WordPress website owners who use the Classic Editor will be interested in this 2021 Budgeting tip.
The tip is: Include a line item for converting to the Block Editor
The tasks that are included under that line item will vary depending upon how the Block Editor has been adopted in your website.
The Block Editor debuted Dec. 6, 2018. Although WordPress prefers that we refer to it as “the editor” or “the block editor”, it is popularly referred to as Gutenberg. Gutenberg was the name of the project under which the block editor was developed.
Since the debut of the block editor, a plugin has been required in order to continue using the Classic Editor.
Support for the Classic Editor ends Dec. 31, 2021
Your website probably will not fall apart nor stop working right away, but, I suspect functionality will erode over time. That erosion will show up as parts of the website misbehaving for unapparent reasons.
What that “bad behavior” will look like will be different for each WordPress Website. WordPress websites are like snowflakes. Due to its plug-n-play nature, each implementation of a WordPress website is unique.
You can avoid downtime and distress by planning; planning to take action in 2021, so that your website will continue to function and roll smoothly into 2022.
What should you include in your plan?
- PAGE CONVERSIONS: How many existing posts/pages need to be converted to the block editor? Do you have custom post types? Do they need to be converted?
- TRAINING: Who needs to learn how to use the block editor?
- THEME EVALUATION: Will your current theme function with the block editor?
- FRAMEWORK EVALUATION: Will your current framework function with the block editor?
- PAGE BUILDER EVALUATION: Will your current page builder function with the block editor?
- WEBSITE CLEAN UP: Which plugins, themes, and widgets need to be removed?
Not every WordPress website uses an additional framework nor page builder. All WordPress websites use themes, plugins, and widgets. Some use custom post types.
The extent of the work your website will require may be a little amount, or, may be a huge amount. Only your webmaster knows for sure. Please connect with your webmaster, web developer, or, whomever maintains your website.
I implore you to NOT wait until 2021 to get an idea of what you will need. Some websites will need so much work, that it will be less expensive to replace the entire website. Are you prepared to outlay that kind of cash – or – be without your website?
This is not a case where a backup of the website can help restore badly behaving portions. Backups can’t help. This is evolution; The WordPress code is moving forward and leaving the Classic Editor behind.
Protect yourself by taking action today!
Food for thought: One of my clients has 900 pages. It is a research website and the author does a thorough exploration of each topic. At least 700 pages will take a minimum of 1 hour to convert. That’s 700 hours of work. According to 2019 data, the average employed person works 34.4 hours per week. At that rate, those 700 pages will take over 20 weeks to complete.