WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool being used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to create stunning layouts in WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The Default WordPress Visual Editor Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With so many improvements that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers and users believe that the WordPress content editor is lagging behind all of the other developments being made to the software.
(The built-in WordPress WYSIWYG 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 content shown below …
Creating the above boxes with text and buttons in your content would require adding something like this inside your default WordPress visual content editor …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you have to change an element of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background color in a box from green to gold. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create more complex page elements, often what you see on your editor screen is not exactly what you are going to get when the page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you may even be better off working inside the WordPress html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to build complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for WordPress site owners without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content with WordPress 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” match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above image, what you see in the content editor doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for the content to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions with the aim of addressing this issue. Some of these solutions range from plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress 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 including so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these editors work, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 to create or edit complex page layouts quickly, this can start to become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to behave?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You see something in the content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You can just drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for some content you would like to create, so you simply begin typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, without tab switching, and no waiting for pages to republish and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to build content for your web site? A true visual content builder where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your page?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages in real-time 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 Builder Plugin – Create Stunning Content Faster And Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content creation tool.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding great content to your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content builder to your WordPress site)
The 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’ll take a look at each of the above and how these features work together to help you transform and improve your web site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
With this plugin installed easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be built using simple “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can continue to further customize or edit these without having to go through multiple steps or opening more option screens …
You can also build beautiful landing pages that can also be easily edited …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages and working on content with Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that you will never look at the process of creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
To learn more about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin for WordPress that we have written about on this site.
See this article to read more about this plugin:
Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your site:
Really Easy To Install
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your WordPress admin user account and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is simple to use and lets you build content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits include the following:
- Add Beautiful Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Shortcodes Required: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can insert into your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as content toggle, styled lists, page section dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit content and then wait for the page to reload frees up your attention and allows you to build the content your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, star ratings for review pages, page section dividers, responsive videos, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers web site owners many powerful features. Here are just a few of these:
- Regular Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the built-in content editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph formatting, 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 when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of 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 Element Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Sets
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 gives you conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing landing pages for your WordPress site
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No 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, web 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 thirty templates available, with more templates planned for release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customizable Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to have a fully 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 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or customize any aspect of your page templates …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Change text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Change any background images or colours
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on the pages
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any type of custom content anywhere inside your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of the page templates)
Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated elements to your WordPress site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-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 two-step opt-in process)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form 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 web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from right to left, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress site 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.
Testimonials
Below are some of the testimonials and feedback that plugin users have provided for 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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”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 theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on 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 the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are very well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Product 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 Licensing – This lets you install the plugin on 1 web site only. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This allows you to configure the plugin on all of your personal websites. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – This allows you to set up the plugin on all of your own web sites and all client web sites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing for the Thrive Content Builder product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the product retails for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the software seller when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current price 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 template sets that help to make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the ability to change and customize everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to see how the content you are working on will display after being published.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Get The 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 instantly. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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