WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now used to design all types of pages – marketing pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will learn how to create stunning content faster and design beautiful web page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Visual Content Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With so many improvements that the WordPress platform has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers and users feel that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for building and editing complex web page layouts.
(The WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would normally have to insert short codes into the content for each page element they want to display …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you need to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the background colour inside box 1 from red to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with more complex content elements, what you see in the WordPress visual editor may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that users could even be better off working directly with the html source itself instead of the visual editor when trying to build fancy page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for WordPress users without coding skills to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue with using HTML and shortcodes to create content with WordPress can be summarized by asking two questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a web page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble 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 when working in the back end does not look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to translate mentally what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which then affects how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your updated content to refresh.
Many WordPress developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions with the objective of making the visual editor more intuitive. These solutions range from WP plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP 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 end up combining so many complex page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental challenge 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can start to become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web content editor to work?
Now, visualize the following …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be changed, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You can drag and drop elements around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate code.
- You have an idea for some content that you would like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, without switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for pages to refresh and reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress web site? A true visual content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”on the fly” 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 Content Builder And Landing Pages – Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Creation Plugin For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary plugin for WordPress that gives you total control over every aspect of your web page design with a true WYSIWYG click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with 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 menu that lets you drag and drop design 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 merged into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We’ll take an in-depth look at all of the above and how all of this functionality works seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your website and create awesome marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder
You can easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be configured using ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” …
Once you have positioned your elements on the page, you can then edit or customize them without having to go through multiple steps or switching screens …
You can also create stunning landing pages that can also be easily customized …
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 and working on content with the Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, it will ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you’ll never look back!
More info: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another amazing plugin for WordPress that we have recommended on this site.
To read more about this plugin, go here:
Plugin Benefits
Below are just some of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your site:
Fast And Simple To Install And Implement. Be Up And Running In No Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Simply upload a zip file containing the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WP admin user account and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you create and add content right inside your web pages in real-time.
What You See Is Really What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Add Attractive Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an amazing click-to-edit content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional web design elements that you can customizable and insert into your content layouts without using shortcodes, like tabbed content, text boxes, dividers, credit card icons, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or having to wait for the updated content to reload frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Easily add, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, columns, content reveal feature, buttons, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WP users many great features. Below we have listed just a few:
- Regular WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, paragraph formatting, font styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various 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 customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive elements like columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display great on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated buttons, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page sets are web templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors all the way from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating gorgeous web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No tech skills needed
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Content 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 professionally designed, conversion optimized page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, to be able to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either pay 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 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 stunning pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize any aspect of your page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can:
- Modify text in all bullet points, headlines, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Replace the background image or background colour
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any kind of custom content inside the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change or edit any aspect of your page templates)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin combo also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and events to your WordPress site …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(2-step opt-in forms help improve your conversion rates.)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers their mouse 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 web pages, using various animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials customers have published about 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”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content and Page Builder Plugin provides 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 really well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, 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 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 use the plugin on a single domain. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This option allows you to configure the plugin on all of your personal websites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – This allows you to install the plugin on all of your own websites and your client websites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost of purchasing this product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was correct when this article was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software author when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Information
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin emphatically 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made page elements and conversion-optimized templates that help to make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the ability to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For demo videos showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
We Recommend …
If you want to edit something, simply 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, just drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site 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 information, check out the plugin here:
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