Quick Edit, the AI Agent and the Block Editor — which to use and when
Three ways to edit, one rule to remember #
Spark AI gives you three editing tools. Pick based on what you’re changing:
| Tool | Best for | Skill needed |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Edit | Fixing wording, bold, links, text colour | None |
| AI Agent | Design changes, new sections, new pages, anything you can describe | None |
| Block Editor | Precise layout control, custom blocks, fine-tuning | Some WordPress familiarity |
The one rule: the AI Agent never saves without asking you. Every change it makes is a preview until you click Save. More on that below.
Quick Edit — changing text on the page #
This is the fastest way to fix copy, and it works directly on your live site.
- Make sure the Quick Edit toggle in the toolbar is switched on.
- Hover over the text you want to change. It gets a dashed outline and two buttons appear.
- Click Quick Edit.
- Type your changes and use the toolbar to format them.
- Click Save.
The inline toolbar gives you alignment, bold, italic, links, text colour and highlighting — plus an Ask AI shortcut if you’d rather describe the change than type it.
While a Quick Edit is open the AI Agent is paused — its message box reads “Finish editing first”. Click Save or Cancel to release it.
The AI Agent — describing what you want #
Click AI Agent in the toolbar to open the chat panel on the left, then type what you want in plain language.
Pointing at a specific element #
If your change applies to one part of the page, tell the agent which part:
- With Quick Edit on, hover the element.
- Click Ask AI.
- A “1 block selected” chip appears in the chat box.
- Type your request and press Enter.
Remove the chip with the × if you want your next message to apply to the whole site instead.
Review before you save #
When the agent finishes, it applies the change to your browser only and asks you to confirm:
- Save — make it permanent
- Try Again — have another go at the same request
- Cancel — discard it
Don’t navigate away with a change pending. If you click through to another page before confirming, the change is discarded and you may see “Error running block-patching.” Confirm or cancel first.
Requests that work well #
| What you want | What to type |
|---|---|
| Rewrite some copy | Change this to mention free delivery across Dubai on orders over AED 50 |
| Add a section | Add a testimonials section to the home page |
| Add a page | Create an about us page with our story and an image gallery |
| Change a button | Change this button to say Book a Table and link it to the contact page |
| Change an image | Replace this image with something showing our shopfront |
| Generate an image | Generate an AI image of a fresh salad bowl on a wooden table |
| Reorder things | Move the image column to the right |
| Remove something | Delete this section |
| Translate | Translate this section into Arabic |
| Publish | Publish this page and add it to the navigation |
One limit worth knowing: AI image generation is capped at 10 images per day.
When the agent can’t do it #
Some requests fall outside what the agent can change directly. When that happens it doesn’t just refuse — the Support Specialist takes over and gives you step-by-step instructions for doing it yourself, usually with a link to the right WordPress screen.
One-click site-wide changes #
For the most common changes, don’t type anything. The AI Agent lists them under “What’s next?” — click Show more for the full set.
Each opens a visual picker in the chat. Change website colors shows ten palettes — click one to preview it on your site, then Save or Cancel.
Changing your whole design #
Ask the AI Agent to show you other website designs and you’ll get a scrollable list of complete alternative designs, each rendered with your own content.
Click Load more for further options, then Save the one you want or Cancel to keep what you have.
The Block Editor — full control #
When you need precision, click Block Editor in the toolbar to open the current page in WordPress’s full editor. You can also get there from WP Admin → Pages.
Everything on a WordPress page is a block — a heading, a paragraph, an image, a button. In the Block Editor you can:
- Click any block to edit it, and use the sidebar for its colour, spacing and typography settings
- Drag blocks to reorder them, or use the up and down arrows
- Add blocks with the + button, or by typing / followed by the block name
- Insert whole pre-designed sections from the Patterns tab
- Delete a block from its ⋮ menu
Click Update to save. Useful shortcuts: Ctrl/Cmd + Z to undo, Ctrl/Cmd + K to add a link, / to insert a block.
Everything else lives in WP Admin #
Head to WP Admin → Site Assistant for the Site Guide checklist and Quick Links to add pages and posts, edit your header, footer and navigation, change your site style, explore plugins and reset your site.
The AI Agent is available here too, from the button in the WordPress admin bar.
Troubleshooting #
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| An AI change disappeared | You almost certainly navigated away before clicking Save. Ask again, and confirm before moving on. |
| “Error running block-patching.” | Same cause. Reload the page and repeat the request, confirming this time. |
| The chat box says “Finish editing first” | A Quick Edit is still open somewhere. Save or cancel it. |
| Hovering doesn’t show the edit buttons | The Quick Edit toggle is off. Switch it on in the toolbar. |
| The agent changed the wrong thing | Click Cancel, then select the specific block with Ask AI before asking again. |
| The result isn’t what you meant | Click Try Again, or Cancel and reword the request more specifically. |
| Your site looks different after saving | Clear your browser cache and reload, or check in a private window. |
A few habits worth having #
- One change at a time. Ask, review, save, then move on.
- Be specific about location. “On the About page, in the top section…” beats “somewhere near the top”.
- Select the block when the change is local. It removes the guesswork.
- Actually read the preview. The panel warns you that the agent can make mistakes, and it means it.
- Check on mobile. Most of your visitors will be on a phone.
