WordPress has evolved from being just a simple blogging tool to a tool that is now being used to design all types of pages – landing pages, portfolio pages, local business pages, etc.
Whatever you can imagine, someone is probably already building it with WordPress!
In this article you will discover the most straight-forward way to create stunning content in WordPress.
Is The WordPress Editor Still Meeting All Of Your Content Creation Needs?
Using the default WordPress editor to build or edit complex web site pages can sometimes be difficult, especially for non-technical users.
(The WordPress WYSIWYG content editor is great for adding, formatting and editing “linear” text and images, but adding complex page elements can be quite challenging!)
For example, let’s say you want to create something like the layout shown below …
Creating the above boxes with text and buttons in your content would require typing something like this into your default WordPress content editor …
Typically, this is not really an issue … until you decide to change the layout (for example, move some of the content from box 1 into box 2, or change the background colour in a box from dark green to gold. Then, you’re stuck having to mess around with code.
The WordPress visual content editor is supposed to provide users with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG content editor, but as you can see, if you are trying to add complex layouts, often what you see on your screen may not be the same as what you are going to get when the page gets published …
(“What You See” isn’t always “What You Get” … unless you can visualize code!)
In some situations, you would probably be better off working directly inside the text editor tab instead of the WordPress WYSIWYG editor when trying to create non-linear layouts …
Even though WordPress is very user-friendly, this makes it difficult for users with no knowledge of HTML or CSS to have full control of their own content.
The fundamental issue about having to use HTML and shortcodes to create content in the default WordPress WYSIWYG editor can be summarized as follows:
1) Speed – How long does 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, what you see in the back end doesn’t look anything like what you see in the front end. This means that you need to translate mentally what the content will look like when working with complex layouts. Other solutions require a number of 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 can impact how quickly you can create your content, as you wait for the updates to reload.
A number of WordPress web developers have come up with different solutions with the goal of making the visual editor easier. These range from stand alone WordPress 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 layouts easier!)
Some solutions combine so many complex page design features, that users need to learn how to work with complicated-looking front end editors …
Many of these solutions work, but they still 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 to create or edit complex page content quickly, this can become very frustrating after a while.
Ask yourself this …
If there were no technical constraints, how would you like your content editor to behave?
Now, imagine the following scenario …
- You spot something in the content that needs to be changed so you, just click on the content and start editing it. Your content has been instantly edited.
- You just drag and drop items around the page, and see them exactly as they will display on the front end without having to mentally abstract from shortcodes or HTML.
- You have an idea for a specific item of content that you’d like to add, so you immediately start typing, and you build your web page as you go, without delays, without switching of tab browsers, and without having to wait for edits to refresh.
Would this not be the ideal way to create 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 the page?
(Imagine being able to create complex pages in real-time for your web content without technical skills required!)
Today we review …
Thrive Content And Page Builder
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 provides you with a new and incredibly easy way to set up conversion-focused pages on any WordPress website.
Once installed, Thrive Content Builder adds a visual content editor and a sidebar menu that lets you drag and drop design elements to your page …
(Thrive Content Builder adds a new content editor to your WordPress site)
Thrive Content Builder And Landing Pages 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 take a look at each of the above and how these features work together to help you easily transform and improve your business online and create amazing sales pages and content.
Thrive Content Builder For WordPress
This plugin lets you easily add complex design layouts to your web pages using drag and drop elements …
Everything on your web page can be configured with “drag and drop” and “click-to-edit” ease …
Once elements have been positioned on your page, you can then edit these without going through multiple steps or opening new configuration screens …
The built-in Thrive Landing Pages also lets you work inside stunning 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 with the plugin installed is so effortlessly simple, that the developers warn that once you start using it, it’ll ruin the experience of using all other content editors forever, and you’ll never look back!
Go here to learn more about this plugin: 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 recommended on this site.
To learn more about the plugin, see this page: A Review Of Thrive Leads – Mailing Builder For WP
Plugin Benefits
Here are just some of the many benefits of using Thrive Content Builder to speed up your page design and content creation process:
Quick And Simple To Install And Set Up. Ready To Use In Very Little Time.
Thrive Content Builder is very easy to install. Simply upload a zip file that contains the plugin files to your Plugins folder via your WordPress dashboard and activate.
Real-Time Content Content Editing
Thrive Content Builder is really simple to use and lets you create and add content to your pages in real-time.
What You See Is Exactly What You Get
With Thrive Content Builder installed, what you see on the “backend” as you work within the content editor – typefaces, elements, layouts, etc. is exactly what your visitors will see on the front end of your site.
Some additional benefits include the following:
- Stunning Page Layouts With Drag & Drop Ease: Create any kind of layout you can imagine with intuitive drag and drop functionality.
- Add Customizable Elements With No Shortcodes Required: With Thrive Content Builder you not only get a visually exciting drag and drop content builder, but the plugin also includes an impressive collection of professional design elements that you can insert into your web pages without using shortcodes, such as columns, borderless content, section dividers, responsive Google maps, etc.
- More Enjoyable Content Creation: Not having to wait for the page to refresh frees up your attention and allows you to be more focused while you build content or click through multiple steps to get what you need done.
(Add, edit and customize web page elements like testimonials, tabbed content, borderless content, page section dividers, responsive Google map embeds, etc.)
Features
Thrive Content Builder provides WP users many unique features. Below we have listed just some:
- All Editor Functionality Is Preserved: You have all of the regular WordPress content editing options that you are used to (e.g. bold formatting, left-aligned text, headings, etc.),
- Drag And Drop Elements: The plugin makes a “drag and drop” table of multi-style elements available on your post or page screen for creating and editing content.
- Conversion-Boosting Elements: The plugin provides you with various eye-catching and customizable elements that will help increase the effectiveness of your sales pages, including buttons and call-to-action elements, testimonials, and guarantees. In addition to customization options, multiple design options are also available for various elements.
- Responsive Page Design: Add responsive columns, text boxes, section dividers, e.g. which will resize and display correctly on different device screens.
- Add Animation To Your Web Pages: The plugin’s Event Manager feature lets you add animation in buttons, 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 gives you conversion-optimized web page templates)
Thrive Landing Pages Plugin – Benefits
- Hosted on your own WordPress site
- Save time creating and customizing web pages
- 100% conversion-optimized web page templates
- No web coding skills required
- Works with all themes
Thrive Content Builder not only lets you create beautiful content in your WordPress posts and pages, but you can also choose from dozens of professionally designed, landing page templates that are conversion-optimized and fully customizable …
(Landing page template sets that work together logically and use the same conversion-optimized design language)
There are currently 30 templates available, with more templates being worked on. 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.
Fully Customizable 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 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 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 beautiful pre-built pages that are fully optimized and ready to go, and complete design freedom that lets you change or customize any aspect of your page template …
With the landing page templates included with this plugin, you are able to:
- Change text in any bullet point, headline, button, etc.
- Remove text, images or any other part of the landing page
- Change all background images or colour
- Edit the color of text, buttons, links, etc.
- Select your own fonts
- Select your own images
- Edit the size of the content area
- Change the order of page elements
- Translate everything on the page into different languages
- Add any kind of custom content anywhere inside your pages
- Start with a blank page and create your own templates, or even build your own custom landing pages library.
(Change or edit anything on the page templates)
Transform Your Website Into A Marketing Machine With Thrive Lightbox
The Thrive plugin package includes the Thrive Lightbox plugin, which lets you add fully editable 2-step opt-in forms and events to your content pages …
(Add lead capture forms and animated elements to your pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
2-Step Opt-in Forms
A 2-step opt-in process helps to improve your conversion rates. When visitors click on an image or button 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 when visitors click or hover their mouse over a button or an image, or when someone scrolls down to a certain point on the page. You can also use the Event Manager to animate images on your web pages, using a range of animation effects (e.g. zoom in from the page center, slide in from right to left, roll out, etc.
(Set up and manage events on your sales pages with the Thrive Lightbox plugin)
Lightboxes and events are created automatically for your landing pages, but you also have complete control over all events, triggers and design.
User Testimonials
Here are a couple of the testimonials plugin users have submitted for Thrive Content Builder:
“Wow! This is just getting better & better. This plugin is making my websites look so professional. Keep up the great work and thank you for the new features. Ladonna Ragalin”
***
“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”
Thrive Content Builder – Tips
Thrive Content Builder works with any WordPress theme, not just with the Thrive Landing Pages plugin. Note, however, that you cannot use Thrive Content Builder to edit content on pages or posts that were not created using the plugin.
You can add short codes inside the Content Builder or Landing Pages plugin and they will be displayed correctly when published.
Thrive Lightbox works with any content you build with Thrive Content Builder.
Thrive Content Builder Support
Thrive Landing Pages and Content Builder provides free updates, new landing templates and upcoming features. The plugin developers are constantly working on adding new features and improving existing ones.
Thrive products are really well-supported, and users get lifetime updates, and one year unlimited support with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, thirty day, full 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 license option enables you to install the plugin on a single site. Cost includes full feature set, unlimited updates and 1 year of unlimited support. Cost = $59.00.
- Unlimited Sites Licensing – This lets you set up the plugin on all sites that you own. Includes full feature set, unlimited updates and one year of unlimited support. Price = $87.00.
- Agency License – This license option lets you install the plugin on all of your own websites and all client web sites. 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 software depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time special offers. Currently, the plugin retails for the prices shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing set by the plugin author when you visit the product website and you may be shown additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest pricing: Thrive Content Builder Plugin
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 the time-saving benefits of ready-made web page elements and beautiful, conversion-optimized template sets that help make designing your pages faster, and on the other hand, you have 100% control over your design process and the freedom to change and customize everything on your page, using the plugin’s click-to-edit and drag and drop features, that allows you to get things done without having to keep switching tabs or going through multiple steps.
For a demo video of the plugin in action, including installation instructions and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Thrive website.
Install The Plugin …
If you want to edit something, just click on the element and start editing. If you want to change something, do it, and you can see the change happen instantly. If you want to move something, simply drag it and drop it into its new position. There are no complicated steps involved.
If you want to transform and improve your website and create amazing sales pages and content, Thrive Content and Page Builder delivers an incredible conversion-boosting package with a single, inexpensive plugin.
For complete details, check out the plugin here: Thrive Content Builder – WordPress Click-To-Edit Drag & Drop Content Editing Plugin
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Disclaimer: This site is not associated with WordPress or any of the WordPress products written about on this site. We may derive a financial benefit from sales of products advertised, reviewed or linked to from this site. The product images used in this review have been sourced from the plugin’s own website.
Originally posted 2015-10-12 16:36:11.
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