WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool that is now used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the simplest, most intuitive WYSIWYG content editor for WordPress websites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The WordPress Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
Using the WordPress visual content editor to create or edit complex page elements can be quite difficult, especially for non-technical website owners.
(The built-in WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, but adding complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the illustration below …
To create the above in your content would require inserting something like this into the default WordPress visual editor …
Typically, this is not an issue … until you decide to reconfigure your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button inside a box from dark green to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to be 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 layouts, what you see in the visual editor may not be what you are getting when your page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, you could be better off working inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to create fancy layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for WordPress users without knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem of using HTML and shortcodes to create content with WordPress can be summarized by asking the following questions:
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” 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 editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that you have to mentally translate what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking several steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the new content to refresh.
A number of WordPress developers have tried to come up with various solutions to address this issue. Some of these range from 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 creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions require so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they fail to address the fundamental issue 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 to create or edit complex layouts quickly, this can start to become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your pages?
Now, imagine this …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs correction, simply click on the content and start typing. Your content is instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop elements around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize code.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you would like to add, so you just start typing, and your web page gets built as you go, without delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for web pages to republish and 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 the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly 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 And Page Builder – Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content Builder For WordPress
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive WordPress click-to-edit drag-and-drop content builder plugin.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and exciting way to speed up the process of creating amazing content on your WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder 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 content builder to WordPress)
The Thrive Content And Page Builder plugin is actually a combination of the Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages plugins combined into one, plus an additional plugin feature called Thrive Lightbox.
We will take a look at each of the above plugins and how all of this functionality works seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be built, changed and rearranged with ”click-to-edit” and “drag and drop” ease …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can continue to further customize or edit them without having to go through multiple steps or switching screens …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you work inside beautiful landing pages that can also be easily edited …
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 effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that you’ll never look back once you start using it
For more details about this plugin go here: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another great plugin for WordPress we’ve written about on this site.
Go here to read about this plugin:
Benefits
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 site:
Quick And Easy To Install And Use. Be Up And Running In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Building And Editing
Thrive Content Builder is very simple and intuitive to use and lets you create and add content right inside your web 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 – fonts, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see in the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits of this plugin include the following:
- Add Eye-Catching Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Short Codes Required: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and easy-to-use drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a collection of design elements that you can customizable and use on your web pages without using short codes, for e.g.: columns, content reveal feature, section dividers, responsive maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to wait for your new content to load frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build or edit your content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you need done.
(Insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, content reveal feature, buttons, code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many unique features to website owners. Below we have listed just some of these:
- Built-In WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph centering, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” list of elements available on your post or page screen when creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes various attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Web Page Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated content elements, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Templates
Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language to take your visitors from signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing beautiful landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No coding skills needed
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder not only can be used to create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, web page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Thrive Landing Pages provides sets of templates that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are over thirty templates available, with more templates planned for release. 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.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Typically, in order to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either pay a web site 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 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 attractive pre-designed web pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and edit anything on the page template …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you can:
- Modify text in any headline, bullet point, button, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace the background image or background colours
- Change the color of links, buttons, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Change the size of the content area
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add custom content inside the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own web pages from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change or customize any element of the page template)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive package also includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully editable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your marketing pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can improve your conversion rates. Visitors click on a button or image, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
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 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 page, using various animation effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from left to right, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress website with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Here are some of the testimonials plugin customers have published about Thrive Content Builder:
“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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”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”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 software updates, plus 1 year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps 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 Edition – This lets you configure the plugin on a single web site. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This option lets you set up the plugin on unlimited domains that you own. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on your web sites & on all your client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The price of the product can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the current price when this article was published. This may not be the actual price charged by the software seller when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current price here:
Additional Information
The developers of the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin 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 conversion-optimized template sets that help to speed up content design, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over the design process and the ability to change anything and everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For ”how to” videos of the plugin in action, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
In Conclusion …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no unnecessary steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site 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 more information, check out the plugin here:
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