WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that can be used to create all types of websites.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the ultimate drag and drop front end visual content editor for WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the WordPress editor to create or edit sophisticated page elements can sometimes be quite challenging, especially for non-technical website owners.
(The WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex layouts can be 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 add short codes to the content for every element they want to add to their page …
Typically, this is not really an issue … unless you want to change the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the background color inside a box from red to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex layouts, what you see in the WordPress visual editor 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 situations, users may even be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for non-technical users to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem about using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see in the editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to 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 multiple 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 interrupts the creative process, as you wait for pages to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions aiming to make the visual editor easier. Some of these range from stand alone WordPress plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these editors work, but they still don’t address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating and adding non-linear content 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 become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to behave?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You see something in your content that needs correction so you, 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 visualize any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you just start typing, and you build your web page as you go, with no delays, without tab switching, and without having to wait for web pages to refresh and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your site? A true WYSIWYG content builder 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 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 ground-breaking WordPress plugin that lets you easily add content to WordPress 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 set up conversion-focused pages on your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content builder to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content And Landing Page Builder plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
Let’s review each of the above and how all of this functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your business online and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your web page can be configured with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once you have placed your elements on a page, you can then further edit or customize them without having to go through additional steps or switching tabs …
You can also create stunning landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Content and Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with Thrive Content and Page Builder installed is so amazingly simple, 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!
Learn more about the plugin here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin we’ve recommended on this site.
For more information about the plugin, see this article:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content And Landing Page Builder Plugin
Below we have listed just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Ready To Use In No Time
Thrive Content Builder installs just like any WP plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your dashboard and activate.
Add & Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you create, edit and add content right inside your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the content editor – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include:
- Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an amazing click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of web design elements that you can customizable and insert into your pages without using shortcodes, such as flat design elements, feature grids, buttons, credit card icons, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for your content to load 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.
(Easily insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, feature grids, page section dividers, responsive maps, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users many features. Below we have listed just some:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, centering text, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of eye-catching 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, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – 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 signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages gives you conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing gorgeous-looking landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, web page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates 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, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
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 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 code or use overly 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-built pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize any element of the page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in any headline, button, bullet point, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Change any background images or background colours
- Edit the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Change the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add custom content inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own templates, or even build your own library of custom landing pages.
(Change and edit any element of the page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your web pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated elements to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
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 …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when when visitors click or hover their mouse over a button or an image, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your web pages, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from bottom to top, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress site 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.
User Feedback
Here are some of the testimonials and comments that plugin customers have submitted for 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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
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 on existing pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add shortcodes 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 with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 very well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, 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 just keeps getting better.
Product 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 install the plugin on a single web site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This enables you to configure the plugin on unlimited websites that you personally own. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – Use on your domains & on all your client websites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost of purchasing Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the plugin retails for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the product developer when you visit the plugin website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder plugin developers 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 template sets that help to speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to see how the content you are working on will display to visitors when published.
For a demo video showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you need to do is simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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