WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that is now used to design all types of pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the ultimate click-to-edit front end visual content builder for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Content Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With all the rapid developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers believe that using the default WordPress visual content editor to create or edit complex content elements can sometimes be quite challenging.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and media, but adding complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To add the above content to a page would require adding something like this in your default WordPress editor …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you want to change something in your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the background color inside a box from bright red to yellow. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create more complex layouts, what you see in the visual editor is not the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you could be better off working directly inside the WordPress text editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to add something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental issue about having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
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 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 doesn’t look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can start 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 can impact how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for your content to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions aiming to make content editing easier. Some of these alternative solutions 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 creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions require so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they still fail to address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing sophisticated content elements on a web page becomes overly complicated, involves multiple steps and doesn’t match what users expect to see on the “front end.”
If you want your page content to look “just right” quickly, this can become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content builder to work?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You spot something in the content that needs to be corrected so you, just click on the content and start typing. Your content is then instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally abstract from shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content you’d like to add, so you just start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, no tab switching, and no waiting for new web pages to resave and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your website? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly for your web content without 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 Ultimate Click-To-Edit Front End Visual Content Editor For WordPress Websites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content layout using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements on your web 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 rolled into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We’ll cover each of the above and how these powerful features work seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your website and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
This plugin lets you easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be created, changed and customized with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once elements have been positioned on a page, you can then edit these without going through multiple steps or opening more option screens …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside highly attractive landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages and working on content with Thrive Content Builder installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
More info: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin that we have reviewed on this site.
Go here to read about this plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder Plugin
Here are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Be Up And Running In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your administrator login and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit content in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – fonts, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include the following:
- Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of customizable web design elements that you can insert into your pages without using short codes, for e.g.: tabbed content, borderless content, call to action buttons, responsive video embeds, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for your updates to load 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.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, pricing tables, table of contents builder, page section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers many features to website owners. Below we have listed just a few:
- Regular Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, centering text, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to your post or page screen for creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like columns, guarantee boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will resize and display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Templates
Landing page template sets are web page 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 gives you conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No technical skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for release. In addition to the existing templates, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web site developer 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 complex 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-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or edit anything on your page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Change text in any headline, bullet point, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Change the background image and edit color
- Edit the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Edit content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any type of custom content in any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own page templates, or even build a custom landing pages library.
(Change and edit anything on your page templates)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your WordPress web site with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help to improve your conversion rates.)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when when visitors click or hover their mouse 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 attention-getting elements on your pages, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom out, slide in from right to left, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress web site with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments that users have written about Thrive Content Builder:
“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”
***
“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder Plugin provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Software 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 Licensing – This lets you activate the plugin on 1 domain only. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This lets you set up the plugin on unlimited websites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on your domains & on all your client sites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing for this product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the current price when this article was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software seller when you visit the plugin website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Content 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 page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up content design, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to edit anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For a demo video of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Install This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you have to do is drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, visit the plugin website:
***