WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to create stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Web Design Needs?
With so many advancements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that the WordPress editor is lagging behind the improvements made to the software.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, but adding more complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above content in a page would require inserting something that looks like this into the WordPress visual content editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you choose to change an element in your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button inside box 2 from bright red to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to add complex layouts, what you see may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, some people argue that you would probably be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to add complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with 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 create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” 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 doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require a number of 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 then impacts how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the updates to load.
A number of WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions to try to address this issue. These solutions range from WordPress plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions include so many complex page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work fine, but they still fail to address the fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. 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 web content to look “just right” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now, visualize the following scenario …
- You spot something in the content that needs to be changed so you, simply click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally translate code.
- You have an idea for some content that you’d like to create, so you immediately start typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, without 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 site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages 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 Content Builder – The Simplest WYSIWYG Editor For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique WordPress plugin that allows you to quickly add beautiful content to your posts and pages with true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding amazing content to WordPress web sites.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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.
We’ll cover all of the above plugins and how these exciting features work together to help you easily transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
With this plugin installed easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be designed with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have positioned elements on your page, you can then easily customize or edit these without going through multiple steps or opening new configuration screens …
You can also create beautiful landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Content and Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that you’ll never look at creating and adding content the same way 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 fantastic plugin that we have reviewed on this site.
To learn more about using the plugin, see this post:
Benefits
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:
Fast And Simple To Install And Set Up. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Edit And Build Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you build and add content to your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – fonts, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Shortcodes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a click-to-edit WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of professional design elements that you can add to your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as flat design elements, table of contents builder, testimonials, credit card icons, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for your updates to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you work or click through multiple steps to get what you want done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, countdown timers, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many unique features to WordPress users. Below we have listed just a few of these:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will resize and display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Templates
Landing page sets are web templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your site)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building gorgeous-looking landing pages for your web site
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any 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 landing page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently 30+ templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customizable Landing Page Template
Typically, to be able to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web site designer to do the work, or learn how to code web pages 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-built pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize anything on your page template …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in any button, headline, bullet point, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change any background images or background color
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on your page
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add any type of custom content anywhere in any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change or customize any element of the page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then 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 reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your page, using a range of effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from bottom to top, 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 events, triggers and design.
Testimonials From Plugin Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials that plugin users have written 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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”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 theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly on on your site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder comes with free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is really well-supported, and users get lifetime software upgrades, and 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.
Software 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 Licensing – This option enables you to set up the plugin on 1 web site only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This enables you to set up the plugin on all of your personal sites. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on your sites and on client web sites. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the product sells for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual price set by the product developer when you visit the site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing information here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin developers repeatedly 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, pre-designed template sets that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to change anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to see exactly how the content you are working on will display to visitors after being published.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Get The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you 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, all you need to do is simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing pages and engaging 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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