WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that can be used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the most straight-forward way to build stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Visual Content Editor Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit complex content elements can be quite challenging.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding more complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would have to insert short codes into the content for every single element they would like to display …
Normally, this is not really an issue … until you want to edit a fundamental aspect of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background colour inside box 2 from dark green to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the content editor.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex page elements, often what you see in the visual editor is not what you are getting when your page goes live …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, you may even be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge about having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress visual editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” 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 in the editor does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the new content to refresh.
Many WordPress developers have come up with different solutions with the objective of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from stand alone plugins you can install on 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 content easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative editors work fine, but they still don’t address the fundamental issue 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 web pages to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page editor to function?
Now, imagine the following …
- You see something in the content that needs fixing so you, simply click on the content and start editing it. Your content is then instantly fixed.
- You can drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally abstract from code.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content that you would like to create, so you simply start typing, and your page gets built on the fly, with no delays, no tab switching, and without having to wait for new web content to refresh.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts 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 Content Builder And Landing Pages
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content editing plugin.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides WordPress users with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editor to your WordPress site)
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.
We will take an in-depth look at all of the above plugins and how all of this functionality works seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
With Thrive Content Builder easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be created by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then continue to customize or edit them without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
You can also create stunning landing pages and easily edit 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 the Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin 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
For more details about the plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin for WordPress that we have written about on this site.
To read more about the plugin, see this article:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content And Page Builder Plugin
Below are just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your web site:
Easy Installation
Thrive Content Builder installs like any plugin. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Add & Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple to use, it also lets you build and add content right inside your 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, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of this plugin include the following:
- Eye-Catching Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Add Design Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of design elements that you can customizable and add to your pages without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, content boxes, buttons, responsive Google maps, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or having to wait for your new content to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the content your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, tabbed content, guarantee boxes, dividers, code insert boxes, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many powerful features to site owners. Below we have listed just some:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph formatting, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animated content elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Sets
Landing page template sets are 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 provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating web pages for your WordPress web site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, web 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 30 templates available, with more templates planned for future release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either hire 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 mess around with 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or edit any aspect of your page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any button, headline, bullet point, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change the background image and background colour
- Edit the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify content area size
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content inside any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own landing pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of your page templates)
Transform Your WordPress Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Visitors click on a button and are presented with an opt-in form)
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 scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your page, using a range of effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from right to left, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Here are a couple of the testimonials and comments plugin users have published about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful 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 that was not created with the plugin.
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.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder 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 upgrades, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, full refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep getting better.
Product Cost
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 1 web site only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This allows you to use the plugin on all of your personal web sites. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – Use on your domains and on all your client web sites. Price includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of this product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the current price at the time this article was published. This may not be the actual price set by the software developer when you visit the plugin website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over the design process and the ability to edit anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For a demo video of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins 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 immediately. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, visit the plugin website here:
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