Gutenberg 22.7 is pushing boundaries again. The new release includes an experimental feature called Guidelines, designed to help WordPress site owners define and manage their editorial standards. This addition signals a shift toward integrating stricter content governance tools directly into WordPress workflows.
Announced yesterday on the WordPress AI blog, Guidelines is the brainchild of Aagam Shah, an AI engineer at Automattic, who spearheaded its development. The feature aims to centralize site-wide content rules, offering users a structured approach to how their websites should be written, edited, and managed. While still in its experimental phase, this tool is a promising step for those managing large or multi-user WordPress sites.
What Guidelines Brings to WordPress
Guidelines introduces a dedicated section within the Gutenberg editor where site owners can outline editorial standards. These could cover anything from acceptable tone of voice to formatting requirements, or even rules for SEO compliance. The feature is envisioned as a way to prevent inconsistencies in content, particularly for teams working collaboratively on WordPress projects.
The experimental nature of Guidelines means it is not yet guaranteed to become part of the core WordPress offering. However, its inclusion in Gutenberg 22.7 reflects broader efforts to make WordPress more than just a CMS—it’s evolving into a full-stack platform capable of supporting professional content workflows.
Implications for Site Owners and Developers
For site owners, Guidelines could reduce friction in content creation and ensure adherence to style guides, especially for larger websites or agencies managing multiple contributors. Developers, on the other hand, may see opportunities to integrate this feature with custom workflows or extend its capabilities through additional plugins.
Automattic’s involvement signals its commitment to enhancing editorial tools in the WordPress ecosystem. Whether this specific experiment gains traction will depend on user feedback and adoption rates. If successful, it could pave the way for more structured governance features built into WordPress.
What To Do
- Site Owners: Test the Guidelines feature in Gutenberg 22.7 to evaluate its potential for streamlining your editorial workflows.
- Developers: Explore the experimental Guidelines API for opportunities to integrate or extend the feature in client projects.
- Agencies: Consider how Guidelines can enhance content standardization across multi-site setups or distributed teams.
