WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that can be used to create all kinds of websites.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the fastest way to build stunning content in WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Page Design Needs?
With so many advancements that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers feel that using the default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit more complex page layouts can be difficult.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
Adding the above boxes with text and buttons would require adding something like this into your default WordPress visual editor …
Generally, this is not an issue … unless you have to edit something in your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in box 1 from bright red to a different colour. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex page elements, often what you see on your editor screen may not be 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 with the source html itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for users without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem about using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a 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 screenshot, what you see in the back end looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to abstract 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 tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for pages to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions with the aim of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions end up requiring so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes 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 start to become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize the following …
- You spot something in your content that needs to be corrected so you, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content is instantly fixed.
- You can drag and drop items on the page, and see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for some content you would like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and your web page gets built as you go, with no delays, without tab switching, and no waiting for web pages to resave and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your WordPress web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly for your web content without 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag-and-drop content building plugin for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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 discuss all of the above plugins and how these features work together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Creation Plugin For WordPress
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be created using ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” …
Once you have positioned your elements on your page, you can continue to further edit or customize them without going through additional steps or complicated settings screens …
You can also create beautiful landing pages and easily edit these …
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 the plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look at creating content the same way 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 for WordPress we’ve recommended on this site.
Go here to read more about the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages
Here are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your web site:
Fast And Easy To Install And Implement. Ready To Go To Work In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs like every WordPress plugin. Simply upload a zip folder containing the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your administrator login and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is very simple and intuitive to use and lets you edit and add content right inside your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits of the plugin include:
- Add Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag & 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 an amazing click-to-edit content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of functional and eye-catching web design elements that you can insert into your web pages without using shortcodes, like flat design elements, feature grids, call to action buttons, code insert boxes, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to wait for for your updated content to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, feature grids, page section dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers web site owners many great features. Below we have listed just a few of these:
- Regular Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph centering, 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 when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes 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 customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive elements like columns, guarantee boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animated images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Template Sets
Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors all the way from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you add conversion-optimized web pages to your site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating and customizing pages for your web site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No tech skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content Builder 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 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 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web site designer to do the work, or learn web coding languages like HTML and CSS 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you stunning pre-designed page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize anything on the page …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Replace all background images or colours
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Edit content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content inside your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own landing pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize anything on the page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button 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 over a button or graphic elements, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from right to left, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
Testimonials
Below are just a few of the testimonials that plugin users have written about Thrive Content Builder:
”Wow! This is just getting better & better. This plugin is making my websites look so professional. Keep up the great work and thank you for the new features. Ladonna Ragalin”
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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”
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 on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress 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.
Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are very well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Software Price
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 license lets you configure the plugin on a single website. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This edition allows you to install the plugin on all of your personal web sites. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This license allows you to use the plugin on all of your own domains and any client domains. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The cost of purchasing Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the pricing when this content was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the plugin seller when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin emphatically assert 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 time-saving features like ready-made web page elements and templates that help speed up the content creation process, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the freedom to change and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you get things done without having to open multiple dialog boxes.
For ”how to” videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Download This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content and Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, visit the plugin website here:
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