WordPress has been a leader in the content-management system universe for years, giving users and developers seamless control over website creation and customization. WordPress 5.9 is no exception, as this release offers even greater control with a lower barrier to entry for beginners. There are plenty of new features to explore in WP 5.9, including Full Site Editing and the Page Template Editor.
What Are Page Templates?
WordPress is user- and beginner-friendly because of themes. These are site layouts you can easily install and customize, instead of building your site from scratch. WordPress 5.9 introduces the very first default block theme, Twenty Twenty-Two, which puts all content (including headers, footers, text, menus, and more) in easily-customizable blocks.
Themes are made up of templates, which control how different pages of your site will look. For example, there are templates for your home page, posts page, 404 landing page, and more. Edit a page template to customize how a specific page will appear, instead of making customizations that affect the entire site (Global Styles).
How to Use the Template Editor
After you’ve installed a block theme on your site, navigate to Appearance > Editor (beta). This puts you into Full Site Editing mode. Click the WordPress icon in the top left corner, then select Templates. In the Twenty Twenty-Two theme, page templates include Home, Single Post, Search, 404, Archive, and more.
When you select the template you want to edit, that page opens in Editor mode, allowing you to add, rearrange, or delete blocks of content. You can also create a new page template. Simply select the Add New button at the top right of the templates page. Note that you can’t add a custom template. You’ll start with an existing template (like Front Page) and customize it from there.
Taking Customization to New Heights
Like many of WP 5.9’s new features, the page template editor puts you at the helm of your site’s appearance. Instead of making a site-wide edit — link color, for example — editing a page template changes how that particular page will look. This is handy when you want a specific feature (search bar, menu, etc.) to appear on a certain page. It’s also helpful when you want a page to vary in appearance from the rest of your site, like adding a widget to your posts page but not your home page.
Selecting your site’s theme and updating Global Styles are the first step in customizing your WordPress site. But, to take full advantage of WordPress 5.9 you’ll want to dive into page templates. By making page-by-page adjustments, you have the power to create a perfect representation of your brand.
