What It Is
The block editor is the standard way to create content in WordPress. Every piece of a page is a block: a paragraph, a heading, an image, a button, a list or a set of columns. You add blocks with a plus button, move them up or down and adjust their settings in a side panel. The project was nicknamed Gutenberg, after the inventor of the printing press. It is a bit like building with labeled tiles instead of one long sheet of text.
Why It Matters for Your Business
For a small business, the block editor means you can build reasonably rich layouts without an extra page builder plugin. You can save a group of blocks, such as a "Call us for a free estimate" banner, as a reusable pattern and drop it onto many pages. Fewer plugins usually means a faster, simpler site that is easier to maintain.
Good to Know
Use the heading blocks in order rather than making text bold and large, because search engines and screen readers rely on proper headings. With newer block themes, the same block approach also extends to headers, footers and templates through the Site Editor, so you can adjust more of the design without touching code.