Something small but HUGE just happened to WordPress!

Drag and Drop comes to the Block Builder in WordPress version 5.7.

WordPress 5.7 has just been released, and with it comes true drag and drop for the Block Builder Editor (Gutenberg).

In this video I explain why this is such a big deal.

Timeline
0:00 - Introduction
0:10 - Drag and Drop demo in the Block Builder (Gutenberg)
01:20 - What are Container Blocks and Inline Blocks?
02:20 - Demo of Drag and Drop into a Container Block
04:04 - Adam Preiser of WPCrafter announces he's moving to Gutenberg Block Builder from Elementor
05:00 - Elementor users comments about Gutenberg vs Elementor
07:35 - Conclusion

Let's go through the reasons why Drag and Drop is such a big deal
Drag and Drop Blocks are so much easier to understand for the majority of users
It sounds obvious but the mere fact that you can now just drag blocks in the editor makes the Block EdItor so much easier to use. It's far more intuitive than have to hunt around for the little plus icons.

Container Blocks are now much easier to use
The Block Builder has 2 types of block, simple/inline blocks and Container Blocks.

Container Blocks are really powerful because you can put multiple blocks within them and create more complex, and more beautiful layouts. For example, the Cover Block lets you put a background parallax image, a heading, and a button.

There are 3 main Container Blocks with the Block Builder.

The Columns Block
The Cover Block
The Media and Text Block

The importance of discovery and play
Make no mistake drag and drop makes the Block Builder much more intuitive and fun to use. Because of this more users will discover its hidden powers through just playing with the Editor. The creative process is often not taken into account when getting user feedback, but my feeling is that this small technical improvement will make a huge difference to how end users perceive, play and create content with the Gutenberg Editor.

Influencers like Adam Preiser (WPCrafter) have moved from Elementor to the Gutenberg Block Builder

This is big.

Adam over at WPCrafter has a huge following on YouTube, with over 200k subscribers, and has been a big Elementor fan, promoter and tutorial maker.

In his latest video he makes the announcement that because of the upcoming Google Core Web Vitals in May, where page speed is going to be incredibly important, Adam is moving away from Elementor for his own website and putting everything into the Block Editor.

[adampreiser]

It's officially Gutenbergs time to shine.

[simonkerridge]

Interesting video, Jamie (didn’t recognise you clean shaven at first!). It has been very noticeable recently to see the trend away from page builders. I have also found myself abandoning Elementor for Gutenberg, and using the Kadence theme almost exclusively. The Wordpress 5.7 update has only reinforced this development, and I suspect we will see even more positive Gutenberg improvements over time. I especially look forward to FSE (Full Site Editing). 👍

[adam]

Im one of the elementor user that is panicking and i found your channel, subscribed!!

[Historian]

This is huge!!! Have never used a page builder anyway, can’t wait to get rid of themes as well. Congratulations!

[justinthyme]

Yes. I spent a lot of time and effort with Elementor. But after playing around with Guttenberg, it might be time to drag and drop Elementor off the roof.

[VinishGarg]

This is great nows. I use Elementor in most of my themes and now I think I can use the core WP for basic websites at least.

[mediumstudio]

awesome - will be great to see this move forward and not have to use a plugin - currently, though, elementor is much more useful at this time ...

[Mr_Web]

0:28 why do we all seem to struggle to type when on camera. I can type with my eyes closed but when I'm recording my tutorials I also seem to get the keys mixed up... WHY IS THAT 😂🤔

[thematureman]

Super helpful video and loved that you referenced the other influencers in the space. Question, do you know if Gutenberg has reusable blocks or any suggestions? Thanks!

[ALEXANDER-dcng]

Not WordPress update it's just Gutenberg improvements, so the guys they used to develop with Gutenberg are familiar with this stuff

[rocketgrowthstrategiesdigi]

Elementor is going to follow Brizy’s lead (already hint of it) and leave Wordpress to become a separate cloud based platform unto itself.

[stephenturnerwebdesign]

If you do not use a page builder theme like Elementor or Divi, and just use Gutenberg, do you still need to use a theme and if so, can i assume you choose a theme that uses Gutenberg to edit the theme? :-)

[dr-stephennewdell]

Good video teaching but I wish the audio could be louder.

[vincentoliver]

Just one point I need clarification on, do I still need to download a theme (paid or free) or can I dive straight in with Gutenberg and design my own layout - I have just purchased a theme but am finding it hard to fully customise it.

[kjangmy]

Could it be that Adam in no longer on the Elementor payroll ?
There is something fishy here - That is my view, YMMV