WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that is now used to design all types of web pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, someone is most likely already building it with WordPress!
This article will help you discover the most straight-forward visual content editor for WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Meet All Of Your Web Design Needs?
With all the rapid developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users and developers feel that the WordPress editor is not flexible enough for building and customizing sophisticated page layouts.
(The default WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex layouts can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
To create the above layout in your content would require entering something like this inside your default WordPress visual content editor …
Normally, this is not really an issue … until you have to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the button in box 3 from red to light green. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to edit more complex page elements, often what you see may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you could be better off working directly with the source html itself instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for WordPress users without knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized by asking two questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor match the “front end” content 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 you need to abstract what your 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 can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for your new content to load.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions to address this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make content creation easier!)
Some solutions combine so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they still don’t address the fundamental challenge of using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Creating and adding 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 page layouts quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in the content that needs to be changed so you, just click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You can just drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally translate HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, without switching of tab browsers, and no waiting for new web pages to resave and reload.
Would that not be the perfect way to create content for your 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 pages in real-time 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 – Create Beautiful Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a ground-breaking plugin for WordPress that gives you complete control over every aspect of your content layout using a true WYSIWYG click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
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 with a menu that lets you drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Content And Landing Page Builder 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 will take a look at all of the above plugins and how all of this powerful functionality works together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder
This plugin lets you easily build complex web page design layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your page can be configured by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then continue to customize or edit them without having to go through additional steps or complicated option windows …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you build highly attractive landing pages and easily customize 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 Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it will ruin the experience of using any other content editor forever, and you will never look back!
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 that we have previously reviewed on this site.
To read about this plugin, go here:
Benefits
Below we have listed just some of the many benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Installation Is Easy
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your WP admin login and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Builder
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits and advantages include:
- Stunning Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Add Design Elements With No Short Codes Involved: 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 jaw-dropping collection of design elements that you can customizable and insert into your content layouts without using short codes, like pricing tables, table of contents builder, dividers, HTML code insert boxes, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for pages to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple steps to get what you want done.
(Easily create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, table of contents builder, call to action buttons, credit card icons, etc.)
Thrive Content Builder Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WP users many great features. Below we have listed just some:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph centering, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of 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 you increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Page Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, guarantee boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display great on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animated page content, 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 plugin lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating and customizing pages for your site
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No tech skills required
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Landing Pages and 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 landing page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page 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, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, 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 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 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 attractive pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize any element of your page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Edit text in all buttons, headlines, bullet points, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change the background image and edit colours
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change content area size
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere inside the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and edit any element of the page)
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 configurable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process helps increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(two-step opt-in forms can increase your conversion rates.)
Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 page, using a range of effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from bottom to top, 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 your events, triggers and design.
Testimonials From Customers
Here are a few of the testimonials users have submitted for the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”Wow! This is just getting better & better. This plugin is making my websites look so professional. Keep up the great work and thank you for the new features. Ladonna Ragalin”
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”Your stuff is beautifully designed, fast and has great options for marketers that you just don’t see with other themes. Great, great job! Absolutely love Thrive! David Coleman”
Thrive Content Builder – Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, 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 installed.
You can add shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly on on your site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are very well-supported, and users get unlimited updates, and 1 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.
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 allows you to use the plugin on a single web site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This enables you to configure the plugin on all domains that you personally own. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on all your sites & on client websites. Cost includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Current pricing for the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was correct at the time this article was written. This may not be the actual price charged by the software developer when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price here:
Additional Info
The Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin developers 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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized templates that help to speed up page design and content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to change everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For a demo video of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, check out the plugin here:
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