WordPress is the most well-known website platform. When talking about Content management systems alone, WordPress owns 60.8% of the market share. This is how widespread and massive WordPress is.
Even 14.7% of the world’s top websites are powered by it. WordPress is the only reason that Time Magazine, Sony Music and The Harvard Gazette, as well as Microsoft News, function. WordPress is a must-have for the internet.
WordPress is a simple website builder. However, it requires a lot more work to make a website comparable to the larger sites like Microsoft News and Time Magazine. Without the know-how, it would be very difficult to make a website that is as functional or as elegant as those.
Enter Plug-ins. WordPress plugins are pieces of software that you “plug into” your WordPress site. These pieces of software will then add new functionality or enhance functionality on your WordPress site. Through plugins, you can make your website into anything you can imagine.
Plugins are the heartbeat of WordPress. They are essential to maintain and enhance its function. WordPress plugins are so embedded in the WordPress environment, that there are over 55,000 plugins listed on the WordPress Plugin Directory.
Some are free and some are paid. Some plug-ins are simple to use while others require some time to get used to. One notable plug in is the page builder plug in called Elementor.
Pink1472’s Youtube channel is reviewed in video format for those who like a visual experience. To get a comprehensive overview of Elementor, you may still want to check out our article below.
A Quick Look on Elementor How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
Elementor, a drag-and drop page builder plugin for WordPress, is the first. As the name suggests, page builders help users build their websites from the ground up.
That said, Elementor is nothing new. Since its release in mid-2016, Elementor has been in the WordPress Plugin Library. It quickly became one of the most popular visual page builders in WordPress. It has not slowed down since then.
Even today, Elementor continues to grow and evolve at a rapid pace, keeping up with the newest technologies.
Since it is a drag-and-drop builder. Elementor is easy to use, even for people just starting to build websites. Drag and drop website elements onto your workspace is the most common part of Elementor.
Most drag and drop builders operate on the “what you see is what you get” model. That means whatever you see while editing or building your website. It is easy to visualize how your website will look when you build it.
Elementor also allows you to do many things. It gives you the ability to create posts and pages that are unique and more eye-oppoing than the standard post or page templates from a regular WordPress theme.
When making your page, Elementor will bring you to a separate interface. This is where you get to work on your posts and pages. You don’t need to use the standard editor WordPress offers.
This interface also does not require you to have any HTML, CSS, PHP, or any coding skills. Everything is easy to use, and you can drag and drop it through the user-friendly interface.
Elementor is also a very flexible plugin. It can be used with whatever current WordPress theme you are using. You can make and generate any content layout or page layout you can imagine with it.
Elementor even works on all kinds of WordPress themes. So there is no need to worry if your theme will be bugging out since it is not compatible with Elementor.
The Features of Elementor
Elementor looks like it’s a drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress Users.
However, we wouldn’t be discussing Elementor if it is all that Elementor can do.
Elementor is not only one of the most popular and highly reviewed page builders plugins in WordPress. It also offers the following features:
Content Elements Galore
Admit it, the name Elementor is pretty strange for something that is a web page builder. It is not page building. Instead, it creates images of a monster that uses the elements to defeat the heroes.
However, nothing is further from the truth and Elementor was not named after a mythical creature or a scary monster to be vanquished. Its name is derived from the blocks that are used to build the pages. These blocks are called elements and form the web site.
These are the items that users “drag-and drop” to create eye-popping designs. These are the Elementor names.
Responsive Design
The smart phones were first. Then came the Internet of things. The internet can now be accessed by almost any device. The most popular way to browse the internet is still via a personal computer or laptop, rather than using smartphones and tablets.
Now, if you are an owner of a webpage who wants the “hits” you should have no cock to pick on that cockfight. You would want both to visit your website. You want your website to look great on any device.
Elementor makes it possible to achieve this. With its responsive design that is turned on by default, your website will look optimized no matter which gadget your viewer is using.
And if you are not satisfied with the default look, there are multiple options provided to allow you to customize and control how it works and looks.
Templates
With a drag and drop builder like Elementor, it would not be a surprise if there are people trying to build a WordPress page who do not know a thing about code. It will also be no surprise to find people who have no idea where to begin when building a webpage.
Luckily templates exist in order to help these poor souls. Templates can help avoid the blank page syndrome that most beginners suffer from. Elementor offers hundreds of professionally designed templates.
These templates are a great place to start when you’re creating a new website. These templates can also be used to inspire you in creating your own unique websites.
Style options
Elementor offers style as well as templates. Elementor offers many options for customizing your design to make it pixel perfect. What’s more is you do not need to know custom CSS or any coding at all.
Convenience
With its multiple tools, Elementor makes it a lot easier to build your web pages. Some of which include right-click support where you can get help with a click of the mouse. There is also a quick find tool to aid you in finding what you need to build your website with the Theme Builder.
The Pro version (paid version), allows users to create entire WordPress themes.
Dynamic Content
Dynamic content refers to any digital or online content which changes and updates based upon data, user behavior, and preferences.
Elementor lets you add dynamic content to your pages using custom fields or plugins such as ACF, Pods, and Toolset. This allows the added benefit of having your pages constantly up to date with any relevant changes you want to be reflected.
Popup Builder
Another feature available only to Pro users of Elementor is the popup builder. Popups are small web pages that can be used into whatever you like. More often than not, they are used for lead conversion.
Elementor’s Popup Builder allows you to design your popup using the same tools given for your webpage builder. You can use the same visual, drag-and-drop interface and the “what you see is what it gives you” interface.
Elementor’s Popup Builder will allow you to create popups as striking as your pages.
WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce is an open source ecommerce plugin for WordPress. WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress that allows you to sell products online. Its primary draw is its ease of integration on your site and its customizability.
Elementor allows you to set up an eCommerce store with the WooCommerce plugin. Through Elementor you can design your WooCommerce shop using Lementors. You can even include products and integrate it in your design.
The Users for Elementor
Anyone can use Elementor. Digital marketers, students and everyone in between. Anybody who plans to create a WordPress website can use the various styles and functions available in Elementor to spice up their pages.
Casual User
Casual users looking for a way to add pizazz and personality in their personal websites or blogs can use Elementor. In fact Elementor is the perfect tool for such a job.
Using the visual interface, it would be very easy for casual users to create groundbreaking or eye-opening designs even without using technical knowledge like coding, custom CSS or whatever programming language available.
For casual users, even the free version is already good to go.
Digital Marketer
Elementor is also great for digital marketers and teams because it allows for lots of marketing opportunities.
As a drag and drop page builder, it can be used to create a sales page or a potential landing page if you understand how to make those. To really increase your sales, you could combine the plugin with Landing Page friendly plugins.
You can use the Elementor Pro features to create lead forms if you’re serious. These forms are similar to those that focus on landing pages or lead conversion.
These lead forms can be connected to popular email marketing tools. Zapier is one of the most popular integration and automation tools on the internet.
The Popup builder was mentioned earlier. This popup builder allows you to create opt-in, popups. You can place these pop ups anywhere on your site and target them to specific things.
Even the WooCommerce Builder can be used to sell products and services and design your sales pages.
Site Builders
Elementor is the best choice for those who work on websites for clients.
Elementor offers many features that make website building easier and more efficient. Drag and drop allows builders to quickly create a website. This feature can be combined with the website preview to almost instantly see the results.
You can even choose themes to simplify the process of building websites. Or these very same themes can be used as an inspiration for the next websites they will be making. To create the perfect website, they can combine the functionality and aesthetics of all three.
Elementor users can even use the plugin in conjunction with flexible themes to build 100% custom client sites without even touching code.
But if you want to code, Elementor still allows you to do that.
Elementor: The Case
We know about Elementor’s features, and we also know who can benefit from the plugin. But we need to understand why Elementor is so important.
First of all, the most basic use of Elementor boils down as a page builder for websites.
Making websites is not an easy task. Sure, you might know the basics. You might even know which elements to include to make a very functional website.
It is still a fact websites must be unique to make their place in the internet. This might sound like an easy task, but there are a lot of factors to consider when maintaining a website.
Website navigation and aesthetics are important, as well as security. To keep visitors and users satisfied with the website’s performance, each of these should be in top condition.
It will require a lot of effort. Now, put yourself in the shoes of a freelancer or a website designer and you will have these problems multiplied tenfold.
You will need to generate and create new ideas for each client you have or every website you build.
Plugins and page builder apps are a godsend for these people. There are many features that make website building easier and more intuitive. Work will take less time to consume.
From the multiple features such as dynamic content, version features, and drag and drop builders, Website designers will have to spend less time fine tuning websites depending on their client’s preferences.
Even starting from scratch can be a thing of the past. Many professional-grade templates are available.
And that is the main crux of website and webpage builders. They allow the users to have an easier and more accessible time in carving their space in the Internet. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
The Examination of Elementor
The Interface
Of course, using the Elementor plugin requires installation and activation before using it. You can do so through the WordPress Repository.
Once you’re done, you can either customize Elementor’s settings to your liking or start creating and designing websites immediately.
For people who are just starting out, the default starting settings should not be changed. We can now go to the pages and edit any that we want.
To start editing: On the upper right side of the page, click on “Edit With Elementor”
This will bring about the dashboard that has the following parts:
- This is the Main Canvas, where the majority of the action will occur. This is where you will edit and redesign most of your websites look
- The Elementor widgets area where most of the “apps” and functions for your website can be dragged from before putting it in the main working area of our website
- Elementor Settings
- Open Elementor Widgets
- Global Settings
- Revision History
- Switch View. Switch View. This is where you can switch between different views of how your website will appear on different devices (desktop/tablet, mobile).
- Preview the Changes
- Publish
From this interface, you can choose what to do with your website. You can either start from scratch. Edit an existing webpage. You can even use a template to get you started with your work. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
Elementor Structure Hierarchy
Understanding how Elementor works is essential before you can create websites. This is where you will need to understand how Elementor works and how they interact with one another.
Elementor may be a drag-and-drop builder that can seem chaotic at first glance. There is a structure to all this “madness.” Understanding this structure is key to effective website building (aside from just copying a template.)
Each page created with Elementor has sections and columns
Sections can be described as rows. Each section is the basis of the page. You can add a background in a section, change its sizing, and do more customizations. Most of all, sections hold columns and widgets. They basically hold all the elements together.
The sections are divided by columns. Just like the sections, you can control and customize each column individually. Each column is home to multiple content or widgets. You can also make each section’s columns different.
These are the smallest elements of a website. This is basically the toppers of your website. Your website’s function will be determined by the widgets, while its personality will be determined by the content. Of course, you can still customize and style these two.
Pre-made templates
Although they aren’t necessary for creating web pages, you can still make them from scratch. However, pre-made templates are always a blessing. Not only do they make your work easier and faster, they are also a source of lots and lots of inspiration.
Elementor provides you with professionally designed pre-made templates you can use for your page. You can use each template as is, or you can edit them to suit your needs or tweak them a little to make a perfect fit.
So how many templates do Elementor provide its users? Free users are given 150 and more templates available to use. Pro users have three hundred more templates available to them.
Then there are the Elementor Kits. These are “design kits” that consist of a collection of templates. These templates have a common design or are generally uniform. These templates are great for creating websites with a single design theme.
Elementor’s template collection contains both pre-made templates as well as Elementor kit kits. This library holds most of all common page templates for different purposes. Think of a web page, and you might find what you need there. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
They have a selection of pages for about pages, contact pages, homepages, landing pages and their various niches (i.e. restaurants, hotels, resorts etc.) Portfolios and teampages are also available.
The library gives and receives. If you created a web page that you think you really are satisfied with, you can export them as a template and you will be able to reuse them at the drop of a hat.
This allows you to easily choose a design for a page that shares design elements or functions with your other pages. You can even share them to the greater community online.
Designing a Page from Scratch with Elementor
Elementor allows you to build and design your web page either from scratch, with a pre-existing template. While it is easier to build one from a template, it is still worthwhile to learn how to build one from scratch.
We can see the effectiveness of the Elementor plugin’s functions by looking at it.
To start:
- Open a blank page and click “Edit With Elementor”
- You will see a “+” button. Click on it to add a new section
- A page will appear with a variety of sections. Pick the one most suited to your needs. It is best to choose one that has enough columns to meet your needs.
- Once you have created your sections, you are able to drag and drop your widgets from the Elementor to the columns you wish to place.
- When you are satisfied with where you placed your elements, you can customize them in the Content, Style, and Advanced Sections. It is a good idea to experiment with the different options until you find the style that suits you best. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
Editing a Pre-Existing Page in Elementor to Suit your Design
Now that we’ve learned how to design web pages from scratch with Elementor, it is time to look at the process of editing rather than building one from a pre-existing page. You can find pre-existing pages from many sources.
They can come from your own saved pages. You can find many templates in Elementor’s library. Or they can be other templates that you have imported into Elementor.
No matter the source, one thing is true: Editing a webpage from a pre-built page is a lot easier than building one from scratch.
Let’s get on with it.
- It is easy to add a new widget. Simply drag the widget that you wish to use from your Elementor Panel to the place you want it to be on the page.
- Rearranging widgets on the visual preview is also done by dragging the said widget and dropping it to the new location of where you want to place it.
- Editing text from content boxes is just as simple. Simply click on the box to open it and then enter the text you desire on the visual preview.
- You can always add sections or columns. This is especially useful when you want to create new layouts for your widgets.
- You can customize your widgets the same way you edit text, by clicking on them. In the case of widgets, it will open the appropriate setting in the sidebar. This section is broken down into three tabs: Style, Content, and Advanced. Play with these settings until you find something you fancy. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
The Price of Elementor
With all the features elementor provides its users, it seems too good to be true that it is just a free plugin. You heard it correctly. Elementor is completely free
That said, you might have noticed that there is a mention of a Pro version. It is true that there is a Pro version. To enjoy most of Elementor’s features and benefits, however, you don’t need to be a pro.
The official WordPress repository contains Elementor’s main plug-in. It’s completely free with no signups or registrations required. If you wish to upgrade to Pro, this plugin will be required.
The Pro edition. There are currently four plans. Each of these plans adds more benefits and features. You will get a different amount of Pro Website Activation depending on the plan you choose.
These are the details of the plan:
Essential Plan | Expert Plan | Studio Plan | Agency Plan |
$49 per Year | $199 per Year | $299 per Year (1st year only)
$499 |
$999 per Year |
1 Pro Website Activation
More than 100+ basic and pro widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support |
25 Pro-Website Activations
More than 100+ basic and pro widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
100 Pro Website Activations
100+ Basic and Pro Widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
1000 Pro Website Activations
More than 100+ basic and pro widgets
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
The Case for Going Pro
When it comes to Elementor Pro, there is much debate. A lot of people find it hard to reconcile paying for a service that already offers 90% of what it can do for free. This really boils down to Elementor Pro.
Elementor Pro offers many other benefits, in addition to the ones mentioned above. These include: How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
- 50+ Additional content elements or modules
- Additional page templates available in 300+
- A theme builder (which allows you to change headers and footers for your current theme)
- WooCommerce Builder allows you to rebuild WooCommerce Product Pages
- Popup Builder (which allows you create popups and then integrate them with an on-opt-in form, some offers or discounts).
- Visual form builder (which can be integrated with multiple and popular marketing tools)
- Global widgets can be used on the website, even if they are not on the same page.
- Add custom CSS to any Elementor Blocks for further customization
- Deploying Elementor elements in sidebars and widgets
You can choose Elementor Pro Version if you don’t think these extra features are sufficient or you require some of these features on your website. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
Elementor: The Pros and Con of Elementor
Pros
- Elementor’s core product is completely free. Unlike most plugins, you do not need to get the Professional plan in order to get the most out of Elementor
- There are plenty of features to use for creating your webpage. They are even very easy to use.
- It allows users to build custom web pages and page layouts with eye-popping design that may not be accessible in your basic theme or on WordPress’ basic builder.
- The drag and drop builder removes the need for HTML, CSS, or PHP skills. No Coding is Required when you got Elementor by your side
- Chooses the “What you see is what you get” approach, makes it easy for you to build your website without switching to previews. This can save a lot of time.
- Elementor pages are all responsive. You can even see how your pages would look on mobile, tablet, and desktop while you build your website.
- This plugin allows you to adjust all alignments, margins and padding values. All details can be fine tuned.
Cons
- Sometimes, the custom styling to links does not always go as intended.
- There are times where you can get stuck with Elementor’s default typography and color settings.
- It is difficult to fix misaligned elements, especially talking about their margin values. Because most content elements, including blocks and columns, have their own margin settings, this is not possible.
- Elementor can slow down your website’s overall speed, according to some users. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
The Verdict on Elementor
Elementor is an excellent page builder. It has all the features you want and need for a basic page builder and more. Both beginners and veterans can use it. You get all its features at a low price.
So if you are looking for a drag and drop page builder plugin for WordPress, you will never go wrong with Elementor.
I’d even say that Elementor’s developers have made a fortune and have not stopped trying since. It is incredible that Elementors are still one of the top choices today, given their age.
Elementor Frequently Asked Questions
Does Elementor work with WordPress Themes?
Elementor Works with all themes as long as they follow the coding standards of WordPress set by its Codex.
Does Elementor Work with other WordPress plugins
Elementor can be used with nearly all WordPress plugins.
You might have an incompatibility problem. Elementor can help you to find and fix it.
What is Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro is the more advanced version of Elementor.
Unlike regular Elementor, it is not free. It adds many features and completes the tools web designers need to create a professional website. How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
Why is there a discount for the Studio subscription of Elementor Pro?
Elementor wants to provide a studio plan at a lower price.
This is a great deal at 40% off However, this only applies for one year. During renewal users will have to pay the regular, full price of the Studio plan.
How do I pay for Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro can be paid for using Stripe, PayPal or any other credit card.
Is there a Demo Version of Elementor Pro available? How To Add Smart Search On Elementor Website
There is no Demo version for Elementor Pro.
However, they do offer a refund policy that lets you cancel the pro plan as well as get a refund within the first 30 days. If you are interested in the Pro version of Elementor Pro, you can pay for it and then use it for one month to decide if it is worth keeping.