WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging application to a tool being used to create all kinds of web sites.
Whatever you can think of, somewhere around the world someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
In this article you will discover the most easy-to-use WYSIWYG content builder for WordPress.
Drag & Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Editor Still Meet All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the WordPress WYSIWYG content editor to build or edit sophisticated page elements can sometimes be quite difficult for non-technical web site owners.
(The built-in WordPress editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding more complex content elements can be quite 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 page element they want to display …
Typically, this is not really an issue … until you decide to change the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the button inside a box from bright red to gold. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, when creating with more complex content elements, often what you see in the visual editor may not be what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some cases, some people argue that you would probably be better off working with the html source itself instead of the visual editor when trying to add something other than simple page elements …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for non-technical website owners to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental problem with having to use shortcodes and HTML to create content in the default WordPress editor can be summarized by asking the following questions:
1) Speed – How long will it take to create a web page using this 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 back end looks nothing like what you see in the front end. This means that users need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require taking a number of steps before you can start configuring your page layout, or endlessly switching browser tabs and performing tweaks and updates to see how your content is progressing, which can affect how fast you can create your content, as you wait for your page to load.
A number of WordPress web developers have tried to come up with various solutions with the objective of addressing this issue. Some of these alternative solutions range from WP plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to themes that provide built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex content easier!)
Some solutions end up combining so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they don’t 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 your page content to look ”perfect” quickly, this can start to become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web pages?
Now that you’ve asked this question, visualize this …
- You spot something in your content that needs correction so you, simply click on the content and start writing. Your content has been instantly changed.
- You just drag and drop items around the page, and the page looks exactly as it will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize any shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to create, so you simply begin typing, and your web page gets built on the fly, with no delays, no switching tabs, and without waiting for web pages to reload.
Would this not be the ideal way to build content for your WordPress web site? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages ”on the fly” 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 And Landing Pages – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag And Drop Content And Page Editor
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a revolutionary WordPress plugin that allows you to quickly add beautiful content to your posts and pages using true click-to-edit and drag and drop simplicity.
Thrive Content Builder is a new and exciting way to set up conversion-focused pages on your WordPress website.
Once installed, the plugin adds a visual content editor with a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop design elements on your web page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Landing Pages And Content Builder 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.
Let’s review all of the above and how all of this powerful functionality works seamlessly together to help you transform and improve your web presence and create awesome marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Plugin
This plugin lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your page can be configured and edited with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once you have placed elements on a page, you can then continue to customize or edit them without going through additional steps or switching tabs …
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, designing pages and working on content with the plugin installed is so amazingly simple, that the developers guarantee that once you start using it, you’ll never look back!
Learn more about this plugin here: Thrive Content Builder
The integrated Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder plugin was created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another excellent plugin we’ve reviewed on this site.
Go here to read about this plugin:
Benefits
Below are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up the process of creating content for your web site:
Fast And Easy Installation
Thrive Content Builder installs just like every plugin. Simply upload a zip folder containing the plugin to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Building And Editing
Thrive Content Builder is very simple and intuitive to use and lets you create, edit and add content to your web pages in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “back end” as you work within the editor – typefaces, elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits and advantages include the following:
- Add Eye-Catching Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any type of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Customizable Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get an exciting and an easy-to-use click-to-edit WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional design elements that you can customizable and use on your web pages without using shortcodes, for e.g.: tabbed content, styled lists, section dividers, responsive maps, etc.
- Ideal For Non-Technical Users: Not having to deal with technical stuff, or wait for the content to load frees up your attention and allows you to build the web pages your business needs, quickly and without having to edit code or click through multiple layers of menus to get what you want done.
(Easily add, edit and customize page elements like testimonial boxes, flat design elements, borderless content, call to action buttons, HTML code insert boxes, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder offers website owners many unique features. Here are just some:
- Regular WordPress Editor Functionality Is Still Available: You have access to all of the regular text editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, paragraph formatting, headings and font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Multi-Style Elements: 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 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, testimonial boxes, and guarantees. In addition to being customizable, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Page Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will display great on different screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animated page elements, 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 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 site)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time building and customizing pages for your WordPress site
- 100% conversion-optimized web pages
- No web coding skills required
- 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 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 30+ templates available, with more templates planned for future release. In addition to the existing templates, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, training pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Fully Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Typically, to be able to have a fully customizable landing page template, you would need to either hire a web developer 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 mess around with 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 building conversion-optimized web pages.”
Thrive Landing Pages gives you beautiful pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change and customize any element of your page …
The landing page templates included with this plugin let you do the following:
- Modify text in all buttons, headlines, bullet points, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other element of the landing page
- Replace the background image or background color
- Change the color of links, text, buttons, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Modify the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add custom content anywhere inside the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build your own library of custom landing pages.
(Change or customize any element of your page templates)
Transform Your Web Site Into A Powerful Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin combo includes Thrive Lightbox, which lets you add fully configurable 2-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your web site …
(Add opt-in forms and events to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help increase your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Capture more leads and subscribers with a 2-step opt-in process)
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 scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate attention-getting elements on your page, using various animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from top to bottom, rotate, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your web pages 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.
User Testimonials
Below are some of the testimonials and feedback plugin users 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”
Thrive Content Builder – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any theme in WordPress, not just with Thrive Landing Pages. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress short codes inside Thrive Content Builder or Thrive Landing Pages and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 really well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a risk-free, thirty day, complete money-back guarantee.
This is an exciting product that will just keep 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 Licensing – This lets you activate the plugin on one website only. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This license option enables you to run the plugin on all websites that you personally own. Pricing includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – Use on your web sites and on all your client sites. Price includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Cost = $247.00 per year.
Note: The cost of purchasing Thrive Content Builder depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. The pricing above was current when this review was published. This may not be the actual price charged by the software author when you visit the 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 Info
The developers of the Thrive Content and Page Builder plugin 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 page elements and beautiful, pre-designed template sets that help speed up page design and content creation, and on the other hand, you also have 100% control over your design process and the ability to edit and customize everything on your web 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 help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support help desk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Our Recommendation …
If you want to edit something, simply click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, you can see the change happen immediately. If you want to move something, just drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no extra steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your web site and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, check out the plugin here:
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