WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest and most easy-to-use visual content builder for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Page Design Needs?
Using the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit complex website pages can sometimes be quite difficult.
(The default WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding more 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 need to insert shortcodes into the content for each page element they want to display …
Normally, this is not an issue … unless you decide to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or replace the button inside box 3 from green to yellow. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex content elements, what you see on your editor screen may not be the same as what you are going to get when your content gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, users would probably be better off working directly inside the WordPress html editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for users with no coding skills to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem of using shortcodes and HTML to create content with WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to create a web page using this 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 when working in the editor does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that you have to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between browser tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can affect how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for pages to reload.
A number of WordPress developers have come up with different solutions aiming to address this issue. Some of these range from WordPress plugins you can add to 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 page layouts easier!)
Some solutions include so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they still don’t address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing 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 your page content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web content?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in your content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You can drag and drop elements around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content you’d like to add, so you simply start typing, and your page gets built as you go, without delays, without switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for new content to resave and reload.
Would this not be the perfect way to build content for your WordPress web site? A true visual content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web 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
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary plugin for WordPress that lets you quickly add content to WordPress posts and pages using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to speed up the process of creating great content on your WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to WordPress)
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 discuss all of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element on your page can be created with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can then continue to edit these without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
You can also create highly attractive landing pages and easily edit these …
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 plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you’ll never look back!
Learn more here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin for WordPress that we have previously written about on this site.
To learn more about the plugin, see this page:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder
Below are just some of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Be Up And Running In No Time
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WP administrator section and activate.
Real-Time Content Building & Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you create, edit 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 as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits of using the plugin include the following:
- Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Add Design Elements With No Shortcodes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing click-to-edit content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of functional and attractive web design elements that you can add to your pages without using shortcodes, like tabbed content, borderless content, call to action buttons, responsive videos, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you edit content and then wait for the updates to reload frees up your attention and allows you to build the pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, columns, content reveal feature, section dividers, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WP users a number of powerful features. Below we have listed just a few:
- Built-In WordPress Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, centering text, headings, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase your sales conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Page Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different-sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated buttons, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page template sets are web page 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 lets you add conversion-optimized web pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating professional pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only lets you create beautiful-looking content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, conversion optimized 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 being worked on. In addition to the templates shown above, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, in order to fully customize 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 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 complex 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-designed web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize anything on your page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Modify text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Replace the background image or background colors
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify content area size
- Change the order of elements on your page
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere in the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of your page templates)
Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your website …
(Add opt-in forms and animation to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help 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 an opt-in form appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 attention-getting elements on your web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over your events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Below are just a few of the testimonials 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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“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. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder comes with free updates, new landing pages 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 lifetime software upgrades, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users 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 enables you to use the plugin on a single website. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This edition allows you to configure the plugin on unlimited domains that you personally own. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on all your web sites and on all your client web sites. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing shown above was correct when this content was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the software author when you visit the site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 web page elements and beautiful, pre-designed templates that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to edit everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which lets you get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, 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, you just 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, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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