WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that can be used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the simplest way to create stunning content in WordPress web sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
The WordPress Visual Content Editor – Is There An Easier Way For Designing Website Pages In WordPress?
Using the built-in WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit sophisticated content elements can be difficult for non-technical users.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding more complex layouts can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
Creating the above layout in a page would require adding something that looks like this in your default WordPress content editor …
Generally, this is not really an issue … until you choose to reconfigure the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button in box 3 from green to gray. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code or html.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to provide users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are creating with complex layouts, often what you see in the visual editor is not the same as what you are going to get when the web page is published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, some people argue that you could be better off working with the html source itself instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to add complex layouts …
Even though WordPress is extremely easy to use, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental problem with having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a web page using this editor?
2) Abstraction – How closely does the content in the editor 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 when working in the content editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users have 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 updates to see how your content is coming along, which can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for the content to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions to try to address this issue. These range from stand alone WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WP themes that come with built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex page layouts easier!)
Some solutions require so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work fine, but they still fail to address the fundamental issue of using shortcodes and HTML 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 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, visualize this …
- You look at your content and if you see something that needs to be corrected, just click on the content and start typing. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You can just drag and drop elements around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific piece of content you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, no switching tabs, and no waiting for pages to reload.
Would this not be the ideal way to create content for your WordPress website? A true visual content builder where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web page layouts in real-time for your web content without 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 Builder Plugin – The Simplest, Most Intuitive WYSIWYG Content Builder For WordPress Web Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page building plugin for WordPress.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor with an item menu that lets you drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editing option to WordPress)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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.
We’ll take an in-depth look at each of the above and how these exciting features work together to help you easily transform and improve your web site and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging 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 page can be built by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once elements have been added to the page, you can then further edit or customize these without going through multiple steps or opening new configuration screens …
The built-in functionality of the plugin also lets you create highly attractive 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, working on content with the Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin installed is so effortlessly easy, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it will ruin the experience of using any other content editor forever, and you will never look back!
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin for WordPress we’ve recommended on this site.
For more information about the plugin, go here:
Plugin Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Installation Is Easy & Fast
Thrive Content Builder installs just like any plugin. Just upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is simple and intuitive to use and lets you build and add content right inside your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Truly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the content editor – typefaces, visual elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what you get in the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include:
- Add Attractive Web Page Layouts With Drag And Drop Ease: Create any layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an amazing drag and drop WordPress content builder, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of functional and attractive design elements that you can add to your web pages without using shortcodes, like columns, styled lists, testimonials, responsive maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to deal with technical stuff for for your updated 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.
(Add, edit and customize page elements like testimonials, flat design elements, borderless content, section dividers, Google Map embeds, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder offers a number of features to web site owners. Here are just a few of these:
- Regular Content Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph centering, headings, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements Menu: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of elements to your post or page screen when editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin includes a range of attention-grabbing and customizable elements that will help you increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Mobile-Friendly Design: Add responsive columns, guarantee boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display great on all different kinds of devices.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Web 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 from initial signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages lets you easily add conversion-optimized web pages to your site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money designing and customizing pages for your website
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No technical skills required
- Works with any theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages not only lets you create beautiful-looking content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of beautifully designed, conversion optimized web 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 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, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Customize Your Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, in order to fully customize landing page templates, you would need to either hire a web developer to do the work, or learn how to code web pages 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 overly 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 great-looking pre-designed 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 templates included with this plugin, you can do the following:
- Change text in any headline, bullet point, button, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Replace any background images or colour
- Change the color of buttons, links, text, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Select your own images and graphics
- Change content area size
- Change the order of web page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any type of custom content anywhere in the pages
- Start with a blank web page and create your own page templates, or even build a custom landing page templates library.
(Change and customize any aspect of the page)
Transform Your WordPress Site Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin combo includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and events to your web pages …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A two-step opt-in process can increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help to increase 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 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 pages, using a range of effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your sales pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over events, triggers and design.
Testimonials
Here are some of the testimonials and comments plugin customers have provided for 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 WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin.
You can add WordPress short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly on the front end.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content built using Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive software is well-supported, and users get lifetime upgrades, and 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 will just keep getting better.
Product Licensing 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 Licensing – This allows you to activate the plugin on a single site. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This option allows you to run the plugin on unlimited sites that you personally own. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – This lets you install the plugin on all of your own websites and your client websites. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Note: Pricing details of the Thrive Content Builder plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The above reflects the pricing at the time this content was written. This may not be the actual pricing charged by the plugin developer when you visit the plugin site and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing information here:
Additional Information
The Thrive Content and Landing Page 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 template sets that help to make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the ability to change everything on your web page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to get things done without having to open multiple dialog boxes.
For a demo video of the plugin, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive 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 drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no overly complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For full details, visit the plugin website:
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