WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool being used to design all types of pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you learn how to create stunning content faster and design beautiful page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Content Editor – Is There An Easier Tool To Design Web Pages In WordPress?
Using the WordPress content editor to build or edit sophisticated page elements can sometimes be quite difficult, especially for non-technical web site owners.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would have to insert shortcodes into the content for every single element they want to add to their page …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you want to change the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the background color in a box from red to dark red. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with more complex layouts, often what you see on your screen may not be the same as what you are getting when your content is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, you would probably be better off working directly with the html source itself instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to create something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem of using HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized by asking two questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match 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 looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking 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 coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your updates to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with different solutions to try to address this issue. These solutions range from WordPress plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to 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 end up requiring so many complex page-building 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 problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating, adding and editing 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 layouts quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to work?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following scenario …
- You spot something in the content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for an item of content you’d like to add, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, with no switching tabs, and no waiting for new web pages to republish and reload.
Would this not be the ideal way to create content for your website? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your page?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages ”on the fly” for your web content with no 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 Content Builder Plugin – Create Stunning Content Faster And Beautiful Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content pages using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder provides you with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to WordPress)
The 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.
In this article we’ll take a look at all of the above plugins and how these powerful features work 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
With this plugin installed easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your page can be configured and changed with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been positioned on a page, you can continue to further customize these without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside highly attractive landing pages and easily customize these …
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that you will never look at creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
Learn more about this plugin here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
See this post to read more about this plugin:
Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your site:
Be Up And Running In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Edit & Add Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you create and edit content 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 benefits and advantages include:
- Add Stunning Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Shortcodes Required: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and an easy-to-use click-to-edit content builder, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional web design elements that you can add to your pages without using short codes, such as pricing tables, table of contents builder, testimonials, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for the content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to build the pages your business needs, quickly and without having to mess with code or click through multiple steps to get what you want done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, pricing tables, borderless content, call to action buttons, responsive maps, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of unique features to WP users. Below we have listed just a few:
- Regular Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, centering text, font styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: 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 various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page elements, 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 gives you conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building and customizing landing pages for your WordPress web site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No web coding skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
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, conversion optimized landing 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 over 30 templates available, with more templates scheduled for release. 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.
Customize Your Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web site 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 mess around with 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you stunning pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or edit any element of your page …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in all bullet points, headlines, buttons, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Change all background images and background colors
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Modify content area size
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build a library of custom landing page templates.
(Change or customize anything on your page)
Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin combo also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your sales pages with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps increase 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)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when when visitors click or hover 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 page, using various animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from right to left, roll out, 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 the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are some of the testimonials and feedback that customers have provided for the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin.
You can add short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin 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 products are well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, full refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps 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 Edition – This lets you use the plugin on one website only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This option enables you to install the plugin on unlimited web sites that you own. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – This enables you to run the plugin on all of your own domains and your client websites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The cost of purchasing Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the current price when this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price set by the product seller when you visit the product site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
The developers of the Thrive 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 web page elements and conversion-optimized 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 ability to change everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin in action, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
The Bottom Line …
If you want to edit something, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen immediately. 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 additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create amazing marketing pages and content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website here:
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