WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to build stunning content in WordPress sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Editor – Is There A Smarter Way For Creating Web Pages In WordPress?
With all the rapid developments that the WordPress platform has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers and users believe that the WordPress content editor is lagging behind all of the other improvements made to the software.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the image below …
To create the above layout, you would need to insert shortcodes into your content for each of the elements you want to display to visitors …
Generally, this is not an issue … unless you decide to change something in your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in a box from red to dark red. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex content elements, often what you see on your screen may not be the same as what you are going to get when your content gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, you could be better off working inside the WordPress text editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge with using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress visual 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” resemble the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, 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 users have to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can start 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 updates to load.
Many WordPress developers have come up with various solutions to try to make content editing more intuitive. These range from WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many complex page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they still fail to address the fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing 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 your web pages to look “just right” quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following scenario …
- You spot something in your content that needs fixing so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content is instantly changed.
- You can drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for an item of content that you would like to add, so you just begin typing, and you build your page as you go, with no delays, no switching tabs, and no waiting for new web content to resave and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your WordPress website? A true visual editor 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 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 – The Simplest, Most Intuitive Visual Editor For WordPress Web Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your web page using a click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of creating content on.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your web 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 combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We’ll take an in-depth look at all of the above and how these exciting features work together to help you transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your web page can be designed and changed with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have positioned elements on a page, you can then customize these without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you build beautiful 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, working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
Learn more here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin we’ve previously written about on this site.
To read about this plugin, go here:
Benefits
Below are 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. Ready To Start Using In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every WP plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Add And Edit 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 right inside your pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and add to your web pages without using short codes, like flat design elements, content reveal feature, testimonials, countdown timers, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for your updates 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 steps to get what you want done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, tabbed content, borderless content, call to action buttons, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WordPress users many features. Below we have listed just some:
- Regular Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, left-aligned paragraphs, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of eye-catching 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, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, text boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display great on different screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated images, 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 plugin lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating great-looking pages
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No coding skills required
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only lets you create beautiful 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 scheduled for release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either hire a web designer to do the work, or learn web coding languages like HTML and CSS 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you great-looking pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on your page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace any background images and background colours
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Edit the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere in 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 and edit anything on your page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your content pages …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to 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 two-step opt-in process)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 various animation effects (e.g. zoom out, slide in from left to right, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments that plugin customers have submitted 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”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
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 really well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep getting better.
Product 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 License – This enables you to set up the plugin on one web site only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This allows you to configure the plugin on unlimited sites that you own. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – This enables you to set up the plugin on all of your own sites and your client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing for the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the software sells for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the software seller when you visit the plugin website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing details here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin repeatedly 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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and beautiful, pre-designed templates that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your design process and the ability to edit and customize anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For a demo video showing how the software works, 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, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen immediately. 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 overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website here:
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