One of our favorite things in the Gutenberg editor has been the WordPress Reusable Blocks option and we are going to show you why you need them and how you can use and manage them!
What Is A WordPress Reusable Block?
Imagine being able to share content on multiple posts and change the content on all those posts by editing that content in just one location!
That is what the reusable block functionality in WordPress does – it allows you to easily add a block of whatever content you want – any where you want it. Then you can just go to one place in your admin area to edit that content and it will change all instances of the block.
Some common uses for these blocks include:
Seriously, the options are endless for how you can use these! So you can build any type of block – like our Custom Resource Block then save it as a reusable block to use anywhere!
How To Create Reusable Blocks In WordPress
Creating a reusable Gutenberg block is super easy and there are 2 ways you can create them:
1. Add them directly from the post you are working in which is the most common way
2. Go to the reusable blocks area and add them there
We will cover both options below.
How To Add A New Reusable Block In A Post
Once you create a new block within your post that you know you will want to use in other posts it is easy to add as a reusable block with the simple steps below.
Once you create a block you want to save as a reusable block you will click on the 3 vertical dots in the block editor and in the dropdown you will see Add To Reusable Blocks as shown in the image below.
Click on the Add To Reusable Block option and then you will be presented a field that looks like the one below. This is where you enter the Title/Name of your block! We highly recommend you make it super descriptive so you can easily know what it is!
TIP: By adding descriptors first you can keep you blocks organized. Example all ad blocks can start with AD or if it is a form of some sort you can start with FORM. This has helped me tremendously on sites that have a lot of reusable blocks going on!
Below you can see a reusable button we created with the identifier of BUTTON – followed by what the button is for.
Accessing WordPress Reusable Blocks Area
The WordPress reusable blocks area is where all of the blocks are stored and is where you can edit existing or add additional blocks.
1. If you are in a page or post click the add new block icon to add a new block. Search for reusable blocks as shown in the image below then you will see the Manage All Reusable Blocks link in the lower right – click that link!
2. Click the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner of your post or page that are located to the right of the UPDATE button and select the Manage All Reusable Blocks option.
Images are below for both options.
Once you do either of the options above you will be taken to a page that looks like the one below. Basically it is a list of your reusable blocks that you have available.
Adding A New Block In The Blocks Area
Once you are in the blocks area you will see the ADD NEW button at the top of the page – click on that and you will see a screen that resembles any other post or page you are editing.
The block editor is just like any other page or post editor so you simply add your blocks like you would in a regular post and then click publish to save it.
How To Edit Reusable Blocks
The beautiful thing about reusable blocks in WordPress is that you can edit a block and have it change in EVERY place you have the block added.
This makes it absolutely awesome for coupon type affiliate ads! When a vendor updates their coupon codes and dates – you can easily change it in your block and every post it is on will be updated!
To edit a block you will go to the list above and simple click the block you want to edit. Then you will be taken to a screen that looks like any other page or post for you to edit.
Converting Reusable Blocks To Regular Blocks
Another fantastic feature is the ability to change a reusable block to a regular block.
As an example if you have a mailing list signup block and on one specific post you want to change the call to action text – you can simply add the reusable block to your post and then use the change to regular block option to be able to edit it for just that post!
Just click the 3 vertical dots and look for the Convert to Regular Block option.
Once you click that – then edit your block as needed and only this one block will be changed!
Exporting Reusable Blocks
Another cool option is the ability to easily export your reusable blocks to use on other websites you may have.
When you are in the reusable block area just click the Export as JSON link which will download the block to your computer.
Importing Reusable Blocks
Once you have exported your blocks – now you can easily import them by going to the reusable blocks area and clicking the Import From JSON button and you can upload your files that you downloaded.
Reusable Block Examples
Below are a few reusable blocks we have created recently for Keep America Beautiful. These blocks can easily be inserted anywhere on their website that they want. Both are custom built blocks that were then saved as reusable blocks.
Donation Block
The donation block features an image and intro text – but what really makes it awesome is that hovering over each donation amount gives the donor insight into the impact their donation will make.
Affiliate Block
KAB affiliates are the groups around the country that make amazing things happen to keep our environment clean. KAB needed a search box to allow a website visitor to find an affiliate group nearest to them and this block does just that. By using the reusable block capabilities for this box – they can insert it as a call to action into relevant post or new landing pages easily.
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