WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool being used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover how to create stunning content with drag & drop ease in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Content Editor Meet All Of Your Page Design Needs?
Using the WordPress editor to build or edit sophisticated web site pages can be challenging.
(The built-in WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
Adding the above to your content would require inserting something like this inside your default WordPress visual content editor …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you want to change your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the button inside box 2 from red to maroon. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with complex page elements, what you see on your screen may not be what you are going to get when your web page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, some people argue that you may even be better off working directly inside the WordPress text editor tab instead of the visual editor when trying to build fancy page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for users with no coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge of having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble 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 looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can start 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 content to reload.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with various solutions with the goal of addressing this issue. Some of these solutions range from WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that provide built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions end up combining so many page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work fine, but they don’t really 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 your content to look “just right” 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 pages?
Now, imagine this …
- You spot something in the content that needs changing so you, simply click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You just drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any code.
- You have an idea for an item of content that you’d like to create, so you just start typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, no tab switching, and no waiting for pages to refresh.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your site? A true visual content builder where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”on the fly” 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 – The Fastest Way To Build Stunning Content In WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on your WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to WordPress)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins merged into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
In this article we’ll take an in-depth look at each of the above plugins and how all of this exciting functionality works together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
This plugin lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be designed, edited and repositioned with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once elements have been added to your page, you can then continue to customize or edit them without having to go through additional steps or opening extra option windows …
You can also work inside highly attractive 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, working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that you will never look at creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
More info: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin for WordPress we’ve recommended on this site.
See this article to read more about this plugin:
Benefits
Here are just some of the many benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Fast And Simple To Install And Configure. Ready To Go To Work In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your admin account and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you add content right inside your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Design Elements Without Shortcodes: 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 a collection of customizable web design elements that you can customizable and use on your content layouts without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, feature grids, page section dividers, credit card icons, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for your page to refresh 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 web page elements like testimonials, pricing tables, content reveal feature, buttons, responsive Google maps, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many great features to website owners. Below we have listed just some of those features:
- All Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your 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 all the way from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building great-looking landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder not only can be used to create beautiful 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 template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the existing templates, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web designer 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 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 stunning 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 the page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace all background images and edit colour
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build a library of custom landing pages.
(Change and edit any aspect of the page)
Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress web site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can increase 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)
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 their mouse 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 images on your web pages, using a range of effects (e.g. zoom out, slide in from bottom to top, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress website 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 just a few of the testimonials and comments customers have submitted regarding Thrive Content Builder:
“I have had nothing but the best experience imaginable with this tool since I purchased it. This is by far one of, if not the best plug-in I have purchase to date and it has definitely made working with WordPress a whole new experience. Jim Bond”
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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”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. 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 Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are very well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and one 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.
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 License Edition – This license lets you install the plugin on one website only. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This enables you to set up the plugin on all of your personal domains. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on your websites and on all your client domains. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Current pricing for the product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing above was correct when this review was published. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin seller when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing here:
Additional Plugin Info
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin developers emphatically 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 pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the freedom to change anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For a demo video showing how the plugin works, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Get The 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 instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For full details, visit the plugin website:
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