This is pertinent to those who already have an old or premium theme that they want to use.
In January 2022, WordPress launched version 5.9, including a whole redesign of the way themes are handled. The new FSE system stands for “Full-Site Editor,” meaning you can edit any aspect of the site using the same interface you’d use to create a blog post.
Why you want to have an FSE theme
There are numerous advantages to using an FSE theme:
- FSE sites are much more customizable than previous themes. Older themes are limited to what the theme developer has included, while any part of an FSE theme can be customized. We can easily create patterns and templates to reuse in your future posts.
For example, I built a custom sidebar for Heather Haven for all of the books in her main series. Now we can use that sidebar on any page or post. When she writes her next book, we can add it to the sidebar once and it will be updated in every place she has included the sidebar. - Consistent design, easier to learn.Whereas previous themes each had their own interface to learn, learning to update an FSE theme is the same as learning to edit blog posts and pages in WordPress. Instead of learning the very particular interface of your theme, everything you learn to edit will work the same way in other WordPress FSE themes.
- FSE themes are “future proof.” I’ve run into issues wherein older themes no longer offer updates, so features that are built into theme can no longer be updated without tedious custom code.
For example, the site I built for the Berkeley branch of the California Writers Club was built before FSE themes. Their premium theme had a built-in option to link to social media pages in the footer. But the theme is no longer being updated, so there is no option for newer social brands like BlueSky or X. It should be a trivial matter to update these logos, but since they are built into the theme they are stuck with the limited selection of icons included in the theme years ago. - FSE themes are the future of WordPress. The development of new WordPress design features is going to be built to work with these themes. Better to get on board now. It’s still new and additional features are being added all the time.
- Free forever– Since I’ll build a custom design on the framework of a basic FSE theme, there is no need for you to purchase a premium theme. Save money yearly as your theme, once built, is yours forever.
- Built-in style settings. Color is an important aspect of your brand and site design. I’m particular about ensuring that colors are used consistently throughout. After your site is built, I want it to be as easy as possible for you to continue to use those colors. FSE themes all include the option to update the default colors with your own customized selection. That way if you’re adding in a new element like a button or info box, you will be able to make it match your site and book covers with one click.

Even if you already have a premium theme, switching to an FSE theme is included in the design by default. If you want to use your old theme, it would save the time of choosing a theme, but would ultimately take longer for me to customize. I will use your old theme if you insist, but I don’t offer a discount for it because ultimately these themes create more work than using an FSE theme.