WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to design all types of pages – direct sales pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the most easy-to-use way to create beautiful web page layouts in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The Default WordPress Content Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Page Design Needs?
With all the many developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers feel that using the default WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit complex content elements can be challenging.
(The WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
Adding the above to a page would require inserting something that looks like this inside the WordPress editor …
Normally, this is not really an issue … unless you want to reconfigure the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the background colour inside a box from red to dark red. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to edit complex page elements, often what you see on your editor screen may not be the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users would probably be better off working inside the WordPress html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to build something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge about having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create 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, what you see in the content editor doesn’t look anything 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 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 then impacts how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the updated content to load.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with various solutions with the objective of addressing this issue. Some of these range from stand alone WP plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to 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 combining so many complex page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work, but they don’t address the fundamental challenge of using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Adding and editing sophisticated content elements 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 quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now, visualize this …
- You spot something in your content that needs to be corrected so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content is instantly edited.
- You can just drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate any code.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to add, so you just start typing, and your web page gets built as you go, without delays, with no switching tabs, and without having to wait for web pages to reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to create content for your WordPress web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your pages and posts?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts ”on the fly” for your web content without 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and landing page builder plugin for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to speed up the process of adding content to WordPress sites.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content builder to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content And Landing Page Builder 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 a look at all of the above plugins and how these features work seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your web presence and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
You can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be created, changed and repositioned with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been positioned on the page, you can continue to further edit them without going through multiple steps or switching tabs …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you create highly attractive landing pages that can also be easily edited …
Thrive Content and Page Builder is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages with Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that you will never look back once you start using it
Go here to learn more about the plugin: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin for WordPress we’ve written about on this site.
To read more about the plugin, see this post:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your WordPress website:
Be Up And Running In Minutes
Thrive Content Builder is really easy to install. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you edit and add content right inside your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Truly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back-end” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include:
- Attractive Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Using Shortcodes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a click-to-edit content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of professional design elements that you can use on your layouts without using shortcodes, like columns, star ratings for review pages, testimonials, responsive videos, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for the updated content to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, columns, styled lists, call to action buttons, Google Map embeds, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many unique features to site owners. Below we have listed just some of those features:
- Built-In Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when creating or editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – 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 lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building beautiful-looking web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized landing pages
- No technical skills required
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content and Landing Page 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, web page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over 30 templates available, with more templates being worked on. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Typically, to be able to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web site developer 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 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 great-looking pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change or customize any element of the page …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Edit text in all bullet points, buttons, headlines, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of the landing page
- Replace any background images and edit colours
- Change the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add custom content anywhere in your pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own templates, or even build your own library of custom landing page templates.
(Change or edit anything on your page templates)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable two-step opt-in forms and events to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animation to your WordPress website with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(When visitors click on the button, they are presented with an opt-in form)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form appear when when visitors click or hover over a button or an image, 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 web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from bottom to top, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Below are some of the testimonials customers have submitted regarding 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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“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 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 using the plugin.
You can add shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly on your website.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder Plugin 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 products are really well-supported, and users get unlimited software upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep 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 License – This allows you to set up the plugin on a single domain. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This edition allows you to configure the plugin on all domains that you own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – Use on your domains & on all your client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Price details for the Thrive Content Builder plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the software is selling for the amounts shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the software developer when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Info
The Thrive Landing Pages and Content 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 templates that help to speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the ability to edit and customize everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
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, you just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you will see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, check out the plugin here:
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