WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the ultimate drag and drop front end content editor for WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
With all the many improvements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers and users believe that the WordPress content editor is now lagging behind all other improvements made to the software.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
Creating the above layout in a page would require entering something that looks like this into your default WordPress editor …
Normally, this is not really an issue … unless you decide to reconfigure the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in box 2 from bright red to gold. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex layouts, often what you see in the WordPress content editor screen may not be what you are getting when the web page goes live …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that users may even be better off working directly inside the html (text) editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to create something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for users without knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge with having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress visual editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” resemble the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see when working in the back end looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching 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 the new content to load.
Many WordPress developers have come up with a range of solutions with the goal of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions include so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they fail to 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 to create or edit complex page content quickly, this can become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to function?
Now, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be corrected, just click on the content and start changing it. Your content is instantly fixed.
- 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 any code.
- You have an idea for an item of content you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, without delays, no tab switching, and without waiting for new content to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to create content for your web 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 pages in real-time for your web content without 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 And Drop Content And Landing Page Creation Tool
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique plugin for WordPress that allows you to quickly build and change content on your posts and pages with a true WYSIWYG click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editor to WordPress)
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.
Let’s take a look at all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create awesome marketing pages and 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 configured by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once you have placed elements on a page, you can then easily customize or edit them without having to go through additional steps or opening new option screens …
You can also work inside highly attractive landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages with the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back 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 for WordPress we’ve previously written about on this site.
Go here to read about this plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder Plugin
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your WordPress site:
Installation Is Easy And Fast
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your administrator account and activate.
Edit And Add Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit and add content to your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back-end” as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of this plugin include:
- Design Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Short Codes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting click-to-edit content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of web design elements that you can add to your web pages without using short codes, for e.g.: content toggle, feature grids, buttons, responsive video embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for your content 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.
(Add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, tabbed content, table of contents builder, section dividers, responsive Google map embeds, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides site owners a number of powerful features. Below we have listed just a few:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, centering text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your 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 from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin gives you access to conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating gorgeous pages for your WordPress website
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No tech skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder not only lets you create beautiful-looking content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally 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 30+ templates available, with more templates planned 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, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web site designer 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 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-designed page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize anything on the page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Change the background image or color
- Change the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Edit the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content inside any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own landing pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change or edit any element of your page template)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your web pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button 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 their mouse over a button or graphic elements, or when someone reaches 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 effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from top to bottom, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your marketing pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Below are just some testimonials and comments users have published about Thrive Content Builder:
“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”
Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin comes with 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 really well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, complete money-back 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 Licensing – This allows you to set up the plugin on one domain only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This license enables you to set up the plugin on unlimited sites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – This allows you to activate the plugin on all of your own domains and any client sites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The price of the Thrive Content Builder software depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was correct when this content was written. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin author when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Landing Page 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 template sets that help to speed up page design and content creation, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the freedom to change anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For demo videos of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Highly Recommend This …
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, all you need to do is simply 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 content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, check out the plugin here:
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