WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now being used to design all types of web pages – direct sales pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to create stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Editor – Is There An Easier Option For Creating Stunning-Looking Content In WordPress?
With all the rapid improvements that the WordPress platform has gone through in recent years, many WordPress developers believe that using the built-in WordPress editor to build or edit complex page elements can be quite difficult.
(The built-in WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and media, 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 boxes with text and buttons, you would normally need to insert shortcodes into your content for each of the page elements you want to add to your page …
Generally, this is not an issue … until you have to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the background color inside box 2 from green to light blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are working with more complex content elements, often what you see in the WordPress content editor screen is not what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that users would probably be better off working with the html source itself instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge about using shortcodes and HTML to create content in WordPress can be summarized by asking two questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a web page using the 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 image, what you see in the back end looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the content to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with different solutions aiming to make content editing more intuitive. Some of these range from standalone plugins you can install on 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 creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions require so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they fail to address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 to create or edit complex page layouts quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to function?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs changing, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content is instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize code.
- You have an idea for an item of content you’d like to add, so you just begin typing, and you build your web page on the fly, without delays, without switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for new web pages to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”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 And Landing Pages – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content And Page Creation Plugin
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your web page design 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 any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your web 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.
We’ll take a look at all of the above and how all of this functionality works seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your website and create awesome marketing pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder
This plugin lets you easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be created and edited with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once you have placed your elements on the page, you can then continue to edit them without going through additional steps or complicated settings screens …
You can also build 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 with Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
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 amazing plugin for WordPress that we have previously reviewed on this site.
Go here to read about this plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content And Page Builder
Here are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Configure. Ready To Go To Work In No Time.
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Simply upload it to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Edit And Create Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple to use, it also lets you edit and add content to your web 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 content editor – fonts, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include the following:
- Create Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an exciting and an easy-to-use drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and insert into your layouts without using short codes, such as pricing tables, styled lists, testimonials, credit card icons, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for your page to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, table of contents builder, buttons, countdown timers, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WP users many features. Here are just some of these features:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. underlines, centering text, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style 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 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, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display great on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – 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 add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No technical skills needed
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, conversion optimized 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 currently over thirty templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the available templates, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to fully customize a landing page template, 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 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 page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on your page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can:
- Change text in all buttons, bullet points, headlines, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace all background images or colours
- Edit the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content in your 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 the page template)
Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your WordPress site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help improve your conversion rates.)
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 graphic elements, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your page, using various effects (e.g. zoom out, slide in from left to right, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
Testimonials
Here are just some testimonials plugin customers have written about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
“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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”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 WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is really well-supported, and users get lifetime software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, full refund 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 License – This license option enables you to set up the plugin on a single domain. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This edition allows you to use the plugin on all of your personal sites. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – This lets you install the plugin on all of your own websites and your client web sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the software is being retailed for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual price set by the plugin developer when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the current price:
Additional Information
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 time-saving features like ready-made web page elements and template sets that help to speed up the content creation process, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to edit and customize anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to get things done without having to go 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 Content Builder website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, check out the plugin here:
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