WordPress 4.7 is out, targets new businesses with easier website creation

WordPress has already earned a reputation as one of the easiest ways for a new/small business to get online, but the company is making another push for that market with today’s release of WordPress 4.7. It’s known as the “Vaughn” update in honor of jazz singer Sarah Vaughan.

Version 4.7 is aimed squarely at new businesses that aren’t online yet, or perhaps are looking for a completely new website. It includes the yearly new default theme — Twenty Seventeen — which is focused on business users and offers new features to build a business website from scratch, such as

• new options in the customizer to ease the initial theme setup


• non-destructive live previews of all changes


• starter content including sample widgets, menus and social media icons


• the option to create new pages at the same time site menus are built

For the more advanced users, the theme customizer now also includes an option to add custom CSS and see the changes right away in a live preview. And for even more advanced users — i.e., developers — WordPress 4.7 includes REST API content endpoints, Post type templates and more.

The launch video below shows a lot of these changes in action, and developers should check the WordPress 4.7 field guide.

[Article on MarTech Today.]

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Matt McGee

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee. You can read Matt’s disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.