There are times when you may find yourself using some of the same content throughout your website. That content could be text, images, videos, buttons, content blocks, or a combination of all or some of them. Instead of creating this content from scratch each time, you can use WordPress reusable blocks to automate the process.
We will outline how you can speed up content creation by taking advantage of using WordPress reusable blocks. In this complete guide, we will:
- Explain: What are WordPress reusable blocks?
- Explain: When you should use them.
- Teach you: How to create and use reusable blocks.
- Show you: How to edit and delete them.
- Show you: How to import and export them.
- Provide: Some useful tips.
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What are WordPress Reusable Blocks?
WordPress reusable blocks are a feature of the WordPress block editor, also known as Gutenberg. It was first introduced in the release of WordPress 5.0 and has remained a feature since. The WordPress block editor was designed to make creating and editing pages and posts in WordPress a more simple and intuitive process.
The block editor allows you to create reusable blocks of content that can be used as many times as you like. This helps speed up your content creation by allowing you to automate repeated tasks.
Content elements such as headings, paragraphs, images, and others in the WordPress block editor appear as their own content block. Content blocks can easily be added, moved, modified, and deleted much easier than the classic WordPress editor.
Creating and using reusable blocks is a simple process. You can add as many content blocks as you want to a reusable block. Not only that but a WordPress reusable block can also be converted back to regular blocks if needed.
The best thing about reusable blocks in WordPress is that if you ever need to update the content, you don’t need to update every instance of the block. This means you don’t need to go to every page and post to update the reusable block content. You only need to edit and update that one reusable block. Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to do this.
Where should WordPress Reusable Blocks be used?
Whenever you find yourself using the same content, use a reusable block instead. Below is a list of examples where you might want to use them.
- Affiliate disclaimer: Instead of writing a disclaimer on every single post, you can make it into a reusable block.
- Intros & Outros: If you find yourself using standard intros and outros in your posts.
- Calls to Action: These can often be repetitive. An example would be requesting comments at the end of your posts or social media calls to action.
- Affiliate offers: Specific offers or affiliate promotions that you use frequently in your pages and posts.
- Newsletter Subscription: Display a newsletter signup on every post with a reusable block.
Reusable blocks don’t have to contain only one content block. You can use a multitude of different blocks and even save a group of blocks as a reusable block.
Now let us look at how to create a WordPress reusable block. To get started, go ahead and log in to your WordPress admin area and either create or edit a WordPress post.
How to Create WordPress Reusable Blocks
On the post edit screen, add a block by clicking on the block inserter toggle in the top left of the screen.
Choose a block that you intend on saving. In this demonstration, we will use a heading and a button as a reusable call to action example.
To save a block, select the block by clicking on it. Now on the toolbar, click the Kobra menu (three dots). Then select Add to Reusable blocks.
To save a set or a group of blocks as a reusable block, select all the blocks you want to make reusable. To do this, you can click and drag your mouse cursor down. Alternatively, you can hold shift or command (on Mac) to select the blocks you want to use.
And, just like before, click the Kobra menu (three dots) and select Add to Reusable Blocks.
To save your reusable block, enter a unique name for your reusable block. Then click on Save.
After clicking save, the blocks will be updated and converted to your new reusable block.
That’s it! You have successfully created a WordPress reusable block.
How to Use WordPress Reusable Blocks
In this section, you will learn how to insert a reusable block into a WordPress post or page. We will be using the reusable block that we created and saved in the previous section.
On the post edit screen, click on the block inserter toggle. You can now use the search box to search for the reusable block you want to add or click the Reusable tab option. To use the block, simply click or drag it into your post.
That’s it! You now know how to use and insert a reusable block.
How to Edit WordPress Reusable Blocks
There may be times when you will need to change or update the content of a reusable block. When a reusable block is updated, the changes get applied to all posts and pages that contain the block. There are several ways to achieve this.
One way is to click on the block inserter toggle. Now click the Reusable tab option. Then click on Manage Reusable blocks.
Another way to do this is to add a reusable block to a post. Then click the Kobra menu (three dots) and select Manage Reusable blocks.
After clicking on Manage Reusable blocks, you will see the Reusable blocks admin screen, where you can manage all your reusable blocks.
To edit a reusable block, hover over the block you want to edit and click on Edit.
You can now make changes to your reusable block. Once you have finished, simply click on the Update button to save your changes.
Doing so will update all posts and pages that contain the reusable block. You can now view your WordPress post with the updated block to see the changes.
Sometimes you may want to use the contents of a reusable block and not update the block.
To do this, add the reusable block to your page or post and make sure it is selected. Then, click the Kobra menu and select Convert to regular blocks.
This will allow you to edit the contents of the reusable block for the specific page or post without updating every instance.
How to Delete WordPress Reusable Blocks
You can delete a reusable block from the Reusable blocks admin screen. To do this, click on the block inserter toggle and select the Reusable tab option. Then, select Manage Reusable blocks.
Once you’re on the Reusable blocks admin screen, hover over the block you plan to delete and click on Trash. Doing so will remove all instances of the reusable block. This means that it will be removed from all pages and posts where the block was used.
To delete the reusable block permanently, click on Trash, located above the reusable block posts.
Now hover over the block and click on Delete Permanently or simply click on Empty Trash to delete everything.
And if you’ve sent a reusable block to the trash by mistake, don’t worry, it can still be recovered by clicking on Restore.
That’s all it takes to delete a reusable block in WordPress.
How to Import and Export WordPress Reusable Blocks
In this section, we will explain how you can import and export WordPress reusable blocks. This is useful for sharing reusable blocks, copying your blocks to other WordPress sites, and making backups of your reusable blocks.
To do this, head over to the Reusable blocks admin screen by clicking on the block inserter toggle while editing a post. Then click the Reusable options tab and select Manage Reusable blocks.
On the Reusable blocks admin screen, hover over the reusable block you want to export, then click on Export as JSON. And to import a reusable block, click on the Import from JSON button at the top.
That’s it! You now know how to import and export WordPress reusable blocks.
Adding WordPress Reusable Blocks to WordPress Admin Area
If you think navigating to the reusable block admin screen can be somewhat annoying. Then you may want to consider adding it to your WordPress Admin area.
In this section, we will show you how to add a reusable block menu item to your WordPress admin area, using two different methods. One by inserting some code into your functions.php file and the other by using a WordPress plugin.
1. Add Reusable Blocks to WordPress Admin area without Plugin
Using this method, you will need to insert the code snippet below directly into your WordPress functions.php file. If you have no idea how to do that, you can use the Code Snippets plugin by Code Snippets Pro.
How to Install the Code Snippets Plugin
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search Code Snippets (by Code Snippets Pro)
- Now Install > Activate the plugin.
- Now navigate to Snippets > Add New.
- Enter a Snippet Title.
- Copy and Paste the following Code.
- Enter a Description.
- Click the Save Changes and Activate Button.
After inserting the code, you will see Reusable Blocks as a menu item in your WordPress Admin area.
2. Add Reusable Blocks to WordPress Admin area using a Plugin
With this method, we will use the Reusable Blocks Extended WordPress plugin to add Reusable Blocks to the WordPress admin area, which also includes some handy features.
The Reusable Blocks Extended WordPress plugin by audrasjb allows you to see a list of posts where reusable blocks have been used. This plugin also includes a Reusable Blocks widget to use your blocks in any widget area and even allows you to convert reusable blocks to block patterns.
How to Install the Reusable Blocks Extended Plugin
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Reusable Blocks Extended.
- Now Install > Activate the plugin.
You will now see a Blocks menu item in your WordPress Admin area.
That’s it! Hopefully you didn’t have any trouble. To learn more about WordPress plugins we recommend reading:
Tips for using WordPress Reusable Blocks
1. Give your Reusable Blocks Unique Names
Always give your WordPress reusable blocks unique and memorable names. Over time you may end up with dozens of reusable blocks. You’ll want to be able to find and identify them so you can pull them into your posts easily.
2. How to Create a Group Block
Sometimes you may want to group blocks before creating a reusable block. To do this, select the blocks that you want in the group. Then click on the Kobra menu (three dots) and select Group. Now you can add and save the group as a reusable block.
Wrapping Up!
In this guide, we have learned all about WordPress reusable blocks and how to use them. We have shown you how to create, use, edit, and delete them. We also covered how to import and export blocks and how to add a reusable block menu item to your WordPress Admin area.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand how you can use WordPress reusable blocks to speed up and improve your content creation.
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