Meaning
Full Site Editing (FSE) extends Gutenberg’s block system to the entire site design, allowing users to build complete websites, including headers, footers, and templates, using blocks.
Definition
FSE represents WordPress’s evolution toward theme-less website building, where site structure, templates, and styling are managed through the Block Editor rather than PHP template files.
FSE introduces: Site Editor (separate interface for site-wide design), block themes (themes supporting FSE), template editing (customize page layouts with blocks), and global styles (unified design system).
Block themes consist of HTML templates (using block markup) rather than PHP files, making theme customization more accessible to non-developers.
Users edit: headers, footers, archive layouts, single post templates, 404 pages, and all structural elements visually through blocks.
FSE challenges traditional theme and page builder markets by providing native WordPress tools for complete site design.
However, FSE remains less mature than established page builders, with ongoing development adding features, improving performance, and expanding capabilities.
Example
A user building a portfolio site with the FSE-enabled Twenty Twenty-Four theme accesses the Site Editor from Dashboard.
They customize the header by adding a logo block, a navigation menu block, and a search block.
They edit the single post template layout, adjusting sidebar width and adding a related posts block.
They modify the footer using column blocks for copyright and social links.
All changes happen through a familiar block interface without touching code, creating a fully customized site using native WordPress tools.
