WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool being used to design all types of pages – marketing pages, portfolio pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, somewhere around the world someone is bound to be already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover the simplest and most straight-forward WYSIWYG content editor for WordPress sites.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress WYSIWYG Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
With all the many developments that WordPress has undergone in recent years, many WordPress users and developers believe that using the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor to create or edit more complex layouts can be difficult.
(The WordPress 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 content shown below …
To create the above layout, users would need to add shortcodes to the content for each element they would like to create …
Typically, this is not an issue … unless you decide to change the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 3 into box 2, or replace the button in box 3 from bright red to yellow. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with page code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to be an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to add more complex page elements, what you see on your screen may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, users could be better off working directly inside the html editor tab instead of the WordPress visual editor when trying to build fancy layouts …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it hard for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with using HTML and shortcodes to create content in WordPress can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using the 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 screenshot, what you see when working in the content editor looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to mentally translate what your content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require several steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which then impacts how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the updates to load.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with various solutions with the goal of making content editing more intuitive. Some of these range from standalone plugins you can add to 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 end up requiring so many page-building features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these editors work fine, but they don’t really address the fundamental problem with using shortcodes and HTML as described earlier. Adding and editing non-linear content 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 page content quickly, this can become really frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your page editor to function?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine this …
- You spot something in your content that needs correction so you, just click on the content and start writing. Your content is instantly edited.
- You can just drag and drop items on the page, and the page looks exactly as it will display on the front end without having to mentally abstract from code.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you would like to create, so you simply start typing, and you build your web page on the fly, with no delays, no switching tabs, and without waiting for edits to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress website? A true WYSIWYG content editor where all you have to do is click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around your posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages quickly 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 Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and page builder plugin for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress site.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you select, then drag and drop elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new editor to your WordPress site)
The plugin 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 address each of the above and how these features work seamlessly together to help you easily transform and improve your website and create amazing sales pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
You can easily add content to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every element of your web page can be configured by dragging and dropping things around the page and then clicking to edit them …
Once elements have been positioned on your page, you can then further edit or customize them without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
You can also create stunning landing pages and easily edit these …
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 with Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it’ll 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 Builder and Landing Pages plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another terrific plugin that we have recommended on this site.
See this article to learn more about using this plugin:
Benefits Of Using Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder Plugin
Below we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of designing pages and creating content for your WordPress web site:
Quick And Simple To Install And Implement. Ready To Use In Minutes.
Thrive Content Builder installs like any other WordPress plugin. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your dashboard and activate.
Build & Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is very simple to use and lets you create content 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 – fonts, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Additional plugin benefits include the following:
- Create Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag-and-drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a click-to-edit content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of customizable design elements that you can customizable and add to your pages without using shortcodes, like pricing tables, text boxes, call to action buttons, countdown timers, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to wait for the updated content to reload frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Thrive Content Builder lets you easily insert, edit and customize web page elements like testimonial boxes, content toggle, star ratings for review pages, page section dividers, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides web site owners a number of powerful features. Below we have listed just some of those features:
- Regular WordPress Content Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph centering, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements Menu: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen for 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 guarantees. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Web Page Design: Add mobile-friendly columns, guarantee boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display great on different device screens.
- Add Animation Events To Pages: Thrive Content Builder’s Event Manager feature lets you insert animations, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Template 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 signup to purchase, product download and more.
(Thrive Landing Pages plugin gives you access to conversion-optimized page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Everything is hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money building professional web pages for your WordPress web site
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills needed
- Works with any WordPress theme
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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, conversion optimized landing page templates and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets 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 that are currently available, expect to see new templates in the future for email lead generation, sales pages, lesson pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to fully customize a landing page template, you would need to either hire a web site developer 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 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 attractive pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or edit any aspect of your page templates …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you can:
- Change text in all bullet points, headlines, buttons, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of your landing page
- Change any background images and background colour
- Change the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Use your own fonts
- Use your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Rearrange the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into a different language
- Add any type of custom content anywhere inside any of the pages
- Use pre-designed, customized pages, or create your own from scratch and save them as new page templates.
(Change and customize any aspect of your page template)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your WordPress Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animation to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-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 …
(two-step opt-in forms 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 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. fade in, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your WordPress site 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.
Testimonials From Plugin Customers
Here are a couple of the testimonials that plugin users have provided for 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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”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. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Product Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages Plugin comes with 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 really well-supported, and users get unlimited software updates, plus 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.
Plugin 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 license lets you activate the plugin on a single site. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Edition – This lets you use the plugin on unlimited domains that you own. It includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $87.00.
- Agency License – This license option enables you to configure the plugin on all of your own websites and all client domains. It includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Current pricing for the Thrive Content Builder software depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. The price shown above was current when this review was written. This may or may not be the actual price charged by the plugin author when you visit the product website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details:
Additional Plugin Info
The Thrive Content and Landing Page Builder plugin developers 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 page elements and conversion-optimized templates that help make designing your content faster, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over the design process and the freedom to edit everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that lets you see how the content you are working on will display on the “front end” when published.
For ”how to” videos showing plugin usage, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive plugins website.
Get The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you’ll see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, all you need to do is simply drag it and drop it into its new location. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create amazing sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, this plugin delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, visit the plugin website:
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