WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that can be used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest way to create stunning content and beautiful page layouts in WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the default WordPress content editor to build or edit complex website pages can be difficult, especially for non-technical website owners.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, but adding more complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above in your content would require inserting something that looks like this inside your WordPress visual editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you want to reconfigure your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button inside box 2 from red to light blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are working with complex page elements, often what you see in the visual editor may not be the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users may even be better off working inside the WordPress html (text) editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to add fancy layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for WordPress users without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem of using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a page using the 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 editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that you have to abstract what your content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your page to load.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions with the aim 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 WP themes that include 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 design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating, adding and editing non-linear content on a page becomes overly complicated, involves multiple steps and doesn’t match what users expect to see on the “front end.”
If you want your page content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs fixing, just click on the content and start typing. Your content is then instantly changed.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally abstract from code.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, with no tab switching, and without waiting for new pages to reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your WordPress web site? Just 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 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 And Landing Pages
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking WordPress plugin that allows you to quickly build amazing content layout with a true WYSIWYG click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with an item menu that lets you drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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’ll take a look at all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
With Thrive Content Builder easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be configured using ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” …
Once you have placed elements on a page, you can then edit or customize these without going through additional steps or opening extra configuration windows …
You can also create highly attractive 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 and working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you will never look back!
For more details about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin that we have reviewed on this site.
To read more about the plugin, go here:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages Plugin
Below 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:
Quick And Simple To Install And Implement. Be Up And Running In No Time.
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your admin area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple 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 editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include:
- Add Attractive Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a click-to-edit WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of design elements that you can use on your content layouts without using short codes, like pricing tables, content reveal feature, dividers, Google Map embeds, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or having to wait for for your updated 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.
(Easily add, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, pricing tables, table of contents builder, section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers web site owners a number of features. Here are just a few:
- All Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular content 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 elements available on your post or page screen for creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you create animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Sets
Landing page sets are 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 lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing and customizing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No coding skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder 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, 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 over 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to have fully customizable landing page templates, 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize any element of the page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Change text in all headlines, bullet points, buttons, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Replace all background images or background color
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content anywhere inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build your own library of custom landing pages.
(Change and edit anything on your page templates)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your WordPress site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(2-step opt-in forms can improve your conversion rates.)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when when visitors click or hover 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 images on your pages, using various animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from bottom to top, roll out, 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 all events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Below are a couple of the testimonials that users have published about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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 – Useful 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 on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly on on your site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content Builder Plugin comes with free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are really well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, plus 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.
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 option lets you configure the plugin on 1 domain only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This option enables you to set up the plugin on all domains that you own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – This option enables you to configure the plugin on all of your own domains and your client sites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost to purchase Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the plugin sells for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual price set by the plugin author when you visit the site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin repeatedly 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 web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized template sets that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your design process and the ability to change and customize anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that allows you to get things done without having to open multiple dialog boxes.
For ”how to” videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you have to do is drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages and engaging 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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