WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest visual content editor for WordPress websites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Content Editor – Is There A Smarter Option To Design Website Pages In WordPress?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit sophisticated page layouts can sometimes be challenging.
(The built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and media, but adding complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above layout, you would normally need to add shortcodes to the content for every page element you want to display on the page …
Normally, this is not really an issue … unless you have to reconfigure your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour inside a box from bright red to blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create more complex page elements, what you see on your screen is not really what you are getting when your page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you could even be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to build something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for WordPress site owners without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem about using shortcodes and HTML to create content with WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a page using this 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, what you see when working in the back end does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that you need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking 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 then affects how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for your updates to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions to try to make the visual editor more intuitive. Some of these alternative solutions range from standalone plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to 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 end up including so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they don’t 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 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 pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize the following scenario …
- You spot something in the content that needs fixing so you, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- 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 abstract from shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for some content that you would like to create, so you simply begin typing, and you build your page as you go, with no delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for edits to refresh.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your website? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages in real-time 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique plugin for WordPress that gives you complete control over every aspect of your web page design using a truly visual click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder provides you with 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 a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor to your WordPress site)
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.
Let’s take a look at each of the above and how these exciting features work seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin For WordPress
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be designed using simple “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can then further edit or customize them without having to go through additional steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you build 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 pages and working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that you will never look back 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 excellent plugin for WordPress we’ve previously written about on this site.
Go here for more information about this plugin:
Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your web site:
Installation Is Easy, Simple And Quick
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Simply upload a zip folder that contains the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your admin user area and activate.
Edit & Create Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is very simple to use and lets you build and add content to your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of using this plugin include:
- Attractive Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of customizable web design elements that you can customizable and add to your pages without using shortcodes, for e.g.: columns, table of contents builder, page section dividers, responsive maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to wait for your content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Easily add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, content toggle, gradient boxes, buttons, responsive videos, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of features to WP users. Below we have listed just some of these:
- All WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph centering, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, text boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page 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 plugin lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing landing pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- 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 beautifully designed, landing page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web site developer 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or edit any element of your page …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can:
- Modify text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Replace any background images or colors
- Edit the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Edit the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on the pages
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content in the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build a library of custom landing pages.
(Change and customize any element of your page templates)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image 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 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 left to right, 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 your events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Below are a couple of the testimonials customers have published about 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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created using the plugin.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and 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 software is very well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, complete money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps getting better.
Software 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 Edition – This enables you to configure the plugin on 1 site only. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This edition enables you to set up the plugin on unlimited websites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on your websites and on client web sites. Price includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Price details for Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Presently, the product sells for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the product seller when you visit the site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and template sets that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the ability 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 of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Download This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you will see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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