WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – marketing pages, portfolio pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the ultimate click-to-edit front end content builder for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Content Editor – Is There A Better Way For Creating And Editing Content In WordPress?
Using the default WordPress editor to build or edit sophisticated content elements can sometimes be quite challenging.
(The default WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above layout, you would need to add shortcodes to your content for every single element you want to display on your web page …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you need to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in box 3 from red to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with complex page elements, what you see in the visual editor may not be the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users could even be better off working with the source html itself instead of the visual editor when trying to add something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build 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, what you see when working in the content editor doesn’t look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to translate mentally what your 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 switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your new content to load.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with different solutions with the goal of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from standalone plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that include 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 need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they still don’t address the fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML 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 pages to look ”perfect” 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 content?
Now, visualize the following scenario …
- You see something in the content that needs to be corrected so you, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You can 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 any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you just begin typing, and your page gets built on the fly, without delays, with no switching tabs, and without having to wait for new web content to refresh and reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly for your web content without technical constraints!)
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 – Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Builder For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique plugin for WordPress that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content layout with a click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop design elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to WordPress)
Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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 will take an in-depth look at each of the above plugins and how all of this exciting functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your site and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
This plugin lets you easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be configured with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can then continue to customize or edit these without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
You can also create stunning landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
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 warn that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
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 terrific plugin for WordPress that we have previously reviewed on this site.
See this page to read more about the plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Installation Is Easy And Simple
Thrive Content Builder installs like any regular plugin. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you create, edit and add content to your web pages in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of the plugin include the following:
- Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of functional and eye-catching web design elements that you can customizable and insert into your pages without using shortcodes, like columns, feature grids, testimonials, responsive maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for the updates to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, styled lists, section dividers, responsive maps, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers many features to WordPress users. Here are just a few:
- All WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, left-aligned text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of elements to your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Page Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Templates
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 initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing gorgeous-looking pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No coding skills required
- 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 sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over 30 templates available, with more templates being worked on. 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.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to have fully customizable 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 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 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on the page template …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Replace all background images and edit colour
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Edit the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on your page
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content anywhere inside the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build your own custom landing page templates library.
(Change or customize any element of the page)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
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 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 in, slide in from right to left, rotate, 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.
Testimonials
Below are a few of the testimonials and feedback customers 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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“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. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin 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 products are really well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product 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 Licensing – This allows you to use the plugin on a single site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License Edition – This license option allows you to configure the plugin on all of your personal domains. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – This edition enables you to run the plugin on all of your own sites and your client web sites. Price includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Current pricing for the product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. When we last checked, the software sells for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual price set by the product seller when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current price here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content and Page 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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and conversion-optimized templates that help to make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over the design process and the ability to change and customize everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For ”how to” videos showing how the software works, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Download This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you will 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 position. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For full details, visit the plugin website:
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