WordPress has launched its major 6.9 update, introducing new team collaboration features and an array of content creation improvements. If you haven’t already updated your WordPress site, there’s no better time than now, as the follow-up 6.9.1 maintenance update has also dropped, containing lots of small fixes.
Blocks, Notes, and more Blocks
From a high-level view, the biggest change in 6.9 is the new ‘Notes’ feature, which lets you attach notes directly to blocks in the post editor. This works very similarly to making comments in Google Docs, where users can comment and reply to comments on any section of a page. Now you can simply click the three-dot option at the top right of any block, and select ‘Add note’ to leave feedback for your team. Again, like Google Docs, you can view all notes by clicking on the Notes icon in the toolbar at the top of any page when editing.
Speaking of blocks—a bunch of new block types have been added, such as: the Accordion Block, Terms Query Block, Math Block, and the Time to Read Block. Most of these are self-explanatory, aside from the Accordion Block which is used to create collapsible content sections by adding multiple text panels that expand and collapse. Think of a FAQ section that lets you click to open and expand question sections—like an accordion!
Blocks are also now much easier to move around the editor, with a new drag and drop feature. Click and drag blocks to move them around the page, without pressing a button or handle like you previously had to.
Command Palette, and other smaller changes
Changes have been made to the Command Palette, the tool that lets you quickly navigate across your site. It’s now accessible from any part of the dashboard with the shortcut Ctrl+k /Cmd+k, whether you’re working on a new post, checking out plugins, or in the middle of designing your page in the Site Editor.
They’ve also added new adaptive text content options to Paragraph and Heading blocks. This new option is built specifically for banners and callouts, automatically adjusting font sizes to perfectly fill containers for a more polished look.
As with all major WordPress updates, 6.9 also came with a smattering of smaller improvements. These include more than 70 accessibility fixes, like improved screen reader announcements, and making sure the typing cursor stays in the same place even when users click an autocomplete suggestion.
The update also contained performance enhancements, notably an improvement to the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) of on-demand block styles for classic themes.
For a more in-depth breakdown, visit the WordPress website to read the full release notes.
Minor update to smooth things out
Following the significant changes in 6.9, WordPress recently released 6.9.1. As expected, this is more of a stability and maintenance update rather than boasting new tools and features.
You’ll have to wait until April for the next major version, where WordPress has scheduled the release of 7.0 at WordCamp Asia. It’s worth keeping your site updated before then, especially with the smaller patches like 6.9.1 that smooth over some of the hiccups and stability issues from the 6.9 major release.
Measure your WordPress Hosting performance
Do you know if your host is helping or hindering your site’s load speed? If you’re a WordPress user—and you probably are if you’re reading this article—you can install the PHP Vitals plugin to find out how fast your WordPress hosting really is.
PHP Vitals works by separating out your hosting infrastructure from everything else on your site and scoring its performance. It’s designed for you to run regular tests and compare back against, measuring hosting performance over time. Then if something changes in terms of performance you’ll know for sure if it’s the hosting causing performance issues.
Get started with WordPress
We highly recommend updating to 6.9.1 if you’re running 6.9, to patch out bugs and other unwanted quirks. If you’re still running an even older version of WordPress hopefully some of the new features tempt you to update to the latest version sooner rather than later.
Or perhaps you’re looking to launch a new WordPress site? Whether you’re running a small business or starting a blog, Webslice has fast and flexible solutions to suit your needs.