For whatever reason, millions users are not ready to switch – some prefer the old editor, don’t like blocks, don’t want to learn a new system, or simply find the newer versions of WordPress too confusing.

This makes it sound like the millions of websites using classic themes simply don’t want to switch or are just being stubborn. The reality is that FSE/no-code doesn’t make sense for a large number of websites running WordPress. It’s a cool feature to use when it does apply, but for the many developers trying bring high-end, reliable websites to clients, FSE is still extremely far from being a viable option. Very few agencies building dozens of sites per year are using full-on “block” themes (reach out if you are!)

While we’re excited about the potential of the block editor, there are plenty of us who still need to control the entire front-end output of our website or support the “classic” sites our customers use that will be running for years to come. Even when block themes are finally a non-beta piece of software, there’s always going to be a need for “classic” themes in WordPress.

This is the first new feature in a while that brings more of the Gutenberg functionality outside of the FSE bubble (something we wrote about on MasterWP https://masterwp.com/5-things-id-want-to-see-improved-in-wordpress-core/ ) and it’s a welcome change of pace.