WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to design all types of web pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the fastest way to create beautiful layouts in WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Is The WordPress Content Editor Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With so many advancements that WordPress has gone through in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that the WordPress content 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 building or changing page content elements within sophisticated layouts.
(The WordPress visual content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding more complex content elements can be challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above layout, users would normally need to add shortcodes to the content for every element they want to add to their page …
Typically, this is not really an issue … until you need to reconfigure your layout (for example, move part of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the button in box 3 from red to blue. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code inside the editor.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex content elements, what you see may not be what you are getting when your page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you may even be better off working with the source html itself instead of the WYSIWYG editor when trying to build non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it hard for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress visual editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to build a web page using the editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor resemble the “front end” content when you are creating or editing a page?
As you can see from the above image, what you see when working in the content editor does not look even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users need to abstract what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can begin configuring your page layout, or endlessly going back and forth between tabs and performing updates to see how your content is coming along, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the page to load.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions with the objective of making content editing more intuitive. These solutions range from standalone WP plugins you can install on 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 end up combining so many complex page design features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they still don’t address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes 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 your page content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become quite frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your content?
Now, imagine the following …
- You spot something in the content that needs to be changed so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You simply drag and drop elements on the page, and see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally translate any HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for an item of content you would like to add, so you simply start typing, and you build your page as you go, with no delays, no tab switching, and without waiting for new pages to refresh.
Would that not be the perfect way to build content for your WordPress site? A true WYSIWYG editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts quickly 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 Page Editing Plugin
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page creation tool for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and exciting way to speed up the process of adding amazing 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 elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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’ll take an in-depth look at each of the above plugins and how all of this functionality works together to help you transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
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 element of your web page can be configured using “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” …
Once elements have been added to a page, you can then continue to customize or edit these without going through multiple steps or switching screens …
You can also work inside beautiful landing pages and easily edit these …
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 with Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages installed is so amazingly 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
The integrated Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin we’ve written about on this site.
For more information about using this plugin, see this page:
Plugin Benefits
Here are 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 web site:
Quick And Easy To Install And Use. Ready To Use In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every plugin. Simply upload a zip folder that contains the plugin files to your Plugin folder via your admin user area and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is is not only very simple and intuitive to use, it also lets you build and add content right inside your web pages in real-time.
A Truly Visual Content Editor
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 your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits include:
- Add Stunning Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Customizable Elements Included: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a very decent collection of web design elements that you can customizable and insert into your pages without using short codes, such as tabbed content, table of contents builder, dividers, responsive Google maps, etc.
- Distraction-Free Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you tweak content and then wait for the new content to load 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.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily create, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, tabbed content, content reveal feature, dividers, responsive video embeds, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users a number of features. Below we have listed just a few:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. underline, centering text, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to 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 your conversions, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add responsive columns, boxes, content dividers, e.g. which will display correctly on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you create 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 plugin lets you add conversion-optimized web pages to your web site)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing professional pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder not only lets you create beautiful-looking 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 …
(Landing page template 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, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customizable Landing Page Template
Normally, in order to have fully customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay a web site designer to do the work, or learn how to code web pages 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 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 creating conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and customize any aspect of your page …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Modify text in all buttons, headlines, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change any background images or background colours
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Change content area size
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere inside any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own pages from scratch and save them as new web page templates.
(Change and customize any element of your page template)
Transform Your Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox Plugin
The Thrive package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated elements to your WordPress site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can increase your conversion rates. Visitors click on an image or button, and then they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Visitors click on a button and are presented with an opt-in form)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms 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 images on your pages, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in, slide in from bottom to top, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress site with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are a couple of the testimonials plugin users have written about Thrive Content Builder:
”You guys are simply awesome I am loving everything you are doing at the moment. Keep up the great work you really are making such a big difference in this field. Jule Fuller”
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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 WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created using the plugin.
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 you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder Plugin provides 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 well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Product 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 License Edition – This license enables you to activate the plugin on 1 domain only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This license option enables you to install the plugin on all websites that you own. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License Edition – This lets you run the plugin on all of your own web sites and any client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost of purchasing Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The pricing shown above was correct when this article was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the software author when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Information
The developers of the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin emphatically 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 beautiful, conversion-optimized template sets that help to speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over the design process and the ability to change everything on your web page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, which allows you to get things done without having to go through multiple steps.
For ”how to” videos showing how the plugin works, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder website.
We Highly Recommend This …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no additional steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For full details, check out the plugin here:
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