WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that is now being used to create all kinds of sites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest visual content builder for WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With all the many advancements that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users feel that the WordPress content editor is not flexible enough for creating and changing sophisticated layouts.
(The built-in WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would normally have to add short codes to your content for every single page element you want to display to visitors …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you need to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background color in a box from red to dark red. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex content elements, what you see on your screen is not exactly what you are going to get when the page goes live …
(“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 WordPress text editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create fancy page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue about using 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 build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” resemble the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see when working in the editor does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users have to abstract what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser 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 page to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions with the aim of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from stand alone WordPress plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they don’t address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating and adding sophisticated content elements 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 your web content to look “just right” quickly, this can become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to function?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be fixed, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop items on the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate any code.
- You have an idea for some content that you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for new pages to refresh and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to build content for your WordPress site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts quickly 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 – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content And Landing Page Editor
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag-and-drop content and landing page editing plugin for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to speed up the process of creating content on.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a 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 merged into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
In this article 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 site and create awesome marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder 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 by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then easily edit or customize these without having to go through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you create highly attractive landing pages that can just as easily be edited or 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 Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another amazing plugin that we have written about on this site.
See this page for more information about using this plugin:
Plugin Benefits
Below are just some of the many benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your WordPress website:
Fast And Easy To Install And Implement. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your admin user area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit content in real-time.
What You See Is Truly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Beautiful Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Design Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a visually exciting drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of customizable web design elements that you can add to your layouts without using shortcodes, like pricing tables, borderless content, buttons, countdown timers, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit your content and then wait for your updates to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, table of contents builder, dividers, countdown timers, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides web site owners a number of powerful features. Below we have listed just some:
- Regular WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, paragraph centering, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various attention-grabbing 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 being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will resize and 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 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 signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin gives you conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No tech skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only lets you create beautiful-looking 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 …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently over thirty templates available, with more templates scheduled for future release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to fully customize 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 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 attractive pre-built web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit any aspect of your page template …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Edit text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Change the background image and edit colours
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Change the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- 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 edit anything on your page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your WordPress website with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help 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 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 images on your pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade out, slide in from bottom to top, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over your events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Below are a few of the testimonials and feedback customers have written 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”
Plugin 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 on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add short codes 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 you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Content Builder provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are very well-supported, and users get unlimited updates, and 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, 100% refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product 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 License Edition – This option lets you install the plugin on one site only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This enables you to configure the plugin on all of your personal websites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – Use on your domains & on client websites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing details of Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The above reflects the pricing when this content was published. This may not be the actual price set by the plugin developer when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing:
Additional Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin repeatedly 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 conversion-optimized template sets that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have complete control over the design process and the ability to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For ”how-to” videos showing how the plugin works, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
Our Recommendation …
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 will see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more details, visit the plugin website here:
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