is new.
The customer-forward approach looks to minimize miscommunication and ease the friction between the WordPress community and Automattic.
New WordPress Development Tool Launched
Kinsta has launched a free WordPress development tool called DevKinsta. The tool, which comes with a database manager, empowers you to create your WordPress website in a click.
DevKinsta’s main features include:
- A built-in database manager
- Email management
- Website creation in a single click
- A team of WordPress specialists
WordPress is committed to delivering the best experience to its users by continually developing new features and updates.
Staying current in WordPress news is a crucial step towards improving your website. The community’s regular theme updates and new plugins will help you create engaging, customized pages for your website.
Check out Bluehost’s WordPress hosting packages and our WP Live service to get expert assistance in creating a professional WordPress website today.
