WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to design all types of web pages – direct sales pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the fastest way to build stunning content in your WordPress site.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Visual Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With so many advancements that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers believe that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for building and customizing sophisticated layouts.
(The default WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above layout, you would need to insert shortcodes into the content for each element you want to display to visitors …
Normally, this is not really an issue … unless you want to change your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button inside a box from red to blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when creating with complex layouts, what you see on your editor screen may not be what you are getting when your content gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that you could even be better off working directly with the html source itself instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for users with no coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem of using shortcodes and HTML to create content with WordPress can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” resemble the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see in the editor does not 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 complex layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for the updated content to load.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with a range of solutions to try and make the visual editor more intuitive. These range from WordPress plugins you can install on 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 content creation easier!)
Some solutions end up requiring so many complex page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative editors work fine, but they still don’t address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page editor to work?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be corrected, simply click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You can drag and drop items on 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 a specific piece of content that you would like to create, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, without tab switching, and no waiting for new content to refresh.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts in real-time 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 And Page Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content And Landing Page Creator
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique plugin for WordPress that allows website owners to easily create and edit content on their posts and pages using a click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content 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.
Let’s review each of the above plugins and how these features work together to help you transform and improve your web site and create awesome marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be created with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have placed your elements on the page, you can then easily edit or customize them without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you build highly attractive 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, designing web pages with the plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that you will never look at creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
For more details about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin that we have previously written about on this site.
Go here to read about the plugin:
Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Ready To Start Using In No Time
Thrive Content Builder installs like any WP plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your dashboard and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple to use, it also lets you build and add content to your web pages in real-time.
What You See Is Truly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the content 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:
- Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Short Codes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of customizable design elements that you can insert into your pages without using shortcodes, like columns, styled lists, buttons, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you tweak your content and then wait for your updated content to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple steps to get what you want done.
(Add, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, responsive Google map embeds, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WP users many features. Here are just a few:
- All 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, paragraph centering, font styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of elements to your post or page screen when creating or 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, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you create animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Sets
Landing page 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 plugin 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 building gorgeous-looking pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content and Page Builder not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the available templates, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to have a fully customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web developer 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-built web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or edit anything on your page templates …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can:
- Change text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace the background image or background colours
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content inside the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build your own custom landing page templates library.
(Change and customize anything on your page templates)
Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can improve 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)
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 graphic elements, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your page, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom out, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials and comments plugin customers have written about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
“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 the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on 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 the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, plus 1 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 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 Edition – This license option enables you to configure the plugin on a single web site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This license enables you to set up the plugin on all of your personal web sites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – This option lets you set up the plugin on all of your own domains and any client sites. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was current when this content was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the product seller when you visit the plugin website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing details here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin 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 web page elements and templates that help speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the ability to edit and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to see how the content you are working on will appear after being published.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin in action, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Install This 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’ll see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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