WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the fastest way to build stunning content in WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Editor – Is There A Faster Option To Design Pages In WordPress?
Using the default WordPress content editor to create or edit sophisticated website pages can be challenging.
(The built-in WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
Creating the above in your content would require inserting something that looks like this inside the default WordPress content editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you have to edit an integral aspect of the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in box 1 from bright red to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, when working with complex page elements, what you see in the visual editor is not what you are going to get when your content goes live …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, users may even be better off working with the source html itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for WordPress site owners without knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge about using HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress visual editor 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 ”back end” match 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 even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which then affects how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for your new content to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions with the objective of addressing this issue. These solutions range from standalone plugins you can add to 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 combine so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating, adding and editing 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 content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You spot something in your content that needs to be corrected so you, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you simply start typing, and you build your page as you go, with no delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for new web pages to reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your site? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts 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 Plugin – The Fastest Visual Editor For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag-and-drop content and landing page creator and editor for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding amazing content to WordPress sites.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content builder to WordPress)
Thrive Content And Page 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.
In this article we’ll take an in-depth look at each of the above and how these powerful features work together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Builder For WordPress
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be created by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been added to your page, you can then easily customize them without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you build beautiful landing pages and easily edit these …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages with Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using any other content editor forever, and you will never look back!
For more details about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin for WordPress we’ve previously recommended on this site.
Go here to read about the 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, Simple & Quick
Thrive Content Builder installs like any WordPress plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you edit and build content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits include:
- Attractive Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and use on your web pages without using short codes, for e.g.: tabbed content, text boxes, page section dividers, responsive Google map embeds, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for your page to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, content toggle, borderless content, section dividers, responsive Google map embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of great features to website owners. Below we have listed just some:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph formatting, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of elements available on your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animation in images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web 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 lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing great-looking web pages for your WordPress site
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content and Page Builder not only can be used to create beautiful-looking 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 …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web site designer to do the work, or learn how to code web pages 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 beautiful pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or edit anything on the page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Modify text in all headlines, bullet points, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace any background images or background colours
- Change the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Edit the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any type of custom content in the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build a custom landing pages library.
(Change and customize any aspect of your page templates)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
Thrive Lightbox 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 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 attention-getting elements on your web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from bottom to top, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Below are a couple of the testimonials and comments that 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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”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”
Thrive Content Builder – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, 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 using the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on on your site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin 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 well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, full refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep getting better.
Software 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 edition allows you to set up the plugin on 1 website only. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This option enables you to set up the plugin on all of your personal sites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – This allows you to set up the plugin on all of your own websites and all client sites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost to purchase Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing shown above was current when this content was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the product developer when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the ability to edit anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you see exactly how the content you are working on will display after being published.
For demo videos of the plugin in action, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
We Recommend …
If you want to edit something, you 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 extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content and Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, check out the plugin here:
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