Constant evolution is at the core of WordPress and it is the main reason behind its success. It keeps on introducing new versions with better performance, UI, and security. This year the company is all set to introduce their latest version WordPress 5.3 which is scheduled this month. Let us see what is in there for you in WordPress 5.3:
Better admin area
WordPress 5.3 will introduce a few minor yet useful changes to the user interface that may skip the attention at first but it will enable the users to quickly locate the required fields, buttons, etc. that enhance the accessibility and makes it easier to work.
Notable Changes
· Better color contrast between the form fields and buttons
· Visual parity between the editor and the WordPress admin area.
New Theme
WordPress 5.3 will also add a new member to the WP theme family, the theme named Twenty-Twenty is based on the WordPress.org theme Chaplin. Anders Noren is the designer of Twenty-Twenty Theme.
Notable Changes
· Graceful typography using Inter font with a better height which makes it easier to read on small mobile devices
· A confident extra bold look to the headlines quickly attracts the eye and facilitates skim reading for site visitors on the go
· Improved content layout schemes for better flexibility and extended control
· Wise use of Bold, Italics, etc. for different sections offer a cogent and retina-friendly appeal
PHP 5.6 Spread Operator
WordPress 5.3 will use PHP 5.6 Spread Operator at several key sections/places that will help in decluttering the code and boosting the site loading speed.
Notable Points
· Your WP site will now load more quickly and enjoy a better performance
· It would be a great asset for the heavy websites
Gutenberg Block Editor
The theme empowers the users to explore the maximum potential of the Gutenberg Block editor and is compatible with the top page builders. It will also allow the users to design an exotic and unique layout to exhibit their content more impressively with improved visual appearance.
Grouping Blocks
It offers an easy and quick way to group your blogs with an intuitive drag and drop process. All you have to do is to type /group, drag your desired Group block and insert it in the group block.
· Repeating/copying the same style for multiple blocks
· More efficient working with several blocks
· Drag the existing blocks into a group or create entirely new groups and add blocks inside the same. You can also ungroup them if need be.
Block appended
The block appended will now be presented in a dedicated empty area making it easier, quite intuitive to locate it.
· You just need to select the desired block and click the group from the ellipses menu.
New Image Style
The new image block helps you to offer a better appeal to your images.
· With the new image block, you can select from the two styles- Circle and Default- to enhance the look of your image with a masked background.
Column Block
The new column block enables you to select the desired column layout or customize the column width by using the column setting menu. Creating multi-column layouts has now become less difficult thanks to the cleaner look of the add new block inside the columns.
· The single-column layout comes without any sidebar and offers a prime look to the main content. At the bottom, there are two areas where you can add the desired widget to customize the appeal.
· The theme works well with the top WP page builders like
Improved Table Block
This version also enables the users to give a better, visual look to their tables with the help of a wide style menu to choose your desired style. Furthermore the ability to add table row stripes will allow you to accentuate the look of your table rows.
· You can offer a more enhanced look to your table by applying different styles.
· You can also enhance the appeal of table rows by adding stripes.
· You can add header/footer rows to your table.
Give distinct appeal to Latest Posts Block
The users can now offer a distinct look to their latest posts to make them stand out
· The new version enables them to adjust the length of their latest posts and also add excerpts with them.
New Button Block
The button block improvements empower you to set the desired border-radius and target. Now you also can add the real attribute to the link which allows you to load link in a new tab and use a no-follow option.
· With the improved button block, you can now customize the border-radius
· The new version will allow you to make the button links to follow or open them in a separate window as you can now set the target and even add real attribute.
Social Links Block
The new version offers you the social links block that will allow you to add social media icons to the blog or page content,
· While it contains the icons of the top social media websites, you also have the option to insert the other social media icons.
· The improved social links block will make it easier for the users to add or remove the social media icons at your desired location in the post/page.
· The improved social links block will make it easier for the users to quickly add the social media icons. You can link the icons to the relevant social media platforms and can also add your desired social media website.
Admin Email Verification
Missing important messages could be costly and to eliminate this possibility, the WordPress will now make it mandatory to verify your Admin Email so that all the latest notifications and WP communications can be sent to your registered admin email address.
· It will now be mandatory for the users to verify their new email addresses that make sure that they should not miss any important WordPress communication
Admin Login Page changes
Both desktop and mobile users will be able to see or hide their password with the help of an easy password show/hide toggle feature
How will the new version help you in day to day management?
You must be eager to know the major ways in which the new version will help you in your daily WP management. The above paragraphs must already have given you a better idea of the key usability features. Here are a few more ways in which it will enrich your user experience:
Saving uploading progress
Uploading large images and heavy resources can take time and it seems annoying if the uploading fails in the middle. The new WordPress now supports resuming the upload from the previous progress instead of starting it all over again. For instance, if a large-sized image caused the uploading to fail just after 35% of completion then the WordPress will save 35% progress. So, when you again resume the uploading, it will proceed from 35% instead of restarting from zero.
Image Rotation
Automatic Image rotation help your images rotate accurately during uploading (as per its EXIF rotations)
Default Site Health Checks with leaner interface
The default Site Health Checker with a lean interface would now tell you whether the site is Okay or Needs Improvement. However, it will not display the scores in percentage depending upon the improvements made.
On the status tab you would see the improvements needed for getting cent percent score.
Date and Time Component
The new version will also allow the users to better manage their data and time components.
SEO Benefits
The new version has made some key improvements in HTML that gives it a more valid approach and helps your website to communicate with search engine bots more efficiently. It is a significant improvement as the invalid code triggers multiple errors and makes it harder for the bots to index your site. Additionally, it can also reduce the speed and increase bounce rates. All these factors can hurt your site- both in the short term (less conversion rate) and long term (lower ranking or reduced visibility).
The new improvements in codes allows the sites to enjoy better code validity that can significantly reduce the number of warnings that your site has to face while going through the validation routes.
Conclusion
WordPress 5.3 is stated to release this month and the new version will bring some small yet positive changes. It will not only offer a more friendly interface but also enrich the visual appeal of web pages and blog posts.