How to Use WordPress Block Patterns
May 29. 2022
If you use WordPress, you probably already know or you have at least heard about Gutenberg and the concept of blocks. The Gutenberg WordPress Editor has been around for almost three years and is quickly becoming the most popular way to build a WordPress website. But are you taking full advantage of it and its features? Even people who have used WordPress for a long time often ignore bloc patterns or don’t know about this part of Gutenberg. This is bad because block patterns have a lot of benefits, especially for smaller websites. So to help you take advantage of WordPress block patterns, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about them and teach you how to use them.
WordPress block patterns: what they are and how to use them?
Even though WordPress block patterns are quite a useful feature, somehow, a lot of WordPress users seem to avoid using them. However, we at WP Full Care understand that using block patterns comes with a lot of benefits. That’s why we’re going to teach you how to take full advantage of them. So in this guide, you’ll find out:
- What are block patterns?
- How to use WordPress block patterns?
- How can you find more block patterns online?
What are WordPress block patterns?
We already mentioned that WordPress comes with a block editor which is very easy to understand and use. In fact, WordPress developers made it even simpler and more user-friendly in WordPress 5.9! Basically, it lets you use blocks for common content elements to make beautiful layouts for your blog posts and pages.
But what are block patterns then? Block patterns are pre-made layouts you can use in the WordPress block editor. They make it easy to put together a complicated layout of blocks in a few seconds and save it as a template. It’s a perfect solution keeping in mind that not everyone who uses WordPress is a designer or wants to spend time making layouts from scratch every time they make a post or page.
Popular WordPress themes also have their own patterns that you can use when writing content. These patterns include things like pre-built multi-column layouts, media and text patterns, call-to-action patterns, headers, buttons, and so much more. You can even access the WordPress pattern directory where you can find new patterns or share your own.
How to use WordPress block patterns?
By default, you’ll get a lot of useful block patterns you can use on your WordPress website. Even some plugins and WordPress themes come with their own block patterns.
In order to use WordPress block patterns, you need to edit the post or page where you want to use it. When you’re on the editing screen, click on the “Add New” button and you’ll open the block inserter. From here, you should click on the “Patterns” tab and you’ll be presented with available block patterns.
You can view block patterns in different categories. For example, featured, columns, buttons, header, and similar. Or, you could click on the button that says “Explore” to see block patterns. When you find a pattern you want to try, all you have to do is click on it to add it to your post or page.
Once you’ve added the block pattern, you can edit and change its content by pointing and clicking on it. You’ll still have the same options for each block as you do now. For example, let’s say you’ve added a cover block. In that case, you can change the background image or color of the cover.
You can add as many patterns to your blog post or page as you need. You can also delete a pattern like you would delete any other WordPress block to remove it from a post or page.
Using block patterns, you can quickly make beautiful layouts for your WordPress website and content. Plus, using them will save you time that you would’ve spent rearranging blocks by hand every time you wanted to add a header, gallery, buttons, and so on.
How can you find more WordPress block patterns online?
As we mentioned, WordPress comes with a few block patterns by default. They are used by a lot of users all over the world. Also, some WordPress themes and even plugins come with patterns you can use.
However, you can find a lot more block patterns than what you have available on your website when you click on “Block Inserter“. If you go directly to wordpress.org, you’ll be able to access the WordPress pattern directory. There, you’ll find plenty more block patterns created by users from all over the world. You probably already know how big the WordPress community is and that you can easily find expert help whenever you need it. This means you can also upload your own patterns and share them with other users.
If you want to use one of the block patterns you’ve found in the directory, simply move your mouse to the pattern you want to use and click the Copy button. Next, you will need to go back to your WordPress blog and edit the post or page where you want to add this block pattern. On the screen where you edit a post, right-click and choose Paste from the browser menu and you’ll easily add the block pattern.
Final thoughts
We hope our article helped you understand what are block patterns and how you can use them on your WordPress website. As you can see, WordPress developers made sure to make them easy and simple to use even for beginners. However, we completely understand if you have more important aspects of your business to take care of. Why not let professionals take care of your website then? You’ll be able to rest assured knowing your WordPress website is getting support tailored specifically to it.