WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to design all types of pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the fastest visual editor for your WordPress website.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
With all the rapid advancements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users and developers feel that using the WordPress editor to create or edit more complex layouts can sometimes be quite difficult.
(The default WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding more complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above in your content would require inserting something like this inside your default WordPress visual content editor …
Normally, this is not really an issue … until you choose to edit some part of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the button in box 3 from green to purple. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex page elements, often what you see in the visual editor is not really what you are getting when your content goes live …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you would probably be better off working with the source html itself instead of the visual editor when trying to add complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for WordPress users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge about having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see in the content editor does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users have to abstract what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking several 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 progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your page to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions to try to make content editing more intuitive. These solutions range from standalone WordPress plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions end up combining so many page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work, but they don’t really address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, 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 your content to look “just right” quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web content editor to behave?
Now, visualize the following …
- You spot something in your content that needs changing so you, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You can drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate code.
- You have an idea for an item of content you would like to create, so you simply begin typing, and your page gets built as you go, with no delays, with no tab switching, and without waiting for new web pages to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to create content for your WordPress 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 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 Way To Build Stunning Layouts In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content creator and editor.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor to WordPress)
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 take a look at all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Creator And Editor For WordPress
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be configured and changed using simple “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” …
Once you have positioned your elements on the page, you can then edit these without going through additional steps or complicated configuration screens …
You can also create stunning landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin for WordPress that we have previously reviewed on this site.
See this article to read more about this plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Use. Ready To Go To Work In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WP admin user account and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit and add content to your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Really What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include:
- Eye-Catching Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting click-to-edit content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of professional web design elements that you can use on your web pages without using shortcodes, for e.g.: flat design elements, table of contents builder, testimonials, credit card icons, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to wait for your updated content to reload frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to deal with code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Easily insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, borderless content, page section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers website owners many powerful features. Here are just some:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, justified paragraphs, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you 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, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like column layouts, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – 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 all the way from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No technical skills needed
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder 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, conversion optimized landing page templates 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 planned for release. In addition to the available templates, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web designer 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit any aspect of your page template …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in any bullet point, button, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Replace all background images and edit color
- Change the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content inside your pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own page templates, or even build a custom landing pages library.
(Change or edit anything on the page)
Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin combo also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your pages …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
Thrive Lightbox 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 graphic elements, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your pages, using various animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from top to bottom, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web 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.
User Testimonials
Here are a few of the testimonials plugin users have published 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”
***
”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”
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 existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder comes with free updates, new landing pages 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 updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep 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 license option enables you to use the plugin on a single web site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This lets you configure the plugin on all websites that you personally own. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This lets you install the plugin on all of your own domains and all client web sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of the Thrive Content Builder product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the product sells for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the software 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 current pricing details:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin developers 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 web page elements and beautiful, pre-designed templates that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the ability to edit everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For demo videos of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Download The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you will 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 unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
***