WordPress Block Themes and Full Site Editing Explained
What WordPress block themes and Full Site Editing are, how theme.json, templates, template parts and patterns work, pros and cons versus classic themes and page builders, and who they suit.
On this page
- Block themes let you edit templates, headers, footers and global styles in the Site Editor.
- theme.json defines the design system; templates, parts and patterns build pages.
- They are native and lean, suiting performance-focused sites and agencies.
WordPress has been moving towards building whole sites with blocks, not just page content. Block themes let you edit headers, footers, templates and global styles visually in the Site Editor, without a separate page builder.
Key parts of a block theme
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| theme.json | Defines global settings and styles: colour palettes, typography, spacing and which options editors see |
| Templates | HTML files made of blocks for page types: home, single post, archive, 404 |
| Template parts | Reusable sections such as header and footer |
| Patterns | Pre-designed block layouts editors can insert and customise |
| Site Editor | The visual interface for editing all of the above |
Advantages
- Native to WordPress: no extra page builder to license or maintain
- Lean output: often faster than heavy page builders
- Design systems: theme.json enforces consistent colours, fonts and spacing
- Controlled editing: you can limit options so editors stay on-brand
Limitations
- Some advanced layouts and interactions still need custom blocks or code
- The editing interface is different from what page builder users are used to
- Not every plugin integrates fully with the Site Editor yet
Block theme vs page builder vs classic theme
- Page builder: maximum visual freedom, heavier pages; see Elementor vs Gutenberg
- Block theme: native, lean and structured, the modern direction
- Classic theme: PHP templates, very flexible for developers, less visual editing
Who block themes suit
- New sites where performance matters
- Teams that want a consistent design system
- Agencies building maintainable sites for clients
Building a custom block theme
A custom block theme usually combines a tailored theme.json, custom templates and patterns, and, where needed, custom blocks for complex components. See custom Gutenberg blocks and custom theme development.
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