WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, local 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 builder for WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Visual Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit sophisticated page layouts can sometimes be quite difficult.
(The WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex page elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would have to add shortcodes to your content for each of the page elements you want to display on your page …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you want to reconfigure the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button inside box 1 from bright red to maroon. 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 (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with complex page elements, what you see on your editor screen is not what you are going to get when your page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, users would probably be better off working directly inside the text editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to build non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see in the content editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that you need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can affect how fast you can create your content, as you wait for pages to load.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with different solutions with the objective of addressing this issue. These solutions range from stand alone plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work, but they don’t really address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, 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 very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in the content that needs correction so you, simply 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 any code.
- You have an idea for an item of content you’d like to add, so you just start typing, and you build your page on the fly, without delays, no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for new content to refresh and reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your WordPress site? 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 ”on the fly” 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 Plugin – The Simplest, Most Intuitive WYSIWYG Editor For WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag and drop content creator.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to WordPress)
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.
Let’s take a look at all of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you transform and improve your site and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Creation Tool For WordPress
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your page can be built by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once you have placed your elements on the page, you can then further edit them without having to go through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you build stunning landing pages that can also be easily edited …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages with the Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that you’ll never look at creating content the same way 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 fantastic plugin for WordPress we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
See this page to read more about this plugin:
Plugin Benefits
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:
Be Up And Running In Very Little Time
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Creation
Thrive Content Builder is very simple to use and lets you create content in real-time.
What You See Is Truly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the content editor – fonts, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of the plugin include the following:
- Attractive Web Page 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 an amazing drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can customizable and insert into your layouts without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, text boxes, page section dividers, HTML code insert boxes, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit your content and then wait for your updated content to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Add, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, star ratings for review pages, dividers, responsive maps, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many unique features to web site owners. Below we have listed just some of these:
- All Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, left-aligned paragraphs, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of elements available on your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display great on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – 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 – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any 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 …
(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 being worked on. In addition to the available templates, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either pay a web developer to do the work, or learn web coding languages like HTML and CSS 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 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 pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize any aspect of the page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image or background colors
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add custom content in any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own page templates, or even build your own custom landing pages library.
(Change or customize anything on your page template)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin combo includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your WordPress site …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help to increase your conversion rates.)
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 an image, 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 effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from right to left, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are just some testimonials and feedback plugin users have provided for the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”You guys are simply awesome I am loving everything you are doing at the moment. Keep up the great work you really are making such a big difference in this field. Jule Fuller”
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”Your stuff is beautifully designed, fast and has great options for marketers that you just don’t see with other themes. Great, great job! Absolutely love Thrive! David Coleman”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, 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 installed.
You can add short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content and Page Builder 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 well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and 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.
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 Licensing – This option enables you to set up the plugin on a single domain. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This enables you to activate the plugin on all sites that you personally own. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This edition lets you run the plugin on all of your own web sites and any client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing for the Thrive Content Builder software can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the product is being retailed for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the product developer when you visit the website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder 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 page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up content design, and on the other hand, you also have 100% 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 lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For a demo video of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Highly Recommend This …
If you want to edit something, you just 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, just drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, visit the plugin website here:
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