WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that can be used to create all kinds of websites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover how to create beautiful page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress websites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Editor – Is There An Easier Way To Design Pages In WordPress?
With so many improvements that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers believe that the WordPress editor is lagging behind other areas of developments being made to the software.
(The WordPress content 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 image below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would normally need to insert shortcodes into the content for each element they want to display …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you decide to reconfigure the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in a box from bright red to maroon. 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 content editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex page elements, often what you see in the WordPress visual content editor is not exactly what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you may even be better off working directly inside the text editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to build complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental issue about having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress visual editor can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using the 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 image, what you see when working in the content editor doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can affect how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the new content to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with a range of solutions aiming to make the visual editor easier. These solutions range from stand alone plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions include so many page-building 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 shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 your web content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
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, visualize the following scenario …
- You see something in your content that needs to be corrected so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You can just drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate any HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content you’d like to add, so you simply start typing, and your page gets built on the fly, without delays, without switching tabs, and without having to wait for new content to refresh.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly 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 ground-breaking WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content pages using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
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, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editor to your WordPress site)
The plugin 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 a look at each of the above and how these features work seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your business online and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
With this plugin installed easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be designed, changed and moved around by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then customize or edit them without having to go through multiple steps or complicated configuration screens …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside highly attractive landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content and Page 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 Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that you will never look back once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin that we have previously written about on this site.
See this post to read about this plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your WordPress web site:
Installation Is Easy
Thrive Content Builder installs like any WordPress plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple 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 content editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include:
- Eye-Catching Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an exciting and an easy-to-use click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can use on your layouts without using shortcodes, like tabbed content, styled lists, buttons, responsive video embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for your content to reload frees up your attention and allows you to build the 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, content toggle, borderless content, page section dividers, responsive maps, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WordPress users many features. Below we have listed just some:
- All WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, left-aligned paragraphs, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web 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 initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin lets you add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building professional web pages for your website
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any WordPress 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 professionally designed, conversion optimized page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to have a completely 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 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 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 great-looking pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit any element of the page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Modify text in any button, headline, bullet point, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace all background images and edit color
- Edit the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content in your 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 aspect of the page template)
Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive package 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 animation to your WordPress web site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help 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 two-step opt-in process)
Thrive Lightbox 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 attention-getting elements on your web 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 web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Plugin Customers
Below are just some testimonials plugin 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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”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”
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 existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin comes with free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are well-supported, and users get unlimited updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 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 option enables you to run the plugin on 1 website only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This lets you 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 Licensing – Use on all your websites & on client websites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder software can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the price at the time this article was published. This may not be the actual price set by the product seller when you visit the plugin website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin developers repeatedly assert 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 page elements and beautiful, pre-designed template sets that help speed up page design and 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 web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which allows you to get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, just 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, 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 awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, visit the plugin website here:
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