WordPress 4.8 is out now. Named after jazz pianist and composer William John “Bill” Evans, WordPress 4.8 adds improved security, bug fixes and extra features. WordPress is the world’s favourite Content Management Systems, powering about 60% of websites.
With that in mind, an update of WordPress to a new whole number version is an important step and indicates that there are some significant changes in the new version.
New features in WordPress 4.8
While there are always ‘under the hood’ type enhancements that we will cover later, the most obvious improvements are in the important widget areas, where it has been made easier to add richer, more engaging content.
Image Widget
Adding an image to a widget is now a simple task that is achievable for any WordPress user without needing to know code. Simply insert your image right within the widget settings.
Video Widget
You can now add any video from the Media Library to a sidebar on your site with the new Video widget.
Audio Widget
Adding an audio file to a widget is much easier, which makes it a big plus for podcasters or musicians
Upload your audio file to the Media Library, go to the widget settings, select your file, and you’re ready for listeners.
Rich Text Widget
At long last rich-text editing capabilities are now available for Text widgets. Add a widget anywhere and format away. Create lists, add emphasis, and quickly and easily insert links.
Improved link editing
Link editing in text has previously been a little unwieldy. This has now been improved significantly with more precise highlighting of the text you want to link – WordPress calls this Link Boundaries.
WordPress remains an excellent choice to power your website. The huge and vibrant developer community means that just about any website or feature can be delivered with off-the-shelf or bespoke plugins including e-commerce, social, community or brochure websites.
Finally, always backup your website files and database before any update – please see our earlier blog post for more information – Updating WordPress and backup options.
Further reading
Overview of content management system
