WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the most intuitive way to build stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Editor – Is There A Better Tool To Design Web Pages In WordPress?
With all the many developments that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers and users believe that using the default WordPress visual content editor to create or edit complex web site pages can be difficult.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
To create the above layout, users would normally need to insert shortcodes into the content for each element they want to display to visitors …
Typically, this is not really an issue … until you choose to change an integral aspect of your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background colour in box 1 from bright red to a different colour. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the content editor.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to provide users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, when working with complex content elements, often what you see in the WordPress visual editor screen is not what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you may even be better off working inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in WordPress can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see in the editor does not look at all like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to mentally translate what your content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your page to load.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with various solutions to try to make content editing easier. These range from standalone WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions end up including so many complex page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 content to look “just right” quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now, visualize the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be fixed, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content is instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop items on the page, and see them exactly as they will display 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 would like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your page on the fly, with no delays, no tab switching, and no waiting for new pages to resave and reload.
Would this 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 page layouts quickly for your web content without 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 And Beautiful Web 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 creator.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of creating content on.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editing option to WordPress)
The 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 discuss all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin For WordPress
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be built and changed with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have positioned your elements on a page, you can then easily customize or edit them without having to go through additional steps or complicated configuration screens …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you create highly attractive landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that you will never look at the process of creating content the same way once you start using it
Go here to learn more: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin for WordPress we’ve previously written about on this site.
See this post for more information about the plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages
Below are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick Installation
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload a zip file containing the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your administrator login and activate.
Create & Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple to use, it also lets you create, edit and add content to your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Add Stunning Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of customizable design elements that you can add to your content layouts without using short codes, for e.g.: tabbed content, table of contents builder, dividers, countdown timers, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit content and then wait for the updated content to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the content your business needs, quickly and without having to mess with code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, styled lists, page section dividers, responsive videos, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WP users a number of great features. Below we have listed just some of these features:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, paragraph formatting, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes 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, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive elements like columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display great on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page sets are 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 plugin gives you conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building and customizing web pages for your web site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No technical skills required
- 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, conversion optimized page templates 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 scheduled for release. In addition to the existing templates, the developers plan to release new 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, in order to have fully customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web 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 great-looking pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and edit anything on 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 component of your landing page
- Change the background image or background colour
- Change the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on your page
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content in your 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 element of the page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your WordPress Site Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your web site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then 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 opt-in forms 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 images on your page, using a range of effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from left to right, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
Testimonials
Here are just some testimonials 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”
Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin installed.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content and Page Builder 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 lifetime software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, complete money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep getting better.
Software 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 allows you to configure the plugin on a single website. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This lets you activate the plugin on all web sites that you own. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on all your websites & on all your client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Current pricing for the product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing above was current when this content was written. This may not be the actual price charged by the product developer when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
The developers of the Thrive Content and 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made page elements and beautiful, pre-designed template sets that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the ability to change everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to see exactly how the content you are working on will look when published.
For a demo video of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Install The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you need to do is drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing 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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