WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that is now being used to create all kinds of sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover how to create stunning content and design beautiful layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress sites.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Still Meet All Of Your Page Design Needs?
With so many developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers feel that the WordPress content editor is more suitable for performing conventional content editing (e.g. text running down the page with centered images or videos, etc.), than creating or editing content within more complex layouts.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above layout, users would have to add short codes to the content for each element they would like to display to visitors …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you have to change some part of your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in a box from red to purple. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress editor is supposed to provide non-technical users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex content elements, often what you see in the WordPress content editor screen may not be what you get …
(“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 WordPress html editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for non-technical users to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue with using HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” match the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see when working in the editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is progressing, which then affects how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for your new content to load.
A number of WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions to try and make the visual editor easier. These range from stand alone plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex layouts easier!)
Some solutions end up including so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work, but they don’t really seem to address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing 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 pages to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You spot something in the content that needs to be changed so you, just click on the content and start changing it. Your content is then instantly changed.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content you’d like to create, so you just start typing, and your web page gets built as you go, with no delays, with no switching tabs, and without having to wait for new web pages to resave and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to build content for your web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”on the fly” 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Builder Plugin
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique WordPress plugin that gives you complete control over every aspect of your web page design with true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding content to your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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.
Let’s take an in-depth a look at each of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your business online and create awesome 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 …
Every element of your page can be created, changed and customized by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can continue to further edit them without having to go through additional steps or complicated settings windows …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you create beautiful landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look at creating content the same way once you start using it
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
To read about this plugin, see this post:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages Plugin
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Quick And Easy To Install And Configure. Be Up And Running In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every other WP plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Edit And Add Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very 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 on the “back-end” as you work within the content editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Eye-Catching Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Add Design Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and simple-to-use click-to-edit WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a collection of professional web design elements that you can customizable and add to your content layouts without using shortcodes, such as pricing tables, table of contents builder, page section dividers, countdown timers, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for pages to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to deal with code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, tabbed content, content reveal feature, call to action buttons, custom HTML and CSS, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of powerful features to WP users. Below we have listed just a few of these:
- Built-In WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, centering text, font styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of elements available on your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help you increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template 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 lets you add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building and customizing pages for your WordPress site
- 100% conversion-optimized pages
- No technical skills required
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder 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, conversion optimized landing page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently 30+ templates available, with more templates planned for release. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web designer 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 stunning pre-designed web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or customize any element of the page …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Edit text in all buttons, bullet points, headlines, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Replace all background images and background color
- Edit the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any kind of custom content in your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own landing pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and edit anything on the page templates)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animated elements to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help improve your conversion rates.)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when when visitors click or hover their mouse over a button or an image, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your web pages, using various effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from right to left, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
Testimonials From Plugin Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials and feedback that plugin users have published about 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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder Plugin – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Content and Page 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 software is well-supported, and users get unlimited updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, complete money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps 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 option lets you configure the plugin on a single web site. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This license lets you install the plugin on all of your personal sites. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – This license option enables you to activate the plugin on all of your own sites and your client domains. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The cost of purchasing the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. When we last checked, the software is selling for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software author when you visit the product site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing:
Additional Information
The developers of the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 time-saving features like ready-made web page elements and beautiful, pre-designed templates that help speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that lets you get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For ”how to” videos showing plugin usage, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
Get The 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’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, check out the plugin here:
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