WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest and most straight-forward WYSIWYG content editor for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Still Meet All Of Your Page Design Needs?
With all the many developments that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for creating or customizing sophisticated layouts.
(The built-in WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
Creating the above in a page would require entering something that looks like this into your default WordPress editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you have to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background color in box 3 from green to yellow. 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, when working with more complex page elements, what you see may not be what you are getting when your web page goes live …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, users could even be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to create complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for WordPress site owners with no coding skills 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 image, what you see in the editor doesn’t look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for pages to refresh.
Many WordPress developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions to address this issue. Some of these range from standalone WordPress 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 page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they still fail to address the fundamental issue of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 page content quickly, this can start to become very frustrating.
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 this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs changing, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally translate any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you just begin typing, and you build your page on the fly, without delays, no switching tabs, and no waiting for edits to resave and reload.
Would this not be the ideal way to create content for your site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary plugin for WordPress that lets you easily build and edit content on your posts and pages with a truly visual click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to speed up the process of creating amazing content on.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor 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 rolled into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We’ll cover all of the above and how these features work together to help you transform and improve your web site and create amazing sales pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder
You can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be created and edited using ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” …
Once you have placed elements on a page, you can then continue to customize these without going through additional steps or switching screens …
You can also work inside beautiful landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that you will never look at creating content the same way once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another amazing plugin we’ve written about on this site.
Go here for more information about using the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder Plugin
Below are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Ready To Start Using In Very Little Time
Thrive Content Builder installs like any WordPress plugin. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple to use, it also lets you edit and build content in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the editor – typefaces, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Create Attractive Web Page Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and simple-to-use click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of functional and attractive web design elements that you can use on your pages without using shortcodes, like columns, star ratings for review pages, call to action buttons, HTML code insert boxes, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for the 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.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, pricing tables, text boxes, call to action buttons, credit card icons, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many unique features to WordPress users. Here are just a few:
- Built-In WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph centering, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Page Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like columns, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Template 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 initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages provides you with conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No technical skills needed
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful-looking 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 …
(Landing page sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over thirty templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web site developer 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 mess around with 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 attractive pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize anything on your page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image or color
- Change the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Edit the size of the content area
- Change the order of elements on your page
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere in the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own templates, or even build a library of custom landing page templates.
(Change or customize any aspect of the page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can 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 2-step opt-in process)
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 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 a range of effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from right to left, roll in, 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 the events, triggers and design.
Testimonials
Below are a few of the testimonials plugin customers have written about Thrive Content Builder:
”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 – 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 pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content 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 really well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps getting better.
Plugin 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 enables you to run the plugin on a single website. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This option lets you configure the plugin on all web sites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – This lets you use the plugin on all of your own websites and your client web sites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $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 software sells for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin seller when you visit the website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing details here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up content design, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the ability to change and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For ”how to” videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Get This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you will see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website here:
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