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, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will learn how to create stunning content with drag & drop ease in WordPress web sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to create or edit complex page elements can be difficult.
(The WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding more complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the image below …
To add the above to your content would require inserting something like this inside your default WordPress editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you decide to change your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in a box from red to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the content editor.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are working with more complex page elements, often what you see in the WordPress visual content editor may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, some people argue that you would probably be better off working inside the WordPress html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add fancy layouts …
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 challenge about using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create 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 editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking several steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which can affect how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the new content to load.
A number of WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions to make the visual editor easier. Some of these alternative solutions range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that provide built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they fail to address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can start to become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to behave?
Now, imagine this …
- You spot something in your content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You can just drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, with no delays, no switching of tab browsers, and no waiting for new pages to refresh and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your WordPress site? A true WYSIWYG content builder 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 pages quickly 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 – The Fastest Way To Build Beautiful Layouts In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page builder for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on your WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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 take an in-depth look at each of the above and how these features work seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Creation Plugin
This plugin lets you easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your page can be built, edited and repositioned by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once you have positioned your elements on the page, you can continue to further customize these without having to go through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you create stunning landing pages that can also be easily customized …
Thrive Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
Learn more about this plugin here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin we’ve written about on this site.
For more information about using this plugin, go here:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder Plugin
Here are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Ready To Start Using In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder installs like every WP plugin. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your administrator section and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you create and edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the content editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Design Eye-Catching Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Using Short Codes: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of design elements that you can insert into your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as content toggle, borderless content, call to action buttons, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or having to wait for the new content to load 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 want done.
(Easily add, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, star ratings for review pages, page section dividers, responsive videos, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WP users a number of features. Here are just a few:
- Built-In WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, centering text, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of elements available on your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Sets
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 plugin gives you access to conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building and customizing landing pages for your WordPress website
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No tech skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful-looking content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template 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, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either pay 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 mess around with code or use 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 great-looking pre-designed web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on your page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in all headlines, bullet points, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Replace all background images and edit colour
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of elements on your page
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add custom content anywhere inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build your own custom landing pages library.
(Change and edit anything on the page templates)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your WordPress site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
Thrive Lightbox 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 an image, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your web pages, using various animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from left to right, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over your events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Customers
Here are just a few of the testimonials and comments plugin users have published about Thrive Content Builder:
”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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”Your stuff is beautifully designed, fast and has great options for marketers that you just don’t see with other themes. Great, great job! Absolutely love Thrive! David Coleman”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created using the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content Builder Plugin comes with free updates, new landing pages 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 refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep 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 Edition – This edition allows you to use the plugin on 1 domain only. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License Edition – This enables you to activate the plugin on unlimited web sites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on all your web sites and on all your client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The price of the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the plugin is being retailed for the prices shown above. This may not be the actual price set by the product author when you visit the website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and 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, pre-designed template sets that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the ability to edit and customize everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For ”how to” videos showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Get This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages and content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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