WordPress 5.0 Gutenberg is expected to release tomorrow and I wanted to give you some information on what to expect and things you can do to prepare for this update.

I created a post back in August called Are Studio Mommy Themes Gutenberg Ready? I highly suggest reading that post as well.

WordPress 5.0 is a major update for WordPress. This update has been pushed back a few times so that WordPress can try to work out all the kinks. Even though this update is expected to release tomorrow, that doesn’t mean it will be 100% kink free.

If you haven’t heard yet… Gutenberg will transform the backend of your post and page editors. It will create your paragraphs and images into blocks. It will give you a little bit more customizations for creating your posts and pages.

Here is an example of what the new post editor will look like.

First Thing – Do Not Do The WordPress Update Right Away

Do not do the update right away. Because their may be kinks on WordPress’s side or plugins side. Everyone will be watching tomorrow to see what issues arise and how to fix them. Give it 3 to 4 days before you do the WordPress update. This will give everyone time to fix any kinks they see.

Some hosting accounts are setup on automatic updates. If yours is setup to automatically update… I highly recommend to check your hosting settings and turn this feature off. This way you can wait a few days before you do the update.

Second Thing – Do All Your Plugin Updates

I highly recommend that you do all your plugin updates. This is very important. Many plugin creators have been working on their side to get their plugins to work efficiently with Gutenberg. If you do not do these updates then you can run into problems when this WordPress update is released.

Biggest Problem I Predict

The most common problem I see when big updates are released… are conflicts with plugins. Especially if you have a plugin that works similar to Gutenberg. If you are using a page builder then I highly recommend contacting that company and see if they are Gutenberg ready.

What About Studio Mommy Themes?

I’ve been testing the Gutenberg plugin on all of the themes and so far I haven’t run into any problems. There may be however, some changes I might need to make to some of the themes so you don’t miss out on some of the Gutenberg features, etc. But I do not believe there will be any huge issues. Your themes should still function as normal.

I’m excited and nervous about this change just like you. I will try to keep everyone updated if I see any problems arise. Best of luck to everyone!