WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool being used to create all types of web sites.
Whatever you can think of, someone is most likely already building it using WordPress!
This article will help you discover how to create stunning content faster and design beautiful page layouts with drag & drop ease in WordPress.
Drag And Drop Content Editors For WordPress
Does The Default WordPress Visual Content Editor Meet All Of Your Content Creation And Editing Needs?
Using the default WordPress content editor to create or edit complex web site pages can sometimes be challenging.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG editor is great for adding, formatting and editing conventional text and images, but adding complex content elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, if you look at the screenshot below …
To create the above boxes with text and buttons, you would normally have to add shortcodes to your content for each of the page elements you want to create …
Typically, this is not really an issue … unless you decide to change some part of the layout (for example, move part of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in a box from red to a different color. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress content editor is supposed to give non-technical users an easy-to-use WYSIWYG editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to add more complex content elements, what you see in the visual editor is not exactly what you get …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some instances, users would probably be better off working with the source html itself instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to add non-linear page elements …
Even though WordPress is the most user-friendly CMS platform available, this makes it difficult for non-technical users to fully manage their own content.
The fundamental challenge about using shortcodes and HTML to create content with WordPress can be summarized by asking 2 questions:
1) Speed – How long does it take to build a 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, 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 you need to mentally translate what the content will look like when working with sophisticated layouts. Other solutions require taking 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 can interrupt the creative process, as you wait for your updates to reload.
Many WordPress web developers have come up with various solutions with the objective of making content editing easier. Some of these range from standalone plugins you can add to your site that add new functionality to the editor, to WordPress themes that offer built-in features like drag and drop editing …
(WordPress “drag and drop” editors aim to make creating complex layouts easier!)
Some solutions end up including so many page-building features, that users end up with complicated-looking front end content editors …
Many of these alternative solutions work fine, but they fail to address the fundamental challenge of 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 your page content to look “just right” quickly, this can become very frustrating.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like to build and edit your web content?
Now that you’ve asked this question, imagine the following …
- You look at your content and if you spot something that needs to be changed, just click on the content and start changing it. Your content has been instantly fixed.
- You just drag and drop elements on the page, and see them exactly as they will appear on the front end without having to mentally visualize code.
- You have an idea for some content you’d like to add, so you immediately begin typing, and your page gets built as you go, with no delays, with no switching tabs, and no waiting for new content to reload.
Would that not be the ideal way to build content for your website? Just click-to-edit and drag and drop elements around the posts and pages?
(Imagine being able to create complex web pages quickly for your web content with no 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 – Create Stunning Content And Beautiful Web Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease In WordPress Sites
Plugin Description
Thrive Content Builder is a truly intuitive click-to-edit drag and drop content and landing page creator for WordPress.
The Thrive Content Builder plugin is a new and incredibly easy way to speed up the process of adding great content to your 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 page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new visual content editing option to your WordPress site)
The Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages plugin 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 a look at each of the above and how these exciting features work together to help you transform and improve your site and create awesome sales pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content.
Thrive Content Builder Plugin
Thrive Content Builder lets you easily add content to your web pages and build complex page layouts using drag and drop elements …
Every aspect of your web page can be designed, changed and rearranged by ”clicking-to-edit” and “dragging and dropping” things around the page …
Once you have positioned your elements on the page, you can then easily customize them without going through additional steps or opening extra configuration screens …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you build 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 plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers guarantee that you will never look back once you start using it
More info: Thrive Content Builder
Thrive Content Builder and Thrive Landing Pages were created by the same team that developed Thrive Leads, another fantastic plugin that we have previously recommended on this site.
To learn more about using the plugin, go here:
Benefits
Here are just some of the benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up content creation:
Quick And Simple To Install And Use. Ready To Use In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder installs just like any other WP plugin. Simply upload it to your Plugin folder via your WP dashboard and activate.
Edit Content In Real Time
Thrive Content Builder is is not only really simple to use, it also lets you create, edit and add content right inside your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see as you work within the editor – typefaces, visual elements, page layouts, etc. is exactly what you get on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include the following:
- Stunning Web Page Layouts With Drag-And-Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with drag and drop ease.
- Design Elements Included: With the Thrive Content Builder plugin you not only get a drag and drop WordPress content editor, but the plugin also includes a jaw-dropping collection of web design elements that you can customizable and use on your pages without using shortcodes, such as flat design elements, styled lists, section dividers, credit card icons, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to constantly switch tabs as you tweak content and then wait for for your updated content to load 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.
(Easily create, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, columns, content reveal feature, dividers, credit card icons, etc.)
Plugin Features
Thrive Content Builder provides many features to web site owners. Here are just some:
- Built-In Content Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have access to all of the built-in WordPress editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold, paragraph centering, font sizes, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin adds a “drag and drop” list of multi-style elements to 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, testimonials, and guarantee forms. In addition to being customizable, various elements also offer multiple design options.
- Responsive Page Design: Add responsive elements like columns, guarantee boxes, content section dividers, e.g. which will display great on devices with differently sized screens.
- Add Animation Events To Your Pages: The Event Manager feature lets you insert animated images, trigger lightboxes and more!
(Add Animated Elements To Your Pages)
Thrive Landing Pages – Landing Page Template Sets
Landing page sets are web page 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 gives you access to conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time and money creating landing pages
- 100% conversion-optimized landing page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with all themes
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 …
(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 being worked on. In addition to the templates that are currently available, the developers plan to release new templates for email lead generation, sales pages, course pages, personal branding pages, webinar pages and more.
Completely Customizable And Flexible Landing Page Template Sets
Normally, to be able to have completely customizable landing page templates, you would need to either pay 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 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 great-looking pre-built page templates that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that allows you to change and edit any aspect of the page …
With the landing page template sets included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Edit text in all buttons, bullet points, headlines, etc.
- Delete text, images or any other component of your landing page
- Replace any background images and background colour
- Edit the color of text, links, buttons, etc.
- Choose your own fonts
- Use your own images and graphics
- Modify the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate pages into a different language
- Add any type of custom content in any of the pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own page templates, or even build your own library of custom landing page templates.
(Change or edit anything on the page)
Thrive Lightbox Plugin – Transform Your Website Into A Powerful Marketing Machine
The Thrive plugin combo also includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully customizable two-step opt-in forms and animated elements to your content pages …
(Add opt-in forms and animated objects to your web pages with Thrive Lightbox)
Thrive Lighbox Two-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process can help improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on a button or image they are presented with your opt-in form …
(Opt-in forms help increase your conversion rates.)
Thrive Lightbox Event Manager
An “event” consists of a trigger and an action. You can make an opt-in form 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 images on your pages, using various effects (e.g. fade in, slide in from right to left, roll in, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
A lightbox and event is created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over the events, triggers and design.
User Feedback
Here are a couple of the testimonials and comments 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 Thrive Landing Pages. You cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content that was not created with the plugin installed.
You can add WordPress shortcodes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will display correctly on on your web site.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build using Thrive Content Builder.
Plugin Support
Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages provides free updates, new landing pages and upcoming features. The Thrive team is constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive plugins are very well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, plus 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 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 Licensing – This license allows you to use the plugin on a single domain. Price includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites License – This allows you to activate the plugin on all of your personal web sites. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – This option allows you to use the plugin on all of your own domains and all client domains. Includes access to Thrive Content Builder, plus all Thrive Themes & Thrive Plugins. Price = $247.00 per year.
Please Note: Price details for the Thrive Content Builder plugin depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. When we last checked, the software is being retailed for the pricing shown above. 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 you’ve purchased.
Check the plugin’s website for the current pricing:
Additional Plugin Info
The Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages 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 time-saving features like ready-made page elements and templates that help speed up your content creation, and on the other hand, you also have complete control over your design process and the freedom to edit and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s visual content editor, that lets you work unhindered by overly complicated steps.
For demo videos of the plugin, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, customer helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
We Recommend …
If you want to edit something, you click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you’ll see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, you drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your site and create amazing marketing pages, streamlined landing pages and engaging content, Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
To learn more, visit the plugin website here:
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