WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that is now used to design all types of web pages – marketing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest visual content builder for WordPress websites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Visual Editor Meet All Of Your Web Design Needs?
Using the WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit sophisticated content elements can sometimes be quite challenging.
(The WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the image below …
Creating the above boxes with text and buttons in a page would require inserting something like this into the default WordPress visual content editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you want to edit some part of your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the button inside box 2 from bright red to yellow. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the content editor.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to edit complex content elements, what you see in the visual editor may not be what you are going to get when your page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users may even be better off working with the html source itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem of using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor 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 looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for the content to load.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions aiming to make content editing more intuitive. Some of these solutions range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions end up including so many complex page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, 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 content quickly, this can become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to behave?
Now, visualize the following …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be changed, just click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You can just drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content you would like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your page as you go, with no delays, without switching tabs, and no waiting for web pages to resave and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your site? A true WYSIWYG content builder where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages in real-time 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 Content Builder Plugin – The Ultimate Drag And Drop Front End Builder For WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking plugin for WordPress that allows users to easily add beautiful content to their posts and pages with a truly visual click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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’ll examine all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your website and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be designed by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can then easily customize them without going through additional steps or complicated settings windows …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you build beautiful landing pages and easily edit 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 guarantee that you’ll never look at the process of creating content the same way once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another amazing plugin we’ve written about on this site.
To read about the plugin, go here:
Plugin Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Easy To Install
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really 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 on the “backend” as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of the plugin include the following:
- Stunning Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and simple-to-use drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can use on your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as pricing tables, feature grids, section dividers, responsive videos, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to wait for your new content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, gradient boxes, section dividers, countdown timers, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WP users a number of features. Here are just a few:
- All Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, paragraph centering, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of elements available on your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various 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 guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page sets are web 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 gives you access to conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building and customizing landing pages for your WordPress web site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No technical skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content 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, 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 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to fully customize landing page templates, 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 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 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize any element of your page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in all buttons, headlines, bullet points, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image or color
- Change the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content in the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own templates, or even build a library of custom landing page templates.
(Change and edit any element of your page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your sales pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help to increase your conversion rates.)
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 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 page, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
Testimonials From Customers
Below are a few of the testimonials customers have provided for the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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”
Thrive Content Builder – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin installed.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is very well-supported, and users get lifetime software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, 100% refund 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 edition lets you set up the plugin on a single site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License Edition – This allows you to install the plugin on all of your personal domains. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on all your websites and on all your client websites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Price details for Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the product is being retailed for the prices shown above. This may not be the actual price set by the product seller when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing information:
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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and templates that help speed up page design and content creation, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the freedom to edit everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Install The 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 can see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, all you need to do is drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, visit the plugin website here:
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