WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that can be used to design all types of web pages – direct sales pages, product showcase pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will learn how to create stunning content and design 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 Tool To Create And Edit Content In WordPress?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit sophisticated website pages can sometimes be quite challenging, especially for non-technical website owners.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” content, but adding more complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
To create the above layout, you would have to add shortcodes to your content for every single element you want to display on your web page …
Normally, this is not really an issue … until you choose to reconfigure your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button in box 3 from bright red to a different color. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
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, when working with complex content elements, often what you see on your screen is not what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you could even be better off working directly with the html source itself instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to build something other than simple layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue with using HTML and shortcodes to create content with WordPress can be summarized by asking two questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble 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 in the editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which can affect how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your page to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions to try and address this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from standalone WordPress plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions end up requiring so many complex page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work fine, but they still don’t 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 become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web page editor to work?
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 changed, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop elements 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 a specific piece of content that you would like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, without delays, with no switching tabs, and no waiting for edits to resave and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your website? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex page layouts ”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 Plugin – Create Stunning Content And Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content builder for WordPress.
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, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements on your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option 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.
Let’s review each of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you easily transform and improve your website and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Building Plugin For WordPress
You can 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, edited and repositioned with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then continue to edit or customize them without having to go through additional steps or complicated settings windows …
You can also build beautiful landing pages that can also be easily edited …
Thrive Content Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, working on content with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers guarantee that you will never look back once you start using it
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 fantastic plugin that we have previously written about on this site.
To read more about this plugin, see this page:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages Plugin
Below we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Set Up. Be Up And Running In No Time.
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your WP admin user account and activate.
Edit & Add Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you build and add content to your pages 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 editor – typefaces, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include:
- Beautiful Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Shortcodes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of professional design elements that you can use on your content layouts without using shortcodes, for e.g.: pricing tables, star ratings for review pages, page section dividers, responsive maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for the updates to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the content your business needs, quickly and without having to mess with code 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, guarantee boxes, page section dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of unique features to WordPress users. Here are just a few:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, centering text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of elements available on your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animations, 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 from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages gives you conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating and customizing web pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No web coding skills required
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally 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 over 30 templates available, with more templates planned for release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
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 how to code web pages 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you attractive pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize any aspect of the page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Edit text in any bullet point, button, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Replace the background image or background color
- Change the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of elements on the page
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content in the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change or edit anything on the page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your site …
(Add opt-in forms and animation to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
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 graphic elements, or when someone reaches a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your pages, using various effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, 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
Here are a couple of the testimonials that users have published 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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“I’m blown away by the plugin. Keep up the incredible, WordPress changing work, guys! Dean Phillips”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful 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.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages comes with free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is really well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Product Licensing 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 edition allows you to run the plugin on a single website. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This option enables you to set up the plugin on all sites that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This license lets you set up the plugin on all of your own web sites and any client websites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing for Thrive Content Builder can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the plugin is selling for the amounts shown above. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the software seller when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help speed up page design and content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the ability to change and customize anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which lets you get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For demo videos of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Recommend …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web presence and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, check out the plugin here:
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