WordPress build using Site Editor
I recently completed my first website build using the WordPress Site Editor, which turned out to be both enlightening and a bit challenging. My blog—this website—is my experimental space and now features a custom theme I designed from the ground up.
I started by generating a no-code block theme from this website. I was quite impressed with the initial result. Once installed, I had a blank Full Site Editing (FSE) theme ready for customization.
Over the course of just a few days, I developed styles, templates, patterns, pages, and parts. Working directly within the browser proved to be convenient, and being able to customize blocks and styles globally helped maintain consistency across the site. However, the user experience felt clunky and confusing at times, particularly when navigating through various panels, screens, and pop-ups to access different functions. The layout was somewhat disorganized, making it difficult to locate specific features. For example, the <Query Loop> block includes a button for display settings that manages the number of items per page and the maximum pages to show, but it wasn’t located in the expected block settings panel on the right. Instead, configuration options seemed to be scattered everywhere.
Display Settings panel for Query Loop block in WordPress
Navigating through the List View, Block Inserter, Page/Block Panel, Styles, and main Site Editor screens involved an excessive—and what feels like endless—amount of clicking.
Despite these frustrations, I genuinely enjoyed the process of building my website with the Site Editor. It offers a plethora of controls that are accessible without needing to write much code—I used less than 50 lines of custom CSS (48, to be precise) to achieve a clean, simple, and minimalistic website.
Like most things, FSE has its limitations but serves a purpose. It may not suit every project—especially large, complex enterprise endeavors. However, it generally delivers value for those looking to build something quick and simple inside the browser.
Published: May 29, 2024