WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that is now being used to design all types of pages – marketing pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will learn how to create beautiful web page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress websites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Content Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Web Design Needs?
Using the WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit complex page elements can be challenging.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would normally have to insert short codes into the content for each element they want to display …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you have to reconfigure the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the background color inside box 1 from green to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, when working with more complex content elements, what you see in the WordPress visual content editor may not be the same as what you are going to get when the page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that users may even be better off working inside the WordPress html editor tab instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to build non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for non-technical users to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge of having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using this 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 screenshot, what you see in the content editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users have to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which then impacts how quickly you can create your content, 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 content editing easier. These range from 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 creating complex layouts easier!)
Some solutions end up requiring so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these editors work, but they fail to address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing non-linear content 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 start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to behave?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in your content that needs fixing so you, just 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 see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you would like to add, so you just start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for new web pages to refresh and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your web site? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”on the fly” 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 Plugin – The Simplest And Most Intuitive Visual Editor For WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page building plugin for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of creating great content on.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editing option to WordPress)
Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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 examine all of the above plugins and how all of this functionality works seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Building Plugin For WordPress
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be built by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once you have placed elements on your page, you can then continue to customize them without going through additional steps or complicated configuration windows …
You can also create beautiful landing pages and easily edit these …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages with Thrive Content Builder installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that you will never look at the process of creating content the same way once you start using it
More info: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin that we have previously recommended on this site.
See this post to read more about the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages
Below we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your site:
Ready To Use In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder installs like any other WordPress plugin. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your WordPress admin area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you create, edit and add content right inside your pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits of the plugin include:
- Beautiful Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Design Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of functional and eye-catching web design elements that you can use on your web pages without using short codes, such as flat design elements, text boxes, section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for the content to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the content your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, tabbed content, content reveal feature, dividers, credit card icons, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of unique features to WordPress users. Here are just some of these features:
- All WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, justified text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to your post or page screen for creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Templates
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 – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing gorgeous pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder not only lets you create beautiful-looking 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 …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over thirty templates available, with more templates scheduled for release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, to be able to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either pay 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you stunning pre-designed page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and edit any element of your page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Replace any background images and edit colors
- Edit the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on your pages
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content inside your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and customize any element of your page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and events to your web pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your marketing pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to 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 over a button or graphic elements, or when someone reaches 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 in, slide in from top to bottom, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your 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
Below are just some testimonials plugin customers have submitted regarding 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”
Useful 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 that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin comes with 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 software updates, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep 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 Edition – This lets you configure the plugin on a single website. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This license option enables you to activate the plugin on unlimited domains that you own. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on your sites & on client web sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing for Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the price when this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the plugin seller when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin developers emphatically 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 web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized template sets that help to make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over the design process and the freedom to change everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which lets you see exactly how the content you are working on will appear after being published.
For demo videos showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Install The 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 instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website 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 full details, check out the plugin here:
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