WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that can be used to create all types of websites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the ultimate drag and drop front end builder for WordPress websites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Content Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
Using the default WordPress visual content editor to build or edit complex web site pages can be challenging.
(The default WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the content shown below …
To create the above layout, users would normally have to add short codes to the content for every single page element they would like to display on the web page …
Normally, this is not an issue … unless you need to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in a box from dark green to light green. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with complex layouts, what you see may not be the same as what you are getting when your web page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, some people argue that you would probably be better off working directly inside the WordPress html (text) editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge about having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” resemble 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 in the editor doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which then affects how fast you can create your content, as you wait for the page to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with a range of solutions to make the visual editor easier. Some of these alternative solutions range from standalone WordPress 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 require so many page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work fine, but they don’t address the fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Creating, 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 to create or edit complex page layouts quickly, this can start to become really frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize the following scenario …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs fixing, just click on the content and start writing. Your content is then instantly edited.
- You can drag and drop items on the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally translate shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content you’d like to create, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, no switching tabs, and no waiting for web pages to reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your site? A true WYSIWYG 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 web 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 Landing Pages And Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content And Landing Page Creator And Editor
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag and drop content creation tool.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding content to your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins merged 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 exciting functionality works together to help you transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Builder For WordPress
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be created by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once you have placed your elements on the page, you can then continue to customize these without going through additional steps or opening new configuration windows …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you work inside stunning 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 web pages with the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you will never look back!
More info: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin for WordPress we’ve previously recommended on this site.
For more information about using the plugin, go here:
Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your web site:
Easy & Quick To Install
Thrive Content Builder installs like every WordPress plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugin folder via your WordPress admin account and activate.
Real-Time Content Building And Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you create 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 you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of the plugin include the following:
- Eye-Catching Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements Without Shortcodes: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing click-to-edit content builder, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of web design elements that you can use on your web pages without using shortcodes, like columns, styled lists, buttons, responsive Google map embeds, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff for the updated content to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Easily create, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, star ratings for review pages, section dividers, credit card icons, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers WordPress users many features. Here are just a few:
- Regular 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 formatting, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Template Sets
Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors all the way from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time designing landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
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 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 currently 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, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable Landing Page Template Sets
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 web coding languages like HTML and CSS 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-designed web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and edit any aspect of the page template …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in all bullet points, headlines, buttons, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Replace the background image and edit colours
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any type of custom content anywhere inside any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own landing pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change or edit anything on the page template)
Transform Your Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated objects to your web site …
(Add lead capture forms and animated elements to your WordPress pages with Thrive Lightbox)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(2-step opt-in forms can help improve your conversion rates.)
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 scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your page, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from top to bottom, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over your events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Below 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”
Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created using the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin comes with free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is really well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that will just keep getting better.
Product Cost
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 license lets you install the plugin on 1 website only. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This enables you to set up the plugin on all of your personal domains. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Licensing – Use on all your sites & on all your client sites. Pricing includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost of purchasing the Thrive Content Builder plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the product is being retailed for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual price set by the software developer when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin developers 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 page elements and conversion-optimized template sets that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the ability to edit anything and everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, 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 plugins website.
The Bottom Line …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you’ll see the change happen immediately. 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 website 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 complete details, visit the plugin website:
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