WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that is now being used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest and most easy-to-use WYSIWYG content builder for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With so many improvements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that the WordPress editor is not really suitable for building and changing complex layouts.
(The WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
To create the above layout, users would normally need to insert shortcodes into the content for every single element they would like to create …
Generally, this is not really an issue … unless you choose to edit an element in your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background color in box 1 from green to purple. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to edit complex content elements, what you see in the WordPress visual editor screen is not exactly what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you would probably be better off working inside the text editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for non-technical users to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue about using HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a web page using the 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 image, what you see when working in the back end looks nothing 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 taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing updates to see how your content is progressing, which then impacts how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for your content to reload.
Many WordPress developers have come up with different solutions with the objective of making the visual editor easier. These range from plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that provide built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions end up combining so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they fail to address the fundamental issue 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 to build and edit your content?
Now, imagine the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be corrected, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content is then instantly changed.
- You simply drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally translate any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, without switching tabs, and without waiting for new content to refresh.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your website? A true visual editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web 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 Most Straight-Forward Way To Create Beautiful Page Layouts In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page builder plugin for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding great content to your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual 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’ll cover all of the above and how all of this functionality works together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your page can be built, changed and repositioned using simple ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” …
Once elements have been positioned on your page, you can then further customize or edit these without going through multiple steps or complicated configuration screens …
You can also work inside beautiful landing pages that can also be easily customized …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using any other content editor forever, and you’ll never look back!
Learn more here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin we’ve written about on this site.
To read more about this plugin, go here:
Plugin Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Quick And Simple To Install And Set Up. Be Up And Running In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every other WordPress plugin. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you create and edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – typefaces, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include the following:
- 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 Shortcodes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of professional web design elements that you can customizable and add to your content layouts without using shortcodes, like pricing tables, feature grids, buttons, responsive video embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit content and then wait for your updates to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you work or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Easily create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, columns, styled lists, page section dividers, credit card icons, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of unique features to site owners. Below we have listed just a few:
- Built-In Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation To Your Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page sets are web page templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin gives you conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No tech skills needed
- Works with all WordPress themes
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 landing 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 over 30 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.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template
Normally, to be able to fully customize 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 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 stunning pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or edit anything on your page template …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in any button, headline, bullet point, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Replace any background images and edit color
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content in any of the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build a library of custom landing page templates.
(Change and edit anything on your page templates)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your website …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-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 …
(two-step opt-in forms help increase your conversion rates.)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers over a button or an image, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from left to right, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Below are a few of the testimonials and feedback that users have provided for 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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”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. 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 be displayed correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content Builder Plugin comes with 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 well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep getting better.
Product License 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 enables you to use the plugin on one site only. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This lets you activate the plugin on all domains that you own. 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 domains and all client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Price details for the product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the plugin retails for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the plugin author when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing here:
Additional Plugin Information
The Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin developers 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 template sets that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the ability to change and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin in action, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
In Conclusion …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just 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, Thrive Content and Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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