WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool being used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest WYSIWYG content builder for WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Editor – Is There A Faster Tool To Design Web Site Pages In WordPress?
Using the WordPress visual content editor to create 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 more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would need to add short codes to the content for each of the elements you want to display …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you want to edit a fundamental aspect of your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the background color in box 2 from bright red to light green. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to add more complex layouts, what you see on your editor screen is not what you are getting 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 with the source html itself instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with having to use 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 this 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 screenshot, what you see in the back end looks nothing 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 sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for the content to reload.
A number of WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions to address this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from standalone plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that offer 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 end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they don’t address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web content?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be fixed, simply click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop elements around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content you would like to create, so you just start typing, and your page gets built on the fly, without delays, without switching tabs, and no waiting for web pages to refresh.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your WordPress site? A true visual 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 pages 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 Content And Landing Page Builder
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag and drop content builder.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop 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 rolled into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
Let’s take an in-depth a look at each of the above plugins and how these exciting features work together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
You can 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 by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can continue to further edit or customize these without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you work inside highly attractive landing pages that can also be easily customized …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages and working on content with the plugin installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers guarantee that you will never look at the process of creating and adding 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 great plugin that we have recommended on this site.
To learn more about using this plugin, go here:
Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your WordPress site:
Be Up And Running In Very Little Time
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload a zip folder containing the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Edit & Add Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is very simple to use and lets you edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Beautiful Layouts With Drag & 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 easy-to-use drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and insert into your pages without using shortcodes, like flat design elements, star ratings for review pages, buttons, Google Map embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for your page 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 steps to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, tabbed content, styled lists, dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many features to WP users. Below we have listed just some of these features:
- Regular Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, centering text, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various attention-grabbing 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, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display great on different screens.
- Add Animation To Your Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animation in images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – 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 from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin lets you add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating web pages for your web site
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, landing 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 planned for release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template
Normally, to be able to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either pay 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 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 stunning pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or edit anything on your page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Modify text in all buttons, headlines, bullet points, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Change all background images or background color
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify content area size
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content in any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of the page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated elements to your sales pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-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 …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
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 scrolls down to 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. fade in, slide in from bottom to top, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Below are some of the testimonials and comments customers have written about 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”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content and Page Builder Plugin 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 well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and 1 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.
Product License 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 enables you to run the plugin on 1 domain only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This edition lets you install the plugin on all of your personal web sites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on your websites & on all your client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the software sells for the amounts shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the product author when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Information
The Thrive Content Builder 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized template sets that help speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the ability to change anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For a demo video of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Install This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, 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 additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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