WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that is now being used to design all types of pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the simplest and easiest to use WYSIWYG editor for WordPress websites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Visual Editor Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With all the rapid developments that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that using the default WordPress visual content editor to build or edit complex page layouts can be challenging.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex page elements can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above layout, users would normally need to add short codes to the content for each page element they would like to display to visitors …
Generally, this is not really an issue … unless you have to edit some part of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in box 2 from bright red to light green. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create more complex content elements, what you see on your screen may not be the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, you could even be better off working inside the WordPress html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build fancy page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” match the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above image, what you see when working in the content editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to translate mentally what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which then impacts how fast you can create your content, as you wait for pages to refresh.
Many WordPress developers have tried to come up with various solutions to try to address this issue. These range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions require so many page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Adding and editing non-linear content on a page becomes overly complicated, involves multiple steps and doesn’t match what users expect to see on the “front end.”
If you want to create or edit complex page layouts quickly, this can become quite frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web page builder to work?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be fixed, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content is then instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content that you would like to add, so you simply start typing, and you build your page as you go, without delays, without tab switching, and without having to wait for pages to refresh.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your WordPress website? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages in real-time for your web content with no technical skills required!)
If you are ready to change the way you create content in WordPress site, then here is a plugin that you may want to consider using …
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Create Stunning Content Faster And Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary WordPress plugin that allows you to easily build and edit content on your posts and pages with a true WYSIWYG click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to WordPress)
The plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We will take an in-depth look at all of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
This plugin lets you easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your page can be configured by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been added to your page, you can then customize or edit these without having to go through multiple steps or switching tabs …
You can also build highly attractive landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that you’ll never look at creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another amazing plugin we’ve previously written about on this site.
See this post for more information about the plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Here we have listed just some of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Quick Installation
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Simply upload a zip folder containing the plugin to your Plugin folder via your admin area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple to use, it also lets you edit and add content right inside your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Add Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of customizable web design elements that you can insert into your web pages without using short codes, such as columns, feature grids, call to action buttons, responsive Google map embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for for your updated content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, columns, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, countdown timers, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers many features to web site owners. Here are just a few of these:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like columns, text boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different screens.
- Add Animation To Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you create animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Sets
Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating gorgeous web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder not only can be used to create beautiful-looking content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, conversion optimized page templates and fully customizable …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the existing templates, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web designer to do the work, or learn web coding languages like HTML and CSS and figure out what to do yourself.
As Shane Melaugh, co-founder of Thrive Themes says …
“There are many ways to get a pre-designed page published quickly, but the problem comes with customization. Total design freedom requires either hiring web developers to do the work for you, or learn how to do it yourself, which involves learning how to code or use overly complicated editors. Customizable usually means complicated, expensive or time-consuming. So, you can either have something that is fast and easy to set up, or something that is customizable and flexible. But you couldn’t have both … until now! With Thrive Landing Pages you get the best of both worlds for building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you stunning pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and edit any element of the page templates …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image and edit colour
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Change the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any type of custom content anywhere in your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and edit any aspect of the page)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and events to your content pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animated elements to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms can improve your conversion rates.)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers over a button or graphic elements, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your page, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
Testimonials From Customers
Here are just a few of the testimonials that users have published about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”You guys are simply awesome I am loving everything you are doing at the moment. Keep up the great work you really are making such a big difference in this field. Jule Fuller”
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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content Builder Plugin provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are really well-supported, and users get lifetime upgrades, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps getting better.
Plugin Cost
At the time of writing, the pricing information shown below includes all three components described above (Thrive Content Builder, Thrive Landing Pages & Thrive Lightbox):
- Single Site License – This license option lets you configure the plugin on a single domain. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This edition allows you to install the plugin on all of your personal websites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – Use on all your domains and on all your client sites. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The cost to purchase the Thrive Content Builder software can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the software retails for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the product seller when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing information:
Additional Information
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin emphatically maintain that the plugin’s architecture gives you the “best of both worlds,” and help bring back the “joy of creating content.”
On the one hand, you have the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and template sets that help to make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your design process and the ability to change and customize anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that allows you to get things done without having to open multiple dialog boxes.
For a demo video of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Recommend …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you have to do is simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create awesome marketing pages and content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, check out the plugin here:
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