WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that is now used to design all types of web pages – marketing 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 beautiful web page layouts in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Visual Content Editor Meet All Of Your Web Design Needs?
With so many developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers believe that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for building or editing sophisticated page layouts.
(The built-in WordPress WYSIWYG content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the image below …
Adding the above layout would require entering something that looks like this into the WordPress visual editor …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you decide to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in a box from dark green to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress 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 on your screen is not the same as what you are going to get when your web page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, users may even be better off working directly inside the WordPress text editor tab instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to create something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge of having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a web page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see in the content editor does not look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that users 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 switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which then impacts how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your page to refresh.
Many WordPress developers have come up with various solutions to try to address this issue. These solutions range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content 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 editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML 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 layouts quickly, this can start to become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs correction, just click on the content and start typing. Your content is instantly changed.
- You can drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally abstract from HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content that you would like to add, so you just start typing, and you build your page on the fly, with no delays, no switching tabs, and no waiting for pages to refresh and reload.
Would this not be the ideal 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 and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts in real-time for your web content with no 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 Fastest WYSIWYG Content Builder For WordPress Websites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content layout using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to speed up the process of adding amazing content to WordPress sites.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editor to WordPress)
The plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
Let’s review all of the above and how these powerful features work together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
With Thrive Content Builder easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be created, edited and repositioned by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can continue to further edit them without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
You can also create highly attractive landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly simple, 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
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin for WordPress we’ve reviewed on this site.
See this article to learn more about this plugin:
Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Ready To Go To Work In Very Little Time
Thrive Content Builder installs just like any WP plugin. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit and build content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – fonts, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Create Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Short Codes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and add to your content layouts without using short codes, such as flat design elements, text boxes, section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit your content and then wait for the new 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 layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, gradient boxes, page section dividers, countdown timers, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers website owners a number of powerful features. Below we have listed just some of these features:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated page elements, 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 all the way from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin gives you access to conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content 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, conversion optimized web page templates 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 templates shown above, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web site 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 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-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize anything on your page template …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any headline, bullet point, button, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change the background image and edit colours
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Edit content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on the pages
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any type of custom content in any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build a custom landing pages library.
(Change or customize any element of your page template)
Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, 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 an opt-in form appear when when visitors click or hover 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 page, using a range of effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from top to bottom, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress website with Thrive Lightbox)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Plugin Users
Here are just some testimonials and feedback that users have published 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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”Your stuff is beautifully designed, fast and has great options for marketers that you just don’t see with other themes. Great, great job! Absolutely love Thrive! David Coleman”
Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Plugin 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 enables you to set up the plugin on one domain only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This license enables you to use the plugin on all of your personal domains. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This option enables you to run the plugin on all of your own web sites and your client domains. Price includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Price details for Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing above was correct at the time this content was published. This may not be the actual price set by the software author 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 price:
Additional Info
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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and conversion-optimized template sets that help to make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over the design process and the ability to change 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 ”how to” videos of the plugin in action, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
We Highly Recommend This …
If you want to edit something, you just 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, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing 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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