WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to create all types of sites.
Whatever you can think of, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you learn how to create beautiful web page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress web sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Editor – Is There A Simpler Option To Create And Edit Content In WordPress?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor to build or edit sophisticated layouts can sometimes be difficult for non-technical users.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, 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, you would need to insert shortcodes into the content for every page element you want to display on the web page …
Generally, this is not an issue … unless you have to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in a box from bright red to some other color. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when working with more complex page elements, what you see may not be what you are going to get when the web page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users could be better off working with the html source itself instead of the visual editor when trying to add non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for users without coding skills to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge with using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above, what you see when working in the editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple 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 progressing, which can impact how fast you can create your content, as you wait for the updated content to load.
A number of WordPress web developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions with the aim of addressing this issue. These range from WordPress plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions end up including so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they still fail to 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 start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web page editor to function?
Now, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be changed, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content is instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize any HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content that you would like to add, so you immediately start typing, and your page gets built as you go, without delays, no tab switching, and without waiting for new web content to reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your site? A true WYSIWYG editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages ”on the fly” for your web content without 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 Content Builder And Landing Pages – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content And Landing Page Creation Tool
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content creation tool.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and exciting way to speed up the process of creating amazing content on your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop design elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to WordPress)
The Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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 plugins and how these powerful features work together to help you transform and improve your website and create awesome sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Creation Tool
You can easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your web page can be designed, edited and rearranged by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can continue to further edit or customize them without having to go through additional steps or opening more option screens …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you work inside beautiful landing pages that can also be easily customized …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
To learn more about the plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
Go here to read about the plugin:
Benefits
Below are just some of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Easy To Install And Set Up. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs like every other WP plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you edit content in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the content editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Add Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Design Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of web design elements that you can insert into your content layouts without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, styled lists, dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for your new content to refresh 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 steps to get what you want done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, pricing tables, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, responsive video embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of unique features to WordPress users. Below we have listed just a few:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, left-aligned text, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of elements available on your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on different screens.
- Add Animation To Your Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Templates
Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of 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 plugin gives you access to conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building and customizing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No tech skills needed
- Works with all WordPress themes
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, landing page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. 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, to be able to have fully customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web developer to do the work, or learn web coding languages like HTML and CSS and figure out how to edit the page code 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize anything on your page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in all headlines, bullet points, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of your landing page
- Replace the background image or background colors
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of elements on your page
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content anywhere in any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build a custom landing pages library.
(Change and edit any aspect of your page templates)
Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin combo includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and events to your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps to increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button 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 an image, 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 animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from left to right, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages 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.
Feedback From Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials and comments users have provided 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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”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”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are really well-supported, and users get lifetime software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep 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 enables you to install the plugin on one site only. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This enables you to install the plugin on all of your personal web sites. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on all your sites & on client web sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of the Thrive Content Builder product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the current price at the time this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price set by the software seller when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin developers 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 templates that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the ability to edit and customize anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to 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.
Get This Plugin …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just 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 sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, visit the plugin website here:
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