What is New in WordPress 5.8
Did you know that over 400 million people visit WordPress every month?
Each day, 661 WordPress websites pop up, and it’s no surprise given that this content management system offers over 50,000 plugins and 3,500 themes.
WordPress is a fantastic tool for newbie and experienced website designers alike. But with regular updates, it can be difficult to keep track of all the new features available to users.
So, what’s new in WordPress 5.8?
Given that WordPress 5.8 has just been released, it’s time to explore the update.
So, what does this latest WordPress version bring to the table? To discover more about the new features, block editor changes, and other updates, just keep reading!
Template Design Editor
One of the benefits of WordPress is that it offers a huge range of templates, meaning that you don’t have to build a website from scratch. One of the WordPress v5.8 features includes a new template editing option that can be used anywhere on your site.
These features will be most notable when using newer themes, as the older ones still need to be upgraded. Updates in WordPress are moving the site closer towards being an entirely block-based design system.
The block-based approach means that every feature, function, and element on your site could be changed or removed simply by clicking on it. This will open the block menu and allow users to find the block design that works best for their site.
Understanding the Layout Editor
The Layout Editor allows you to create and edit brand-new designs, including those based on pre-existing templates.
Some of the new block additions and updates offered by the latest WordPress version include:
- Post tags
- Website taglines
- Query box
- Page and website titles
- Checklists
- Logon features
- Article features, such as passages and classifications
- Pattern recommendations
- Ability to select parent block within a nest
- Simpler block navigation
For those seeking a higher level of freedom as far as website design is concerned, WordPress offers plugins (such as SeedProd) that allow users to build the website from scratch. And if the WordPress v5.8 features seem a little complex, we have video tutorials to help you.
Tag Ideas
WordPress 5.8 includes a new tag suggestion feature. Adding new posts, products, or services to your website has often involved some guesswork for which tags would best match each item. Not only do tags group similar items together, but they quickly provide readers or customers with an overview.
Trying to be consistent with tags by remembering which ones you’ve used for similar items can be tricky. One of the benefits of WordPress 5.8 is that managing your tags just got a lot easier! WordPress will now present you with the top 10 tags used on your website. You can choose from these options or add a new one.
Your tag options will update after each new posted item, meaning the top 10 will always be based on the current tags being used on your website.
Default Support for WebP Images
The loading speed of each page on your website isn’t just important for satisfying potentially impatient viewers. It also impacts your ranking on search engines. Large posts, videos, and images can slow loading times, especially if the media is high quality.
This feature has been available on previous versions of WordPress but has required a plugin. That’s no longer necessary as WebP images are supported by default.
WebP is an image layout that reduces the dimensions of an image to around 25-34% that of JPEG and PNG without sacrificing the quality. This can drastically reduce the amount of data that needs to load on each page, especially if your website is image-heavy.
However, it’s worth noting that some older browsers don’t support WebP images, which can create problems. Ask yourself how important the image is to your website. Would losing the image be problematic or merely a minor inconvenience?
For websites with a high number of images, or images essential to the page, using a WordPress image plugin to support WebP images is a safe way of ensuring that all viewers can see the images while still reducing file size.
Updated Media Library
Another of the new WordPress v5.8 features involves the media library. This is where your uploaded images are stored for ease of access. One of the benefits of WordPress is that you can use stock images from Pexels and Google Images – these aren’t subject to copyright in the same way as randomly sourced images.
The media library will no longer include the infinite scroll feature. To reduce the data necessary to load the page, you’ll now see a couple of rows of images followed by a ‘Load More’ button. There will also be a counter that shows you how many images you have left to see.
One of the benefits of WordPress is that users can simply select an image and automatically load it to a preselected location. But this new update also allows you to copy the image URL so it can be inserted wherever you want it to go.
Website Health Scanner
Another of the updates in WordPress 5.8 relates to the website health scanner. This feature scans the basic elements of your website in search of any configuration errors. It can identify common problems.
The update now allows you to see more information about your website’s health. You can also change the parameters of the tool, which can be beneficial for more experienced developers. The health scanner can also identify any interaction problems between widgets or plugins.
This tool is essential given that WordPress powers 14.7% of the world’s top websites!
Ready to Explore WordPress 5.8?
WordPress is already jam-packed full of features, themes, and plugins. Hopefully, this post has explained everything you need to know about the WordPress 5.8 update.
If you would like DeeperLook to help design your custom WordPress website so that it has a competitive edge, you can get a quote by filling out this short form. It only takes 30 seconds!