WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover how to create stunning content faster and design beautiful page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Editor – Is There A Better Tool To Create Amazing-Looking Content In WordPress?
With all the many advancements that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users believe that the WordPress editor is lagging behind the developments being made to the software.
(The built-in WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would normally need to insert shortcodes into your content for every single element you want to create …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you choose to change a fundamental aspect of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the button inside box 2 from green to maroon. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the content editor.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex page elements, often what you see may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, some people argue that users may even be better off working directly inside the html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for WordPress users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see when working in the content editor does not look at all 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 taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which can impact how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your updated content to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions with the goal of making content editing easier. Some of these range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation 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 content editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work, but they still don’t address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following …
- You spot something in your content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You simply drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally abstract from shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for some content that you would like to create, so you simply start typing, and you build your page on the fly, with no delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for new web content to reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress site? A true visual 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 quickly 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content And Page Creation Plugin
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking plugin for WordPress that lets you quickly add content to WordPress posts and pages with a truly visual click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content builder 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 combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We will take a look at each of the above and how these powerful features work seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your website and create awesome sales pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder
You can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be built and changed by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been positioned on your page, you can continue to further edit or customize them without going through multiple steps or opening more option screens …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you create beautiful landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with the plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that you’ll never look back once you start using it
More info: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin that we have recommended on this site.
Go here to read more about the plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just some of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Use. Ready To Go To Work In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your admin area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple to use, it also lets you create content in real-time.
What You See Is Really What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Additional benefits of the plugin include:
- Eye-Catching Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Shortcodes: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an amazing click-to-edit WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of web design elements that you can customizable and use on your web pages without using short codes, like content toggle, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, code insert boxes, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: 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 deal with code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Easily insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, content reveal feature, dividers, responsive maps, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers many great features to website owners. Below we have listed just some:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, left-aligned text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various eye-catching 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 customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Web Page Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like column layouts, text boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animation in buttons, 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 signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building gorgeous-looking landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content and Page Builder not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, landing page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over 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, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, in order to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web site developer 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 overly 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 and edit any element of the page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in all bullet points, headlines, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Change the background image or background colours
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of elements on the pages
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere inside the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own templates, or even build a library of custom landing page templates.
(Change or customize any aspect of your page templates)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your web site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your marketing pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a two-step opt-in process)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms 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 images on your web pages, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from bottom to top, 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.
User Feedback
Below are a few of the testimonials plugin users have written about Thrive Content Builder:
”Wow! This is just getting better & better. This plugin is making my websites look so professional. Keep up the great work and thank you for the new features. Ladonna Ragalin”
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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – 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 installed.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content and Page 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 really well-supported, and users get lifetime upgrades, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, full refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps 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 allows you to run the plugin on one domain only. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This allows you to use the plugin on all of your personal sites. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on all your websites & on client sites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing above was current when this content was published. This may or may not be the actual price set by the software author 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 current pricing details:
Additional Info
The Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin developers repeatedly 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 template sets that help to speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to change anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For demo videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Get The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, simply 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, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website:
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