WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application into a tool being used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is bound to be already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover how to create stunning content faster and design beautiful layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
With so many developments that the WordPress platform has undergone in recent years, many WordPress developers feel that using the WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit complex content elements can be difficult.
(The WordPress content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding more 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, you would need to insert shortcodes into your content for every element you want to display …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you choose to change your layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or change the button inside a box from dark green to orange. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress visual editor is supposed to give users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to create complex content elements, what you see on your screen is not the same as what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, users could be better off working with the source html itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for non-technical users to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem of having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the ”back end” match the “front end” content 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 even remotely similar to what you see in the front end. This means that users have to abstract 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 going back and forth between browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is coming along, which interrupts the creative process, as you wait for for your updated content to refresh.
A number of WordPress web developers have come up with a range of solutions to try and make the visual editor more intuitive. Some of these range from 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 end up requiring so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative editors work, but they fail to address the fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes as described earlier. Adding and editing sophisticated content elements on a web 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 become quite frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page builder to behave?
Now, imagine this …
- You see something in the content that needs to be changed so you, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content is then instantly changed.
- You simply drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally visualize HTML or shortcodes.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to create, so you immediately begin typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, with no switching tabs, and no waiting for new pages to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to build content for your site? A true visual content builder where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your pages and posts?
(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 – The Simplest, Most Intuitive WYSIWYG Content Builder For WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag-and-drop content builder plugin for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder provides WordPress users with a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and an item menu that lets you click, then drag and drop elements to your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual editor to WordPress)
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 discuss each of the above plugins and how these features work together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
With Thrive Content Builder easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your page can be built by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been added to your page, you can continue to further customize these without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
The built-in Landing Pages editor also lets you work inside beautiful landing pages that can also be easily 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 and working on content with the Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin installed is so amazingly easy, that the developers warn that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
Go here to learn more about the plugin: 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 that we have reviewed on this site.
For more information about using this plugin, go here:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Content And Page Builder
Here we have listed just some of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Use. Ready To Start Using In No Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Just upload a zip folder that contains the plugin to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Add And Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple 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 “backend” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Additional benefits of using the plugin include the following:
- Stunning Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Short Codes Involved: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get an amazing drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of functional and eye-catching design elements that you can customizable and add to your pages without using short codes, like content toggle, star ratings for review pages, testimonials, responsive Google maps, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or having to wait for the updates to refresh 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.
(Insert, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, pricing tables, gradient boxes, buttons, responsive Google map embeds, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of powerful features to WP users. Below we have listed just a few:
- All Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the built-in text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph centering, heading styles, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin comes with various 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, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Design: Add responsive elements like column layouts, boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Web Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you add animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Landing Page Sets
Landing page template sets are web 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 provides you with conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building and customizing web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content and Landing Page 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, conversion optimized web page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are 30+ templates available, with more templates scheduled for release. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to have a completely customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web site designer 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 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you stunning pre-designed pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize anything on your page …
The landing page template sets included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Change text in all headlines, buttons, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Change the background image or background colours
- Change the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Edit content area size
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into different languages
- Add any type of custom content inside any of the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own page templates, or even build your own custom landing page templates library.
(Change and edit anything on the page templates)
Thrive Lightbox – Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin package includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your marketing pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(two-step opt-in forms can help improve your conversion rates.)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make opt-in forms appear when your visitor clicks or hovers 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 pages, using various effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from bottom to top, rotate, 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 the events, triggers and design.
Feedback From Users
Here are just a few of the testimonials and comments that plugin customers have provided for the Thrive Content Builder plugin:
”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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”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”
Plugin Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin 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 very well-supported, and users get unlimited upgrades, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 30 day, complete refund guarantee.
This is an exciting product for WordPress users that just keeps getting better.
Software 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 Edition – This enables you to activate the plugin on a single site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This lets you configure the plugin on unlimited domains that you own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency Edition – Use on all your websites and on all your client sites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Price details for the product depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Presently, the product retails for the pricing shown above. This may not be the actual price charged by the plugin seller when you visit the plugin website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing here:
Additional Info
The developers of the Thrive Content Builder 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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and templates that help speed up content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to edit and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that allows you to work unhindered by overly complicated options.
For a demo video showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive Content Builder 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 instantly. If you want to move something, all you have to do is simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create awesome sales pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For more information, visit the plugin website:
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