WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the fastest way to build stunning content in WordPress websites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Still Meet All Of Your Web Design Needs?
Using the WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit complex web pages can be challenging.
(The default WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above layout, you would normally have to add short codes to the content for every element you want to create …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you want to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background colour in box 3 from red to some other color. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress content 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 trying to create complex layouts, often what you see on your screen is not exactly what you are going to get when the web page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, some people argue that users would probably be better off working with the html source itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to add something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge with using shortcodes and HTML to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble the “front end” content 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 does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that you have to mentally translate 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 updates to see how your content is coming along, which then affects how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your content to load.
Many WordPress developers have tried to come up with different solutions with the aim of making the visual editor easier. Some of these solutions range from standalone plugins you can add to 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 creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, 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 to create or edit complex page layouts quickly, this can start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to function?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in the content that needs to be corrected so you, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content is instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize any code.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and your page gets built as you go, with no delays, without tab switching, and no waiting for web pages to republish and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your website? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages 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 – The Simplest, Most Intuitive Visual Content Editor For WordPress Websites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag and drop content builder.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting 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 elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor to your WordPress site)
The plugin 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 will discuss all of the above and how all of this exciting functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be built by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can then edit or customize them without going through additional steps or switching screens …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside beautiful landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages and working on content with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers warn that you’ll never look back once you start using it
Go here to learn more about the plugin: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin we’ve written about on this site.
To read about the plugin, go here:
Plugin Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Installation Is Easy, Simple & Fast
Thrive Content Builder installs like any regular plugin. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Add & Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit and build content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back-end” as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits include:
- Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a visually exciting drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of functional and eye-catching web design elements that you can add to your content layouts without using short codes, like tabbed content, text boxes, call to action buttons, credit card icons, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for pages to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, styled lists, dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of great features to WordPress users. Here are just some:
- Regular WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your 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 Web Page Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different screens.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – 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 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
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating and customizing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, conversion optimized web page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty templates available, with more templates planned 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.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web developer 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 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-designed web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit anything on your page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Modify text in any headline, bullet point, button, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Replace the background image and background colour
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on your page
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content anywhere in your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize any element of the page)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress site with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms can help increase your conversion rates.)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when when visitors click or hover 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 pages, using various effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from bottom to top, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your sales pages with Thrive Lightbox)
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 Users
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments customers have published about Thrive Content Builder:
”Wow! This is just getting better & better. This plugin is making my websites look so professional. Keep up the great work and thank you for the new features. Ladonna Ragalin”
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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 – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content and Page Builder Plugin provides 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 upgrades, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep getting better.
Product Price
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 license allows you to set up the plugin on a single web site. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This allows you to run the plugin on all of your personal sites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on your web sites and on all your client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The cost to purchase the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing shown above was correct when this review was published. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the product author when you visit the plugin site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing here:
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 web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the ability to change everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
We Highly Recommend This …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and 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 location. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content and Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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