WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool being used to create all types of sites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the simplest visual content editor for WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Editor – Is There A Faster Option For Creating Content In WordPress?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor to build or edit complex website pages can sometimes be quite challenging, especially for non-technical website owners.
(The default WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
Creating the above layout in your content would require typing something like this in your default WordPress editor …
Generally, this is not really an issue … unless you want to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the button inside a box from red to light blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create more complex content elements, often what you see on your editor screen may not be what you are going to get when the content gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that users could even be better off working inside the html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for WordPress site owners without knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using this 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 screenshot, what you see in the editor doesn’t 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 sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your updated content to reload.
Many WordPress developers have tried to come up with various solutions with the aim of making content editing easier. Some of these solutions range from WordPress 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 layouts easier!)
Some solutions end up combining so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Adding and editing sophisticated content elements 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to behave?
Now, visualize the following scenario …
- You spot something in your content that needs changing so you, simply click on the content and start typing. Your content is then instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to add, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, with no tab switching, and no waiting for new web pages to reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress web site? A true visual editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages quickly for your web content with no 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 – Create Stunning Content Faster With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress Websites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary WordPress plugin that lets you quickly build amazing content pages with true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding content to your WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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.
In this article we’ll take an in-depth look at all of the above plugins and how these powerful features work together to help you transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin For WordPress
You can easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be built with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have positioned your elements on your page, you can continue to further edit these without having to go through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside highly attractive 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 guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
Go here to learn more about this plugin: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin that we have previously recommended on this site.
See this article to learn more about using the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content And Landing Page Builder
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 website:
Quick And Simple To Install And Set Up. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload a zip folder containing the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your WP admin login and activate.
Real-Time Content Building And Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you build 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 “backend” as you work within the editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Add Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can add to your web pages without using shortcodes, for e.g.: pricing tables, star ratings for review pages, dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for the 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 want done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, columns, feature grids, section dividers, code insert boxes, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of great features to WordPress users. Here are just a few:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the built-in content editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, paragraph formatting, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of elements available on your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your sales conversions, 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 mobile-friendly columns, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Templates
Landing page sets are web page templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing and customizing web pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No tech skills needed
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content and Page Builder not only can be used to create beautiful-looking 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 sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty 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, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either pay 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 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-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit any aspect of the page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in all headlines, bullet points, buttons, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Replace the background image and background color
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Change content area size
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content inside 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 element of your page templates)
Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress web site with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
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 attention-getting elements on your page, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from right to left, rotate, 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 couple of the testimonials and comments plugin users have written about 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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“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 WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin comes with free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is very well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep getting better.
Plugin Price
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 – This lets you activate the plugin on 1 domain only. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License Edition – This license option enables you to run the plugin on all of your personal domains. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on all your domains and on all your client domains. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the pricing at the time this review was written. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the software seller when you visit the site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder plugin developers 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, pre-designed template sets that help to make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your 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 lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For demo videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
The Bottom Line …
If you want to edit something, just 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, all you have to do is drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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