WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to create all types of websites.
Whatever you can think of, someone is probably already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the simplest way to create stunning content in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Content Editor Meet All Of Your Web Design Needs?
With all the many developments that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for creating and changing sophisticated content layouts.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional content, but adding more complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would need to add short codes to the content for each page element you want to display on your web page …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you want to change your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in box 3 from red to dark red. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, when working with more complex layouts, often what you see on your screen may not be what you are going to get when the content is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that you could even be better off working with the source html itself instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to create something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for WordPress site owners with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental challenge of having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a page using the 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, what you see in the content editor doesn’t look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for your page to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with different solutions with the goal of addressing this issue. These range from plugins you can install on 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 creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many complex page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work, but they don’t address the fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs fixing, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content is then instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally abstract from shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content you would like to add, so you simply start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, without switching tabs, and without having to wait for web pages to refresh.
Would this not be the perfect way to create content for your site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts ”on the fly” for your web content with no 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
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page creation tool for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress web site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you drag and drop elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new 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.
Let’s take an in-depth a look at all of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder
With this plugin installed easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be configured, changed and rearranged with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then continue to customize or edit these without having to go through multiple steps or complicated option screens …
You can also create highly attractive 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 pages and working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that you’ll never look back once you start using it
Learn more about the plugin 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 for WordPress we’ve previously recommended on this site.
To read about this plugin, go here:
Benefits
Here we have listed just some of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Fast And Simple To Install And Configure. Be Up And Running In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder installs like every plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your WP admin section and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is really simple and intuitive to use and lets you edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the editor – fonts, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Some additional plugin benefits include:
- Add Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and easy-to-use drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of professional web design elements that you can customizable and insert into your content layouts without using short codes, such as columns, content reveal feature, dividers, code insert boxes, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to wait for your page to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you work or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, pricing tables, feature grids, dividers, responsive video embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users many unique features. Here are just some:
- All WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, centering text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style 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 conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Element Design: Add mobile-friendly elements like column layouts, boxes, dividers, e.g. which will adjust to display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Web Pages: The plugin’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
Landing page template sets are web 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
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating web pages for your WordPress website
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder 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, 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 30+ templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates that are currently available, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Typically, to be able to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire 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 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-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize any element of the page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Modify text in any button, bullet point, headline, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Change the background image or color
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Edit 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 web pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and edit any element of your page)
Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your website …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox 2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can help improve 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 two-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 their mouse over a button or graphic elements, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from right to left, roll in, 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 the events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Here are just a few of the testimonials and comments that users have published about the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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 – 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 on existing pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages comes with free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are really well-supported, and users get lifetime software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep getting better.
Plugin 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 License Edition – This license option allows you to configure the plugin on 1 web site only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This edition enables you to activate the plugin on all of your personal sites. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – This option allows you to activate the plugin on all of your own sites and your client web sites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Current pricing for this product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The price shown above was correct when this article was published. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the software author when you visit the 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 Plugin Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin repeatedly 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the ability to change everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For demo videos showing how the software works, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the plugin website.
We Highly Recommend This …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, all you need to do is drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, visit the plugin website here:
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