Among website platforms, WordPress is probably the most famous. When talking about Content management systems alone, WordPress owns 60.8% of the market share. That is how ubiquitous and gigantic WordPress is.
Even 14.7% of the world’s top websites are powered by it. Time Magazine, Sony Music, The Harvard Gazette and even Microsoft News itself only function due to WordPress. WordPress is a must-have for the internet.
Now WordPress is just a very simple site builder, it takes a lot of work to create a website in the levels of the bigger ones like Microsoft news and Time Magazine. It would be difficult to create a website as functional and elegant without the necessary know-how.
Enter Plug-ins. WordPress plugins are pieces of software that you “plug into” your WordPress site. These plugins will enhance or add functionality to your WordPress site. Plugins allow you to transform your website into any type of thing you can think of.
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 of them are free, some are not. Some of these plug-ins are easy to use, and others take a while of getting used to. Elementor, a page builder plug-in, is a notable one.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review of Pink1472’s Youtube channel. You can still read our article to get an overview of Elementor.
A Quick Look on Elementor Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
To begin with, Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress. As the name suggests, page builders help users build their websites from the ground up.
Elementor is not new, however. It has been available in the WordPress Plugin Library since it was released in mid-2016. 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.
It is easy to use, as it uses drag-and-drop technology. Elementor is very easy to use for those just beginning to build their websites. Most of the process will involve dragging and dropping website elements on your workspace.
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. This makes it easy to imagine how your website would look as you are building it.
Furthermore, Elementor allows you to do a lot of 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.
Elementor will take you to a different interface when you create your page. Here you can work on your pages and posts. As such, you do not need to touch the standard editor that WordPress provides.
You don’t need to know HTML, CSS, PHP or any other programming skills to use this interface. As stated above, everything is drag and drop and done through a handy user-facing interface.
Elementor is also a very flexible plugin. It can be used with any current WordPress theme. It can be used to create any page or content layout you can think of.
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.
Elementor’s Features
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
Elementor, as a web page creator, is quite a strange name. 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. It is named after the building blocks users use to build out the page. These blocks are called elements and form the web site.
These are the things that users need to “drag-and-drop” to form their eye popping designs. And through them, the Elementor name is apropos.
Responsive Design
First came the smart phones. 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. As such, you would want your site to look the best it can no matter the device being used.
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.
You can also customize the look and function of your browser to suit your needs.
Templates
Elementor is a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to create a WordPress page. 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. Or they can be used as an inspiration to create your own eye popping websites.
Style options
Elementor offers style as well as templates. With Elementor, you can get a lot of detailed style options that allow for pixel-perfect design. You don’t need to know any coding or custom CSS.
Convenience
With its multiple tools, Elementor makes it a lot easier to build your web pages. You can access right-click support to get assistance with just a mouse click. You can also use the quick find tool to help you locate what you need to build your site with Theme Builder.
The Pro version (paid version) even allows users to design entire WordPress themes.
Dynamic Content
Dynamic content is defined as any digital or online content that changes and updates based on data, user behavior and preferences.
Elementor allows you to add dynamic content from custom fields and plugins like ACF, Pods and Toolset. You can keep your pages up-to-date with any changes that you wish to reflect.
Popup Builder
Another feature available only to Pro users of Elementor is the popup builder. Popups can be made into any web page you wish. More often than not, they are used for lead conversion.
Elementor’s popup builder allows you to create your popup with the same tools as your webpage builder. This includes the same visual, drag and drop interface as well as the what you see is what you get interface.
With Elementor’s popup builder, you are sure to create popups that are as visually impressive as your page.
WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce is an open source ecommerce plugin for WordPress. WooCommerce’s target is usually small to large online merchants. Its primary draw is its ease of integration on your site and its customizability.
This customizability extends even to Elementor which allows users to create an eCommerce store using the WooCommerce plugin. Through Elementor you can design your WooCommerce shop using Lementors. You can also include products and integrate them into your design.
The Users for Elementor
Elementor can be used by almost anyone. From digital marketers to students. Anyone who has plans in creating a web page through WordPress, can spice up their pages through the different functions and styles available in Elementor.
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.
The visual interface makes it easy for casual users, even those with no programming knowledge, to create eye-opening or innovative designs.
Even the free version is good enough for casual users.
Digital Marketer
Elementor is great for digital marketers, teams and individuals because it offers many marketing opportunities.
It can be used as a drag-and-drop page builder to create sales pages or landing pages if you know how to do that. You could even combine the plugin with Landing page friendly plugins to really hone in on your sales.
You can use the Elementor Pro features to create lead forms if you’re serious. These forms are not far from those plugins that focus more on lead conversion or landing pages.
You can even connect these lead forms to popular email marketing services. It can even be integrated with Zapier, one of the internet’s most well known automation and integration tools.
One feature discussed earlier is the Popup builder.This popup builder is perfect to create opt-in popups. These popups can be placed anywhere on your website and targeted to specific items.
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.
There are even themes to make the website building process easier. 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.
However, Elementor allows you to still code.
The Case for Using Elementor
While we know of Elementor’s features and we know who can benefit from using the plugin, we should probably get to know why we should use Elementor in the first place.
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. Each of these must be maintained in a pristine condition to keep users and visitors satisfied with your website’s overall performance.
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. Thanks to the multiple professional grade templates available for use.
And that is the main crux of website and webpage builders. They make it easier and more accessible for users to carve their own space on the Internet. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
The Examination of Elementor
The Interface
Of course, using the Elementor plugin requires installation and activation before using it. This can be done through the WordPress Repository.
With that done, you can choose to customize Elementor’s settings or immediately begin creating and designing a website.
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.
Click on the “Edit with Elementor” button in the upper right corner of the page to begin editing
The dashboard will now have the following parts:
- The Main Canvas where most of the action will take place. 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 Changes
- Publish
This interface allows you to choose what you want for your website. You have two options: you can start from scratch. You can edit a pre-existing webpage. You can even use a template to get you started with your work. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
Elementor Structure Hierarchy
Before you can truly begin creating websites in Elementor, you need to understand how it works. This is where you will need to understand how Elementor works and how they interact with one another.
Sure, Elementor might offer a drag and drop builder, which at first glance can make it a chaotic and free builder. However, there is actually a structure to this “madness”. This structure is essential for effective website building, and not just copying a template.
Each page created with Elementor has sections and columns
Sections can be described as rows. Each section is the foundation of the page. You can change the size and background of a section. 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.
As for the content and widgets, these are the smallest elements in a website. This is basically the toppers of your website. The function of your website will depend on the widgets and its personality will depend on the content. These widgets can be customized and styled.
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. They not only make it easier to do your job faster but also provide inspiration.
Elementor offers professionally designed templates that you can use on your website. 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? Elementor offers 150 templates to free users. Pro users have three hundred more templates available to them.
There are also the Elementor Kits. These “design kits” consist of a variety of templates. These templates have a common design or are generally uniform. These templates are great for creating websites with a single design theme.
Both the pre-made templates and the Elementor kits are available on Elementor’s template library. This library contains most common templates for various purposes. Think of a web page, and you might find what you need there. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
There are pages for contact pages, about pages, landing pages, and niches. 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 makes it easy to choose a design when you are building another page that shares design or function elements from your previous pages. These designs can be shared to the wider community online.
Elementor allows you to design a page from scratch
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 begin:
- Click “Edit with Elementor” to open a blank page
- There will be a “+” button. To add a new section, click on the button.
- You will be presented with a page that has a selection of sections in it. Pick the one most suited to your needs. Preferably the one with enough columns for your needs.
- Now that you have your sections, you can start picking your widgets in the Elementor drag and drop them to your columns where you want to place them.
- 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. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
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. Pre-existing pages can come from a variety of sources.
These templates can be taken from your saved pages. Some can come front he dozens of templates available from 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 move on.
- 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.
- You can also arrange widgets in the visual preview by dragging them and dropping them to the new place.
- It is easy to edit text in content boxes. 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 particularly useful if you need to create new layouts of your widgets.
- You can customize your widgets the same way you edit text, by clicking on them. It will open the appropriate widget setting in the sidebar. This is divided into three tabs: Content, Style, and Advanced. These settings can be adjusted until you find the right setting. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
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. Yep, you heard it right. Elementor is FREE
That said, you might have noticed that there is a mention of a Pro version. And it’s true there is a pro version. However, you don’t really need to go pro to enjoy almost all of Elementor’s benefits and features.
You can get Elementor’s main plugin via the official WordPress repository. It’s completely free with no signups or registrations required. If you wish to upgrade to Pro, this plugin will be required.
Speaking of the Pro edition. There are currently four plans available. Each plan has more features and benefits. You will get a different amount of Pro Website Activation depending on the plan you choose.
The plan are as follows:
| 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
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
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
100 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 |
1000 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 |
The case for going pro
There is a great debate if when talking about going Pro with Elementor. A lot of people find it hard to reconcile paying for a service that already offers 90% of what it can do for free. To be honest, this actually boils down to what Elementor Pro offers.
Aside from the ones listed above, Elementor Pro has its other benefits. This include: Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
- 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 (which allows you to rebuild your WooCommerce Product Pages
- Popup builder (which allows you to build popups and integrate them with either an on opt-in form or some offers or discounts)
- Visual form builder that can be integrated with many 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
- Sidebar widgets and widgets can be used to deploy Elementor elements
If you think these additional features are enough, or if you need some of these features for your webpage, you should definitely go for Elementor’s Pro Version. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
The Pros and Cons of Elementor
Pros
- The core product for Elementor is entirely 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.
- This allows users to create custom web pages or layouts using eye-popping designs that are not possible with the default theme or WordPress’ basic builder.
- Drag and drop builders eliminate the need to have HTML, CSS, orPHP 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 approach can help you save time.
- Elementor pages are all responsive. They even allow you to view how they would look on mobile, desktop, or tablet as you are building your website.
- The plugin provides detailed settings for all alignments, margins, and padding values. All details can be fine tuned.
Cons
- Sometimes the links’ custom styling doesn’t always work as expected.
- 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.
- Some people have observed that Elementor can sometimes slow down the overall speed of your website. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
The Verdict for Elementor
In conclusion, Elementor is a splendid page builder. It has all the features you want and need for a basic page builder and more. It caters to both beginners and veteran page builder alike. You get all its features at a low price.
Elementor is the best drag-and-drop page builder plugin you can find for WordPress.
I’d even say that Elementor’s developers have made a fortune and have not stopped trying since. Given Elementors age, it is amazing that they are still among the top choices today.
Common Questions about Elementor
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.
There might be some incompatibility issue here and there, but you can report these incidents to Elementor’s support for them to locate and find a solution about the issue.
What is Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro, the advanced version of Elementor, is available.
It is not free, unlike regular Elementor. However, it adds a lot of features and completes the needed tools that web creators need to build a professional, pixel perfect website. Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
Why is there a discount for the Studio subscription of Elementor Pro?
Elementor wants to provide a studio plan at a lower price.
At 40% discount, this is a fantastic deal. This discount is only valid for one year. During renewal, Studio plan users will be required to pay the full price.
How can I pay for Elementor Pro
Elementor Pro can be paid for using Stripe, PayPal or any other credit card.
Is there a Demo Version for Elementor Pro? Do You Need A Child Theme When Building With Elementor
Elementor Pro does not have a Demo version.
They do have a 30-day refund policy which allows you to cancel your pro plan and get a full refund. 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.