One of my top priorities when developing WordPress websites is making them as user-friendly as possible for the client.
When I speak with web designers I’ve not collaborated with before, I’m often asked if their clients will be able to easily edit and maintain their own websites. And if they are able to edit their own websites, they ask me how I will make that possible.
I want to give my clients as much control over their own websites as possible, because there’s nothing worse than owning a website that you can’t make changes to or you don’t know how to use. I don’t expect my clients to know how to code, so it’s important that I give them a user-friendly interface that works in an intuitive way.
So how do I build WordPress websites that are easy for clients to edit and maintain?
I don’t use third-party page builders or plugins for WordPress
Firstly, let’s talk about how I don’t build my websites.
Despite third-party page builder plugins and themes being the most popular approach to building editable WordPress websites, I’ve never been a big fan of using them, and so this isn’t the approach I opt for.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to using third-party page builders like Elementor, Divi or Visual Composer (I wrote a whole blog post on this exact topic), but for me the cons outweigh the pros, especially when it comes to design flexibility and website performance. I find they have too much of a negative impact on the loading time of the website… (which in turn has an impact on user experience and SEO), and I find them very restrictive to work with. I end up writing more code to override the existing code, which results in a very bloated website.
However, I’m not complete anti-page builders. In fact, I do actually utilise a page builder when creating WordPress websites…
I utilise the built-in WordPress block editor
Instead of using a third-party page builder, I use the page builder that is built directly into WordPress; the block editor (also known as Gutenberg).
Unlike third-party page builder plugins and themes, there are no additional costs to buy and use the WordPress block editor, and it’s incredibly well optimised. It’s not bulky (i.e. the code it generates is minimal and streamlined), and using it is not going to slow down the website.
However, if you look at the WordPress block editor and then at the type of websites I build, you might wonder how I achieve what I do with the block editor alone.
Because out of the box, the block editor is quite basic. Although it’s evolved massively since its introduction back in 2018, it still doesn’t have as many customisation options as some of the third-party page builders on the market.
So how do I utilise the block editor when I’m developing highly customised websites with intricate design elements and interactivity?
I create custom blocks for the WordPress block editor
I don’t limit myself to the blocks that come with WordPress by default like the paragraph block, the heading block, the image block, the columns block, etc. I create my own blocks for the block editor, and then I use these blocks to build up the website to match the designs provided by the designer.
The contents of these blocks can then be easily edited by the client within the page or post editor, and they are able to preview their changes before making them live.
And just like with the default blocks that are built into the block editor, the client can rearrange the blocks within a page. The blocks I create can be reused repeatedly, meaning clients can use the same block on multiple pages, and they can build their own additional pages using these blocks.
I also style the default WordPress blocks to match the rest of the website design so that if the client did want to create their own additional pages, or add more sections to their existing pages, they can do so using the default blocks.
If a client requires additional custom blocks for their website in the future, they can reach out to me and I can develop these blocks for them.
Here’s a little behind-the-screens preview of a website I recently developed using the block editor and custom blocks:

This is an example of the home page on the Resumeology website that is built entirely using custom blocks.
Positioning the images in this way, adding the decorative graphics, and styling the background of this section would not have been possible with the block editor alone. However, creating custom blocks with custom styling allows me to achieve this, all while making it super simple for the client to edit and update.
I also create training videos to teach clients how to use their new website
For me, my work goes beyond developing a website that is easy to use. Because a website is only easy to use if the client knows how to use it!
That’s why I include training with all WordPress websites I build as standard. I create custom training videos for each website I build, showing the client how to edit and maintain their own website. Clients get access to my private training website where they can watch their training videos as often as they need to, and they are laid out in a course format so they can easily keep track of the videos they have watched.
It’s not enough to create a website that you think is easy to use a designer or developer. We need to remember that our clients have varying levels of technical knowledge and experience. It’s vital that we teach them how to use their own website and give them the confidence to do so.
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