WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms. It constantly evolves and releases new updates. This is one of the primary reasons why WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) platform is very stable and user-friendly. It has a CMS market share of about 60%. The latest version of WordPress which is WP 5.0 is scheduled to release on November 19th, 2018.
We have been following the whole release schedule since its incubation about a year ago on November 15th, 2017 and if you would like a breakdown of the whole release process, take a look at the table in this link.
The first question, most WordPress developers and WP website owners have on their mind, is – what are the features of WordPress 5.0? This post is primarily designed to address this aspect. Let’s take a look at some key WordPress 5.0 features
1. Change in WordPress release schedule
Those of you, who have been using WordPress for quite some time now, know that it works on a set release date based model. In the past decade, there were 2 major releases, each year. Amidst these major releases, multiple mini-updated versions were introduced. But with the 5.0 update, the schedule for WordPress 5.0 features update will be changed as well. There will be no predefined dates for update releases.
Therefore the WP users feel that the quality of the update is sidelined by the deadline. Hence to combat this issue, WordPress decided to deliver fewer yet more meaningful updates.
2. Gutenberg Editor and Plugin
If you are a veteran WP developer, then you would agree with me that the current WordPress visual editor is not intuitive enough to make visual changes. You need to utilize short-codes and HTML extensively before you can get the desired output. That being said, the Gutenberg editor is going to be one of the most sought-after updates in terms of the visual editor for WordPress. The core benefit of it is that it optimizes direct manipulation of the visual presentation of the content.
Bonus trivia: The editor is named after Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of a moveable type of printing press.
3. Mobile Optimization
Mobile experience is one of the most important aspects of any online journey. Everyone from UI/UX specialists to SEO experts have been constantly working on improving the mobile experience of the websites.
The WordPress 5.0 features promise to have updates that help improve the overall mobile responsiveness of WordPress based websites. This definitely looks promising and will go a long a way for both developers and marketers.
4. Cropping Background Images
A small update, but a functional one nevertheless. Previously if we were to do this, we would need to manually edit the image using tools like Photoshop and then re-upload them on our WordPress site. This is going to change and now you will be able to crop and edit background images before they go live.
Other WordPress 5.0 feature changes include security fixes and updating the front-end editor which will be lighter and faster. However, at this point in time, we do not have enough meat on the matter. We will be sure to keep you posted as we get updates.
Please don’t forget to check out our WordPress Hosting plans, which take care of automatic WordPress updates so that you never have to worry about missing out a WP update and lose any of the amazing features. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!