WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool that is now being used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, product showcase 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 ultimate click-to-edit front end visual content builder for WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Meet All Of Your Page Design Needs?
With all the rapid improvements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users believe that the WordPress editor is more suitable for performing simple content editing (e.g. blocks of text running down the page with left-aligned images or videos, etc.), than creating and customizing page elements within sophisticated layouts.
(The built-in WordPress WYSIWYG content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and media, 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 shortcodes to the content for each of the elements they would like to create …
Typically, this is not really an issue … until you choose to change a fundamental aspect of your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the background colour inside a box from green to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are working with complex layouts, often what you see in the WordPress visual content editor screen is not really what you are going to get when your page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, some people argue that users could even be better off working directly with the source html itself instead of the visual editor when trying to add complex page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it hard for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem of using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble the content in the “front end” when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above screenshot, what you see when working in the content editor doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to abstract what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking multiple 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 then impacts how fast you can create your content, as you wait for the content to refresh.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions to address this issue. Some of these range from standalone WordPress plugins you can install on your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that include built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many complex page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they fail to address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes 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 your web content to look “just right” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your web page editor to behave?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You see something in your content that needs to be corrected so you, just click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You simply drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally translate shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for an item of content that you’d like to add, so you simply begin typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, with no switching of tab browsers, and without waiting for new web pages to republish and reload.
Would this not be the ideal way to create 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 page layouts in real-time 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 Content Builder Plugin – Create Beautiful Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress Websites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a unique WordPress plugin that lets website owners quickly add amazing content to WordPress posts and pages with a truly visual click-to-edit and drag and drop content editor.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you click, then drag and drop design elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content builder to your WordPress site)
The 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’ll take a look at each of the above and how these exciting features work together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin For WordPress
With the Thrive Content Builder plugin, you can easily build complex web page design layouts 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 positioned elements on the page, you can then continue to customize or edit them without going through multiple steps or switching screens …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you build highly attractive landing pages that can also be easily edited …
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages is simple, easy to use, and ideal for all WordPress users at all levels. In fact, designing web pages and working on content with Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that you will never look at creating and adding content the same way once you start using it
Learn more here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin that we have recommended on this site.
To read more about the plugin, see this post:
Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Installation Is Easy And Quick
Thrive Content Builder is quite easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your WP administrator login and activate.
Add And Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only simple to use, it also lets you edit content in real-time.
A Truly Visual Editor
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – fonts, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits include the following:
- Attractive 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 WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of customizable design elements that you can customizable and insert into your layouts without using shortcodes, such as tabbed content, feature grids, section dividers, custom HTML and CSS, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for pages to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you work or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Create, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, content toggle, table of contents builder, buttons, code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides a number of unique features to WordPress users. Here are just a few of these:
- Built-In WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph formatting, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements to your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonial boxes, and guarantee forms. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, guarantee boxes, dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on different screens.
- Add Animation To Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create animated page content, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – 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 all the way from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your website)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing pages for your website
- 100% conversion-optimized page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with all WordPress themes
Thrive Content and 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 professionally designed, 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 currently over 30 templates available, with more templates planned for future release. In addition to the templates shown above, the developers plan to release new web page templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template
Normally, in order 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 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 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 great-looking pre-built web page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on the page templates …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in any bullet point, button, headline, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace all background images or background colour
- Edit the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Modify content area size
- Change the order of elements on your pages
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content in your pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change or customize anything on your page)
Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive plugin combo includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your WordPress site …
(Add lead capture forms and animation to your WordPress website with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(2-step opt-in forms help increase your conversion rates.)
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 reaches 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 effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from bottom to top, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over your events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Here are a few of the testimonials and comments 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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”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”
Useful Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. 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 WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
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 software is very well-supported, and users get unlimited software upgrades, plus one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, 30 day, full money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep getting better.
Software 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 Licensing – This enables you to install the plugin on a single web site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License Edition – This license lets you install the plugin on unlimited domains that you personally own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – This license option lets you activate the plugin on all of your own domains and your client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: The price of this product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the plugin is selling for the prices shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin seller when you visit the site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content Builder plugin developers repeatedly maintain 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 speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the ability to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, which allows you to see exactly how the content you are working on will appear to visitors after being published.
For a demo video of the plugin in action, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
The Bottom Line …
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, all you need to do is drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your business online and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, visit the plugin website:
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