WordPress Block Improvements You Should Try

WordPress just rolled out some exciting improvements to three important blocks that can make your website more user-friendly. Let’s look at how these updated blocks can help you create better content without needing any technical skills.

Time to Read Block: Let Visitors Know How Long Your Content Takes

Have you ever started reading an article online, only to realize it’s much longer than you expected? The improved Time to Read block solves this problem by telling your visitors upfront how long your content will take to read.

What’s New:

According to the latest WordPress update, you can now:

• Show a time range (like “3-5 minutes”) instead of just one number
• Display the word count alongside the reading time
• Add custom text before and after the time
• Adjust the reading speed calculation for your specific content

How to Add It to Your Site:

1. Edit any post or page
2. Click the + button to add a block
3. Type “Time to Read” and select it
4. Place it near your title or featured image
5. Use the settings panel on the right to customize how it looks

This simple addition helps your readers decide if they have time to read your content now or should save it for later.

Accordion Block: Hide Content Until Readers Need It

The Accordion block lets you create expandable sections that readers can click to reveal more information. It’s perfect for FAQs, product details, or any content that would be overwhelming if shown all at once.

What’s New:

The WordPress developer update shows several improvements:

• Better spacing between accordion items
• Easier keyboard navigation for accessibility
• Improved appearance with better focus and hover effects
• Support for gradient backgrounds
• Better heading structure for SEO

Perfect Uses for Accordions:

• FAQs: List questions that expand to show answers when clicked
• Product details: Hide technical specifications until needed
• Service information: Organize your services in expandable sections
• Step-by-step guides: Break complex processes into clickable steps

How to Create an Accordion:

1. Add the Accordion block to your page
2. Click “Add accordion item” for each section you need
3. Write clear headings that tell readers what’s inside
4. Add your content to each section
5. Save and publish

Remember to keep your most important information visible and only use accordions for supporting details or organized groups of information.

Table of Contents Block: Help Readers Find What They Need

For longer content, the Table of Contents block automatically creates clickable links to all your headings, helping readers jump to the sections they care about most.

What’s New:

The October update adds:

• The option to use bullet points instead of only numbers
• Easier controls to customize your table of contents
• More options for which heading levels to include

When to Use Different Styles:

Numbered Lists Work Best For:

• Step-by-step guides where order matters
• Formal or academic content
• Processes that have a specific sequence

Bullet Lists Work Best For:

• Reference materials where order doesn’t matter
• When all sections are equally important
• Casual content or blog posts
• A cleaner, simpler look

How to Add a Table of Contents:

1. Make sure your content has heading blocks (H2, H3, etc.)
2. Add the Table of Contents block near the top of your page
3. Click the block to see formatting options
4. Choose between numbered or bulleted list style
5. Use the settings panel to select which heading levels to include

Putting It All Together

Here’s how to use all three blocks together for the best reader experience:

1. Place the Time to Read block near your title so readers know what to expect
2. Add a Table of Contents below it to show what topics you’ll cover
3. Use Accordion blocks for sections with lots of details or FAQs

This combination makes your content more user-friendly by:

• Setting clear expectations about reading time
• Providing easy navigation to specific sections
• Organizing complex information in a clean, expandable format

Try Them Today

These improved blocks are available now in your WordPress editor. You don’t need any coding skills or plugins to use them – just add them to your pages and posts like any other block.

For more information about these updates and other new WordPress features, check out the WordPress developer news.

Your readers will appreciate how these simple changes make your content easier to navigate and enjoy!