WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool into a tool that can be used to design all types of pages – landing pages, product showcase pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to build beautiful web page layouts in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Content Editor – Is There An Easier Way To Design Pages In WordPress?
Using the default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to create or edit sophisticated page layouts can be quite challenging.
(The default WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding complex page elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, users would normally have to insert shortcodes into the content for each of the page elements they would like to create …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you want to reconfigure the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button inside box 1 from red to purple. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are working with complex content elements, often what you see on your screen is not the same as what you are getting when the page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, you may even be better off working inside the WordPress html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to create something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge of having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor 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 editor match the content in the “front end” 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 you have to mentally translate what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing updates to see how your content is progressing, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the page to load.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with various solutions to try to make the visual editor easier. These solutions range from WordPress plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative editors work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating, adding and editing non-linear content 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 to create or edit complex page content quickly, this can start to become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to work?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following scenario …
- You spot something in your content that needs to be changed so you, simply click on the content and start changing it. Your content is instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop elements on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content you’d like to add, so you immediately begin typing, and you build your page as you go, without delays, no switching tabs, and without having to wait for web pages to republish and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your 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 Plugin – The Most Easy-To-Use WYSIWYG Editor For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique WordPress plugin that gives you total control over every aspect of your web page with true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin provides you with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editing option to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content And Page Builder 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.
We will take a look at each of the above plugins and how these features work together to help you transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Editor
With this plugin installed easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your page can be designed with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have positioned elements on a page, you can then further customize or edit these without having to go through multiple steps or switching screens …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you build stunning landing pages that can just as easily be edited or customized …
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing pages and working on content with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers warn 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 great plugin we’ve previously reviewed on this site.
See this article to read more about this plugin:
Benefits
Below we have listed just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Ready To Use In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every other plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Build And Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is simple to use and lets you edit content in real-time.
What You See Is Really What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back-end” as you work within the content editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include the following:
- Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an exciting and an easy-to-use click-to-edit WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of functional and eye-catching web design elements that you can customizable and add to your pages without using short codes, like flat design elements, gradient boxes, call to action buttons, credit card icons, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you tweak content and then 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 deal with code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, gradient boxes, buttons, Google Map embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides site owners a number of features. Below we have listed just some:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph centering, 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 comes 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 guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display great on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web 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 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 – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing and customizing web pages for your WordPress web site
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content 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 planned for future 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
Typically, in order to have a fully customizable landing page template, 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 great-looking pre-built pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or edit any aspect of the page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in any bullet point, button, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Change the background image or background color
- Change the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add custom content in the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of the page templates)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animated objects to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from right to left, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Below are a couple of the testimonials and feedback that users have submitted regarding 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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder – 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 using the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly on on your site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, full refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product that just keeps getting better.
Plugin 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 Edition – This enables you to install the plugin on one website only. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This option enables you to use the plugin on all of your personal domains. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – Use on all your websites and on all your client sites. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Pricing details of Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. When we last checked, the software retails for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software seller when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Information
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page Builder 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 conversion-optimized template sets that help to speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you have complete control over your design process and the freedom to change everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which lets you get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For ”how-to” videos of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support 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, you will see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create awesome sales 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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