WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that can be used to create all kinds of sites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover how to create stunning content faster with drag & drop ease in WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Content Editor – Is There A Better Option For Creating And Editing Content In WordPress?
With all the many advancements that the WordPress platform has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers feel that the WordPress editor is not really suitable for building and changing sophisticated layouts.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above layout, users would normally have to add shortcodes to the content for every page element they want to display on their page …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you have to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in box 3 from red to maroon. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when working with complex page elements, 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 instances, users could be better off working with the source html itself instead of the visual editor when trying to create non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for WordPress users without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem about having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble 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 looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for the updated content to load.
Many WordPress developers have come up with a range of solutions with the goal of making the visual editor more intuitive. Some of these solutions range from standalone WordPress 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 layouts easier!)
Some solutions require so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they still fail to address the fundamental issue 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 page layouts quickly, this can become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web page builder to function?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be corrected, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop items on the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate code.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content that you would like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your page on the fly, with no delays, no tab switching, and no waiting for new web content to refresh and reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages ”on the fly” 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder
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 provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you drag and drop elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to WordPress)
The Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We will take a look at all of the above and how these features work together to help you easily transform and improve your site and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be configured using “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can then further customize or edit these without having to go through multiple steps or complicated configuration screens …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you work inside beautiful landing pages that can also be easily edited …
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 the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you’ll never look back!
To learn more about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin for WordPress we’ve recommended on this site.
See this post to read about the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages Plugin
Here are just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Easy To Install And Use. Ready To Use In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Simply upload a zip file that contains the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WP admin user section and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very 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 – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include:
- Eye-Catching Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Add Design Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing click-to-edit content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of web design elements that you can customizable and add to your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as flat design elements, borderless content, buttons, responsive videos, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to wait for your new content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to mess with code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Add, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, styled lists, call to action buttons, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many great features to WordPress users. Below we have listed just a few of these:
- All Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, justified paragraphs, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of elements available on your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you create animated page content, 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 from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building pages for your website
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with all themes
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, page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the available 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.
Customizable Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to have a fully 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 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 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 page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize anything on your page templates …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Change the background image or background colour
- Edit 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 web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any type of custom content in any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change or edit any element of your page template)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and animated elements to your WordPress web site with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-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 …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 attention-getting elements on your web pages, using various effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from bottom to top, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages 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 Feedback
Here are a couple of the testimonials that plugin users have provided for 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”
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“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 Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add 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.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content Builder Plugin 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 plugins are well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, 100% money-back 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 License – This enables you to configure the plugin on 1 domain only. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This edition enables you to install the plugin on all domains that you own. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – This license option lets you use the plugin on all of your own domains and your client domains. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing for the Thrive Content Builder product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the price at the time this review was published. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the product author when you visit the product site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing:
Additional Plugin Information
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin developers repeatedly 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 conversion-optimized template sets that help to speed up the page design and content creation process, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your design process and the freedom to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Highly Recommend This …
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, all you have to do is drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages and content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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