WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that is now used to design all types of pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the most intuitive way to create stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Editor – Is There An Easier Option To Design Pages In WordPress?
Using the default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit complex web pages can sometimes be difficult.
(The built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the image below …
To create the above in your content would require inserting something that looks like this inside your WordPress visual editor …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you choose to edit something in your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in box 2 from dark green to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to edit more complex page elements, often what you see in the visual editor may not be what you are getting when your content is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you could be better off working directly with the source html itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem of using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see when working in the back end does not look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to abstract what your content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for for your updated content to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions with the objective of making content editing more intuitive. Some of these range from standalone plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions include so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, adding and editing sophisticated content elements 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 your content to look “just right” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now, imagine this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be fixed, simply click on the content and start editing it. Your content is instantly fixed.
- You can drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you would like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your page on the fly, without delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and no waiting for edits to reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages ”on the fly” for your web content with no technical constraints!)
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 – The Most Intuitive Way To Create Stunning Web Page Layouts In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content creation plugin.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to speed up the process of adding amazing content to WordPress websites.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content builder to your WordPress site)
The plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins merged into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
In this article we’ll take a look at each of the above plugins and how these exciting features work seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
With Thrive Content Builder easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your web page can be designed with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once you have placed your elements on the page, you can then easily edit or customize these without going through multiple steps or switching screens …
You can also work inside stunning landing pages and easily edit these …
Thrive Content and Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages and working on content with the plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
Learn more about this plugin here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
Go here to read more about this plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Below are just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Quick And Easy To Install And Configure. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload a zip folder containing the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple to use, it also lets you edit and add content to your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of this plugin include the following:
- Beautiful Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Short Codes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can customizable and add to your layouts without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, styled lists, page section dividers, responsive Google maps, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for the updates to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, feature grids, page section dividers, responsive video embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of features to web site owners. Below we have listed just a few:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, left-aligned text, font styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various eye-catching 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 Element Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – 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 lets you add conversion-optimized web pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing web pages for your WordPress site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No coding skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, conversion optimized web page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over 30 templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template
Typically, to be able to have fully customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web designer to do the work, or learn how to code web pages and figure out how to edit the page code 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 attractive pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize any element of the page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image and background colours
- Change the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of elements on your pages
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content inside your pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build a custom landing page templates library.
(Change or edit any aspect of your page)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Web Site Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animated objects to your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-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 …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a two-step opt-in process)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers their mouse over a button or an image, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your page, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Here are some of the testimonials customers have written about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
“I have had nothing but the best experience imaginable with this tool since I purchased it. This is by far one of, if not the best plug-in I have purchase to date and it has definitely made working with WordPress a whole new experience. Jim Bond”
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”Great stuff! I am really impressed by all the new additions. You guys have shown a true commitment to making these themes and the Content Builder awesome. Michael Johnson”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is really well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, complete money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps getting better.
Plugin Pricing
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 enables you to use the plugin on a single site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This enables you to configure the plugin on unlimited sites that you own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – Use on your web sites and on client web sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing for this product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was current when this review was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the product author when you visit the site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price:
Additional Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin repeatedly 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 page elements and conversion-optimized templates that help speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to change and customize everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to get things done without having to open multiple dialog boxes.
For ”how-to” videos showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
The Bottom Line …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you will see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, all you have to do is drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome marketing pages and content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website:
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