WordPress is a widely-used tool for website building. WordPress is an open-source platform for creating websites. WordPress is a popular platform for creating websites. It has many features and is flexible, so it’s great for both newbies and veterans.
Any website that uses the WordPress ecosystems to manage its content is a WordPress website. As such, WordPress becomes the backbone of the website by powering both the backend and the front-end of the said website.
WordPress websites can come in many forms. One of the most common WordPress websites is:
- Blogs
These are websites that depend on the author’s likes and interests. These websites can feature thoughts, photos and reviews as well as tutorials, recipes, and even videos. A blog structure is often designed so that the most recent content is displayed first.
- E-Commerce website
These are websites that mainly focus on doing online business. These are usually geared to showcase products and services that the website owner intends to sell. These sites can also be used to collect payments for the goods and services.
- Website for businesses
These might appear to be E-Commerce websites at first glance. However, they are very different in terms of function. E-commerce websites may sell products, but business websites are designed to introduce users to companies and the services they offer. Think of them as a business profile except online.
- Membership Websites
Content creators (i.e., Youtubers, Online Artists, etc.) They might offer something more for their most loyal followers or supporters. They may want to offer extra, exclusive content they are willing to pay a fee for.
A WordPress membership website is a good way to go about this. Content creators can make a website where users need to log in or pay for the said content. WordPress provides enough tools to manage all the necessary steps to create this website.
- Portfolio Website
For many, websites are a good avenue to show off their work to prospective employers. This holds true for both digital and traditional artists. A website allows artists to showcase their work. It is similar to owning a museum.
- Forum website
Forum websites are an online community where the number of topics for discussion is unlimited. Forums were the king of the Internet before social media. Today, forums for specialized topics are rare.
Nowadays, larger websites are the most popular sites for discussion. Reddit and Quora are the more popular ones. However, it does not mean that forum websites have stopped existing altogether. For niche topics, forums are still crucial discussion places.
A content creator, a blogger, or even a book author, can host their own Forums through WordPress. Forums like these give a more intimate feel compared to the wide reach of the usual websites.
- Websites for events
Event websites are simple websites used to advertise events. An event website allows the public to view and verify details about events such as seating and dates. They can also check ticket prices. These websites can also be used to sell tickets.
- E-Learning website
Online classes and electronic courses have become a household term after the 2019 COVID Pandemic. E-learning websites existed even before the COVID Pandemic.
E-learning websites allow students to take an online course, track how they are doing, download their research materials, and much more. Although it takes more effort to set up an elearning website using WordPress, it is rewarding for those who are eager to share their knowledge.
- Invitational websites
Even invitations can now be sent online. Thanks to the power of the internet, you can create websites for that personal event of yours. You can create a website for any occasion, including a birthday or christening. WordPress has many resources that make it easy and fast to create a website.
Daniel has posted a video review on Design Break that will give you a more visual experience. To get a comprehensive overview of Elementor II, you may still want to check out our article below, which compares it to some competitors.
WordPress Plugins: Enhancing WordPress to be the Best Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
WordPress’ popularity and longevity can be attributed to the community of users who support it. WordPress plugins are a part of some of that support.
WordPress plugins are an additional code package that can be uploaded to a website to improve its functionality and integrate with other sites.
WordPress plugins come in many forms. You can use them to improve a website’s SEO, or for analytics. WordPress Plugins can also be used for payment modes and marketing integrations. There are even plugins that can help to build websites a cinch.
You can choose between premium and free plugins. Their main difference could be the quality or the scope of their function. This does not necessarily mean that plugins for free are inferior. Heck, there are even some free plugins which function better than their premium counterparts.
These plugins are often compatible with WordPress’ core. There will be occasions when a premium plugin is worth the cost. Support is the strongest reason to pay for premium plugins.
As stated above, WordPress plugins tend to be well-behaved with each other. There are occasions when plugins do not function as they should. As such, the value of customer support service can never be replaced
Your Must-Have WordPress plugins
For most WordPress Websites, there are certain types of Plugins that must be prioritized compared to others. These WordPress plugins are recommended for all WordPress websites:
- WordPress Backup Plugin
WordPress doesn’t have a backup function by its very nature. A lack of backup can lead to major headaches. Backup plugins are a great solution to these potential headaches.
In the event of a hack or security breach, backups are important. It allows you to quickly replace deleted data or bring your website back into a save state prior to the attack.
- WordPress Security Plugin
The ubiquity and popularity of WordPress make it a lucrative target for hackers. Hackers use malicious programs to hack WordPress sites and gain access to all their data.
This is where WordPress Security plugins come in. They offer multiple solutions to prevent these attacks. To stop brute force attacks, some limit the number of login attempts on a website. Others offer a more comprehensive and sophisticated way to ward off these attacks.
Whatever your preference, the key to finding the best WordPress security plugin is security and convenience.
- WordPress SEO Plugin
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of making your website more visible to many people. With proper SEO settings, your website can be found easier in searches through search engines such as Google and Bing!
SEO is a business in and of itself. With the number of websites that pop out day by day, the competition for Google’s front pages is brutal. A great SEO plugin can help your website gain more traffic.
SEO plugins can give you tips to improve your site content’s SEO, as well as automate the small and repetitive parts of content creation.
- WordPress Form Plugin
WordPress Form Plugins enable you to create robust forms for your website. These forms can come in the shape of contact forms, surveys, donation forms, and file uploaders.
Basically, forms let your site visitors enter personal information. The information is then sent to the correct place (database, mailing list).
Forms can be used to collect sensitive information and should not be spammed. These forms should also fit depending on the customer (most websites that use forms are e-commerce websites).
It is important to choose a WordPress form plugin that is secure, yet easy to set up and customize.
- WordPress E-commerce Plugin
For WordPress E-commerce, an ecommerce plugin is a must. E-commerce websites are designed to sell products. However, your website won’t be able to do this if it doesn’t have the right plugin.
An E-commerce plugin allows you to turn your website into a store. You can access a variety of resources and tools. Some plugins for e-commerce even have online payment capabilities.
- WordPress Design Plugin
WordPress is the best platform for website design. It lets you do almost anything that is possible, granted you know how to code. HTML, CSS and other coding languages allow you to customize your WordPress Page to the max.
Nevertheless, not everyone has the necessary knowledge to code. This might seem like a high barrier to entry for WordPress users. However, If WordPress had a high barrier of entry, it wouldn’t be as popular now.
WordPress regained and even grew its user base by removing this so-called barrier of entry. WordPress Site Design Plugins like page builders allowed website building, in general, to become an easier and faster process.
A lot of these plugins removed the coding requirement for building websites. With their drag-and drop interface, anyone can create a WordPress website with minimal to no programming knowledge. (although knowledge of coding still offers a lot of advantages).
These plugins have also helped speed up the process of creating websites. WordPress users, or at least sites using WordPress, are growing in number every day.
These are just a few of the plugins we recommend you add to your website. Of course, there are many more types of plugins, but their use can be situational and optional.
WordPress is currently home to over 60,000 plugins or more to choose from, and it is up to you to find what works best for you.
Installing WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins are very easy to install. It is quick and easy to do.
After logging in to your WordPress website, you can find the Plugins menu on your WordPress Dashboard. Expand This Menu by clicking on it
You will find a page called Installed plugins. Here you will find all the plugins currently installed on this WordPress Site. You might see plugins installed even if you don’t have any plugins or you are new to this page.
Because some plugins are included with WordPress Installations, this is possible.
Click on the “Add New” link to upload a plugin. This will let you search for plugins in the WordPress.org Plugin directory. There are also links you can click to look at featured, popular, and latest plugins available. YOu can even mark your favorites here.
Once you have located your preferred plugin, click the “Choose File” button. After this, you must locate your plugin zip file and click on Install Now
After the plugin is installed, click on Activate to activate the plugin.
The Editor menu item is located under Plugins in WordPress Dashboard. This editor is built into WordPress plugins and can be used to modify individual PHP files.
ONLY TWEAK OR MAKE CHANGES TO THIS SECTION IF YOU UNDERSTAND PHP. You can make your customizations unaffected by changing any of these things. Of course, you probably don’t need to edit any of your plugin’s PHP code.
Elementor: One of the best page builders plugins WordPress has to offer
Elementor is a WordPress Site Design plugin that ranks among the top. It is a drag and drop page builder that allows users to quickly create their website. Even characters with no tech skills can still make a mark on the internet.
Elementor was released in mid-16, and it has been available in the WordPress Plugin Library since then. Although it is a recent addition to WordPress’ ecosystem, this is still quite a significant time period by Internet standards.
Still, “age” does not matter to Elementor. At the time of its release, it quickly rose to one of the most popular visual page builders on the platform. Elementor did not let this success get on their head, and until this day, they continued to grow and develop new ways to keep Elementor relevant to the newest trends.
That said, the heart of Elementor is still in its functionality as drag and drop builder. And it does that function very well. It operates in a “what you see is what you get” approach. This makes it easy to see the final website design while you’re still editing.
With Elementors features, you might not need to open any of WordPress’s standard editors at all. With all that said, coding is still welcome, and people who prefer using their own custom HTML, CSS, and PHP, along with other current coding languages, are free to do so.
Elementor is also known for its flexibility as a plugin. You can use it with any current WordPress theme. You can even create your own themes using the theme builder.
And speaking of themes, it does work with other themes that are available in the WordPress library, and as such, there is little worry about themes bugging out. If they bug out, however, Elementor’s customer service is always open to help you fix the issues.
Elementor Features
While Elementor might bill itself as just a drag-and-drop page builder, the number of features that come with it makes that an understatement.
Elementor would not be a top-ranked website builder for WordPress if it could only do so much.
Here are some of Elemetor’s most notable features:
- Content Elements Galore
Elementor uses building blocks to create a webpage. These so-called blocks or elements can be arranged depending on the user’s whims to form a compelling website layout and design.
Now, to explain the block a little deeper, these blocks are the so-called elements that build the webpage design. Each element might contain a widget, a written content, or anything that can fit in each element.
Because of these elements, Elementor is called what it is today.
- Responsive Design
All web pages created with Elementor’s page builders are responsive by default. They look beautiful and elegant when viewed from a laptop or personal computer.
Because of the responsive design, you can even look at the design through your phone, and still it would look great, comprehensive, and functional.
However, responsive design does not only mean directly translating your website and how it looks through a smartphone. Elementor also has the capability to allow users to fully customize how they look.
You can view the page through various platforms and gadgets by simply touching another button. You can then make further edits to your page, including adding or deleting elements.
- Available Templates
Templates are a must-have for any page builder. After all, templates are the best examples to inspire when building anything from scratch (web pages included).
Templates also serve as good starting points for beginner page developers, especially if these templates are properly and professionally made. With templates, work and development on newer websites can come faster for the price of sites having a samey look.
All templates in Elementor are editable. You can also edit their styling options. So you do not have to worry about websites looking the same when utilizing templates in your work.
Elementor itself offers a lot of professionally made templates. Both novice and experienced users can use these templates. As stated above, beginners can use these templates as their starting point when making websites. For veterans (i.e. page developers), you can use these templates to speed up your work.
- Style Options
Of course, if you want a sleek and cool website, you would be remiss if there weren’t any styling options available. Good thing that Elementor lets these styling options accessible to many people. What’s more, there is no need to have coding knowledge to do this.
- Convenience
The multitude of tools, Elementor makes web page building accessible to many. Support even comes only with one click. Then there is also a quick find tool that can help in finding a specific topic of help.
- Dynamic Content
You can use elementor to add dynamic content using custom fields and plugins like ACF, Pods and Toolset. Through dynamic content, you can have your pages up to date consistently and constantly. Such an ability can keep your website up-to-date and fresh.
- WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce is an open-source e-commerce plugin mainly used in WordPress. Most of its customer base includes merchants that use WordPress as their main site. Of course, this includes both small and large online merchants.
WooCommerce and WordPress have an almost symbiotic relationship, so it is very simple to integrate WooCommerce into WordPress.
Elementor allows you to enhance your WooCommerce store with its customization options. Some functions even allow you to show your product and prices and integrate said products into the design of your store.
- Popup Builder
Popups are the most hated type of advertising on the web. In fact, it is so hated that even its original creator had to apologize to the whole internet for the countless troubles it has caused.
However, when used properly, popups are among your website’s best lead conversion tools. Elementor Pro users have access to a popup creator that can be used as a lead conversion tool.
Elementor’s popup creator allows you to create your popup with the same tools as the webpage builder. You can even set the triggers on when and how these popups appear.
Elementor Price
If Elementor’s features have already impressed you, then you will be more impressed with its price. Elementor lets users enjoy at least 80% the plugin’s capabilities for a low price of only $0.99!
That’s right! Most of Elementor’s functions and features are free to use if you install them on your WordPress site.
That said, Elementor also offers Pro plans with some features, such as the Popup builder behind a paywall. If you are interested, the Elementor Pro consists of three types of plans. Each has its own advantages. These plans can be viewed 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
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 |
25 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
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 |
Elementor Pros & Cons
Pros
- Elementor’s core product does not cost a single dime. To fully utilize Elementor’s potential, you don’t need the Pro plan.
- Elementor offers many features that will help you create the best WordPress website. These tools are simple and very easy to use.
- Elementor’s page builder is an upgrade to the basic WordPress Builder both in terms of function and accessibility
- Elementor lets you create pages without needing to know HTML, CSS, and PHP coding.
- Elementor’s “what do you see is what you get” approach to building websites speeds up the process by eliminating the need for previews.
- Elementors pages are automatically responsive in design. They work with all devices. You can also fine-tune each device’s design if you wish.
- Elementor allows you to adjust alignments, margins and padding values.
Cons
- There are times when the custom styling (especially for links) gets buggy
- There are times when Elementor’s default typography and color settings remain persistent and cannot be staged
- It can be difficult to correct misaligned elements due to the different margin values.
- Elementor could slow down different websites’ loading times.
Elementor Versus Divi
Divi Builder: The Crowning Jewel of Elegant themes
Among the multitude of Themes available in the WordPress theme shop is “Elegant Themes.” Throughout the years, Elegant themes have built up an active user community and a growing ecosystem, transforming it into one of the biggest players in the WordPress World.
Among their products is the Divi Theme, which is their flagship product. Divi is crucial to Elegant Theme’s success due to its functionality in its drag-and-drop website builder.
Making sense of this, it was only a matter of time where Elegant Themes offered the builder as a separate plugin.
They did. With the release of the Divi Builder plugin, people can now access the very same builder that made Divi Theme among the strongest players in the WordPress Ecosystem. Divi made sure the plugin was available regardless of which theme you used.
Divi Features
Divi Builder has “gained independence” and is now a standalone plugin. It can be used with any WordPress theme, even if it’s not from Elegant Themes. As such, it also gained multiple features to give people more incentive to use it.
- Drag and drop visual content editor
The Divi builder started as a back-end page builder tool from the Divi Theme. However, since being turned into a plugin, it is now a legitimate front-end visual full-site editor.
Divi’s interface now works in a “what do you see is what you get” mode. This eliminates the problem of back-end developers who don’t know how Divi will look until you make a switch to preview.
Divi’s Visual Content Editor continues to be upgraded. This latest version gives you a better view of your visitor’s point-of-view when viewing your content.
Website developers will be able work more efficiently as they no longer have to switch to previews. This eliminates the frustration associated with incorrect layouts.
Those used to playing with the site’s backend might find themselves lost or missing some of the features available when using that mode. You can switch to Wireframe mode with Divi Builder.
The wireframe mode hides each module’s content and focuses on the structure of the page. This provides a good overview of what the page looks like and which modules are used.
Divi allows you to customize the way your website works, according to your preference and comfort.
- Theme Builder Functionality
Divi Builder 4.0 included Divi’s theme builder feature. This made it a complete on-site editor and not just a page builder.
This effectively gave Divi Builder the ability to customize your entire website. You can now customize headers, footers and category pages as well as product templates and other areas of the website to suit your needs.
Even blog posts could be customized through templates. These templates can be applied automatically to all blog posts, or a select few. If you want, you can even use the Display rules feature to automate templates and formatting of posts depending on their category.
This functionality allows for dynamic content to be added to existing static content. It can also enhance interaction with WooCommerce content.
Most surprisingly, the Divi Theme Builder feature allows users to make custom 404 error pages and search results pages.
- Helpful Content Modules
Divi builder comes with 40 content modules. These modules can be placed in columns or rows, and each one has its own function.
These modules can even be used to replace the functionality of other plugins on your WordPress page. Using these modules, you turn almost all of your website’s services into pure Divi or Elegant Themes.
Whether one developer runs this idea of all your plugins and “apps” is good or bad, it has its own benefits. Chief among them is that it reduces load times for your WordPress page.
It also means a cost reduction, especially if you are using commercial plugins.
These modules include countdown timers and maps, countdown timesrs and pricing tables. They also allow for email opt-in forms and videos with their sliders.
You can also find different versions of these modules. This gives your website some extra flair. This will ensure that the same module is not duplicated from other parts of the internet.
- Growing Library of Pre-made websites and Page Layouts
Of course, Divi would be remiss if they did not offer pre-made and ready-to-use websites and page layouts. These layouts can be thought of as their own version of templates.
As templates usually go, they are extremely useful for non-web designers or web designers whose design sense leaves to be desired. These high-quality templates can be used to begin their design process or, if satisfied, can be used as-is.
In terms of variety, they have a decent number, somewhere between 200 to 400. However, this is in terms of website layouts. This means that each layout can contain more than one page.
They can be targeted at specific websites such as those for freelancers, contractors, eCommerce stores and websites for construction companies. These layouts can be customized, however.
So if you find a law-affirm website layout, some pictures may look out of place, or the layout just doesn’t do it for you. Well, prepare your tools and edit until it takes the form of the website you want.
- Divi Builder A/B Testing Tool
Divi builder offers the unique ability to conduct A/B testing of your page layout. A/B testing allows you to compare two design iterations on your page layout and see which one is more effective than the other.
While freedom in design is always a plus, too much freedom could be detrimental, especially when it is misguided. A/B testing can help you to determine which version is best. Comparing different layouts of a webpage can help you determine if the design decision should be made.
An A/B-tested website will ensure that it is optimized for its intended purpose.
- Divi Role Editor
Some websites are run by different people. This allows for more efficient job division but increases the chance of the website’s main settings being changed accidentally. As the saying goes, “Too many cooks may spoil the broth.”
Divi offers a role editor that allows you to restrict access to your website’s backend. You can allow your co-authors to do what they want, like writing for your blogs. However, this role editor will prevent them from doing any unnecessary things.
Divi’s role as editor is also granular. It is not a “black and white” or a “yes and no” choice. You can assign roles to define what parts of the plugin they are allowed to access and use.
This is particularly important for web designers who have clients who could break custom designs. Role editor reduces the chance of custom design breaking.
- Full-Width Content
Images can make your web pages stand out. Images can enhance the design of your website. Sometimes, you just want to place an image and plaster its full resolution to a part of your site.
Divi offers a feature that lets you do exactly that. Divi allows you to add a full width and a module to your builder. You can then add any content that breaks the post container.
What’s more is that this full-width is not only limited to images. You can include videos, texts, headers, menus, and more.
Divi Price
Divi Builder was an original part of Divi Theme. You cannot purchase this plugin separately. Access to Elegant themes will require a yearly payment. One plan is a yearly access, and the other is a lifetime access.
| Yearly Access | Lifetime Access |
| $89/Year | $249 for 1 |
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Divi Pros and Cons
Pros
- Divi’s interface is intuitive and clean.
- Divi offers tremendous value for the money (they even offer a lifetime deal)
- Divi can be used on an unlimited number of websites and without limitations
- Divi is very beginner friendly, with the drag and drop page builder which is very easy to use
- Divi gives veteran web designers with the right coding skills the chance to create amazing things.
- Divi is available with an additional WordPress theme
- Divi provides more than a hundred stunning templates to choose from. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Cons
- Longer pages are more difficult to work with.
- Divi’s online editing options are better
- Divi is not perfect. This usually manifests when making more complex layouts
Elementor Versus WPBakery
WP Bakery: The Builder Formerly Known as Visual Composer
What we now know as WPBakery was once called Visual Composer. It gets even more confusing, because there is another WordPress plugin called Visual Composer. Let’s move on to WPBakery now that we have that out of the way.
This plugin, like all other page builders allows you to create unique pages. The building blocks in this example are called “Content Elements” and have the same function as modules and widgets.
WPBakery offers about 40 content elements, each of which can be used for designing your page layout. Samples of these include text blocks, social media buttons, video players, and other blocks that are standard fare for page builders. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
WPBakery also uses a drag-and-drop page builder to style your pages. Using this builder, you can style your website’s backend and front end. You have the option to design both front and back ends, or choose to style them separately, depending on what you prefer.
WPBakery Features
WPBakery doesn’t offer much, unlike many of the other WordPress Page Builders. They offer the following:
- Interface is simple and lightweight
- Frontend and Backend Editor
- Multilingual ready
- Templates that can be saved for later use
- Responsive websites that work on mobile and PC
- Your own “content elements”
- Object-oriented Code
- Huge addon support
The thing with WPBakery though is that it is more of a hassle to use. Even if you are a technical person, it is not very user-friendly. It is built on a shortcode architecture that can be a massive liability.
Although it has helper text to help with the basics, most of these are poorly executed to the point of inaccuracy. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
It’s also just plain unreliable. It has erratic previews and is riddled with bugs. Working with it is just a nightmare, especially when working on a website.
WPBakery price
WPBakery has 2 pricing plans available if you still wish to use its services. These are:
| Regular | Extended |
| $56 | $299 |
|
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WPBakery Pros and Cons
Pros
- WPBakery allows you to save your templates for later use
- It works with most themes
- It has a multilingual interface
- You will find many content blocks that can be used to build your website.
- You can integrate it with various add-ons that will enhance its functionality Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- It has a user role access control
Cons
- The page builder is not easy to use and requires a learning curve. This is true even for experienced website designers.
- It is not compatible with all plugins and sometimes has conflicts with them
- Deactivating this builder leaves shortcodes on pages that use this plugin.
- This plugin can impact age speed and might slow download times.
Elementor Versus Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder: The Most Efficient Beaver-Themed Builder
Beaver Builder is one of the most well-known names in the WordPress page builders space. Beaver Builder is a popular choice because of its drag-and-drop page builders and simple-to-use interface.
Beaver Builders has a lot of great products and services for its customers.
Since it is a page builder, it allows you to build custom posts and pages through a drag-and-drop user interface. It eliminates the need to code your website. Beaver Builder doesn’t require users to know HTML in order to create a functional website.
Despite having a theme of its own, Beaver Builder (the plugin) is compatible with any WordPress theme. As such, you can keep using your current WordPress theme and carry on developing and designing your site. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Beaver Builder’s greatest strength is its simplicity and efficiency. Beaver Builder claims it makes it easier to work with existing content or create websites from scratch.
Beaver Builder Features
BeaverBuilder is a powerful page builder with many features that can be called the best. Let’s not list everything, but let’s just focus on the highlights. After all, when it comes to Beaver Builder, efficiency is the name of the game.
Beaver Builder’s essential features include:
- You can drag and drop the main page builder. You can place text and images wherever you like with this builder.
- Beaver Builder allows for full front-end editing. Which effectively allows you to see your work as you are working on it. This is akin to the “what you see is what you get” approach of other page builders.
- Beaver Builder also removes the need for coding when building your websites. HTML or CSS, you don’t need it with Beaver Builder. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- Beaver Builder can be used with all WordPress themes. Beaver Builder can be combined with any WordPress theme and it will look like nothing happened.
- Beaver Builder can be used for any type of page, post, or custom type of post.
- A Beaver Builder plan comes with more than 50 ready-made page templates for users. Of course, this includes templates for pages with a specific purpose. Be it a landing page, a welcome page, or a normal comment section; Beaver Builder has got you covered.
- Beaver Builder offers 30 content elements and modules for working with pages. These will be your key to building your pages, and each will have its function to play. Some of these modules include (headings, buttons, galleries, and much more)
- Beaver Builder ensures that all your resulting websites will be compatible with any screen. As such, you can be sure that your developed website will be responsive.
- Beaver Builder can also be used with WooCommerce. Beaver Builder allows you to create WooCommerce content using the content elements. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- Beaver Builder is also not stingy. In fact, it gives you the ability to import and export features. This allows you to reuse or share your designs with the wider community.
Beaver Builder Prices
| Agency | Pro | Standard |
| $399 | $199 | $99 |
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Beaver Builder Pros and Cons
Pros
- Beaver Builder empowers users to be creative in building their webpages
- Beaver Builder is easy to use.
- Beaver Builder’s full drag-and-drop builder offer front end editing support.
- Beaver Builder is flexible and lenient. You can even use default WordPress widgets inside Beaver Builder’s Content blocks Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- Beaver Builder offers many page templates that can be used as a starting point for pages.
Cons
- Beaver Builder is at a pretty steep price point. The cheapest plan is $99. They do offer a Lite version which costs 0$.
- Beaver Builder’s capability is limited to whatever theme you have. If there are things that the theme cannot do, then Beaver Builder will not be able to achieve them.
- Beaver Builder doesn’t allow users to add custom CSS codes to their content modules. Beaver Builder is limited in its customization.
Elementor Versus Webflow
Webflow: A page builder beyond WordPress
Despite WordPress having the lion’s share of Internet blogs, not everyone likes using it. As such, there are alternatives for people who are uncomfortable using WordPress. One of these services is Webflow.
Webflow’s main focus is design. Its main target is to let web designers build websites as easily as possible. Webflows allow web designers to create responsive websites using browser-based visual editing software. Webflow allows you to write the code as you work on your website. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Webflow is said to offer more benefits than WordPress. Among these are an appeal for more creative freedom, a more secure website, and easier user usage.
Webflow Features
As a full-on page builder, Webflow has its own features. Webflow’s features allow it to focus on becoming a service that caters first to designers.
- Webflow offers over a thousand available templates, and 45 of them are free. These templates can be used to build websites as you would with most websites.
These templates can also be accessed via Webflow. They can be categorized and grouped according to which type of website they are intended for (portfolios, blogs, SaaS), etc. Aside from that, you can search them through popular tags, languages, etc.
- Although Webflow is not as user-friendly for first-time users, it provides a great onboarding tutorial that allows users to familiarize themselves and explore the Webflow Environment. It might take getting used to, but Webflow provides a great user experience once you learn it. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- Webflow also has a well-laid-out interface. Its main builder is divided into three sections for ease of access. You will be able to produce web pages faster and more efficiently the more you become familiar with Webflows workflow.
- Webflow offers great Search Engine Optimization capabilities. This is made even easier by the fact that you don’t need to install another plugin to make sure your website is SEO-optimized. Webflow even guides non-SEO experts to optimize their website’s SEO ranking for more traffic and conversion.
- Webflow has impressive eCommerce features that can be used to build a functional and attractive online store. It is simple to build a page, and there are templates that can help you get started. Both of these are free and paid.
Webflow even provides instructions for building up said site, from setting up until launching.
- Webflow provides a Content Management System that allows users to group the content they present to their audience. This CMS organizes resources, particularly when creating blog posts. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Webflow eases up the blogging process and puts it in a more organized manner.
- With Webflow, you are sure that all your data is safe and secured. Webflow has integrated hosting plans with Amazon Web Services, one of the most secure web hosting services. You will receive a one-year free SSl certificate to encrypt sensitive data.
Webflow is also SOC-2-compliant. This means the builder can adhere to high standards of security and confidentiality.
Lastly, Webflow automatically updates your files and stores backups of them. So whenever something is wrong, you will be confident (at least not as worried) that you can easily get back your files.
Webflow Price
You can avail webflow with their no-cost plan. This allows you to use webflow on two projects with full designing and can publish said projects on their website of Webflow.io. Of course, their free plan is free forever.
Webflow has a variety of plans that can be used to reduce the price. There are two types of paid plans.
There is the Site Plan, and then there are the account plans. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
The Site plan includes everything you need to create a basic website. Webflow offers 2 types of these plans. You can choose from four options in the basic plan. The cost starts at $12 per month. To find out the exact cost of each plan, you will need to contact Webflow Customer Service.
| Basic | CMS | Business | Enterprise |
| This is the best choice for sites that don’t require CMS | Blogs and other content-driven websites are best | Sites that have higher traffic are best | This product is ideal for businesses and includes exclusive features |
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There are three types Ecommerce plans
| Standard ($29 USD) | Plus ($74 USD) | Advanced ($2112( u) |
| A new business starting from scratch | Important additional resources are required for higher volumes of business. | Businesses looking to grow and breach |
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Account plans allow for more advanced website development with additional features. There are two types: The Individual and Team plans.
There are three payment options available for individual plans. One includes the aforementioned free plan, while the other 2 are paid plans. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
| Starter Plan (Forever Free) | Lite ($16) | Pro ($35) |
| This package includes everything you need in order to get started with Webflow. | Export your code and unlock more pages for unhosted projects | Ideal for designers, freelancers and anyone who needs more projects and premium features |
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There are two types of Team plans available. They offer the same features but one has more customization options. These are the details:
| Team ($35 per person) | Enterprise (situational) |
| Use a shared, collaborative dashboard to collaborate on projects with your team | Contact customer support to inquire about the plan packages |
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Webflow Pros and Cons
Pros
- It includes everything you need to build a website. It even includes eCommerce websites and simple blogs.
- It boasts a strong visual design tool that rivals everything you can do using code
- Flexible pricing plans that are customer-friendly. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Cons
- You can only customize the code.
- The number of plans and variations may be confusing and, if not careful, might make you choose the wrong plan
- It is quite a learning process due to the fact that WordPress is a completely new environment. There are also new, powerful features.
- Traffic limits are included in some plans.
Elementor Versus Thrive Architects
Thrive Architect: A WordPress Page Architect
Thrive Architect is a WordPress page builder plugin bundled with Thrive Themes. This is their new flagship page builder, replacing the “Thrive Content Creator”. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
As with the usual “modern” website builders, Thrive architect is also doing the drag-and-drop gimmick. It is designed for beginners, but can also be used to speed up the creation of websites by veterans.
Thrive offers a large library of templates to users to help them get started, or to get ideas for what they want to do.
Surprisingly, Thrive Architects focuses on creating websites that convert. As such, most of the templates mentioned earlier have the purpose of lead generation and conversion to your WordPress Page.
Thrive Architect Features
Thrive Architect, like most modern WordPress page builders has many features. We will only focus on the most important features for this overview.
- Thrive Architect is a plugin that works with all WordPress themes. This is despite Thrive Architect coming with its own WordPress Theme called Thrive Suite. Therefore, you can use Thrive Architect in combination with the thousands of themes available in WordPress.
- Thrive Architect also has a massive library for plugins. The Thrive architect team ensures that all of these templates are kept at a higher quality. These templates are editable and can be used to speed up the process of creating web pages. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Thrive Architect and Thrive Themes focus on lead conversion and sales. These templates are almost all focused on sales. So expect a lot of sales-focused landing pages and webpage designs.
- Thrive Architect has its own intuitive drag and drop page editor. This features a What You See is What You Get interface that gives you an accurate real-time view of how your page design looks like.
Builders can save time by using the WYSIWYG method. They no longer need to preview your website. You can speed up your workflow by not having to save multiple times. Also, you can be sure you are doing the right thing.
With WYSIWYG, you always know where your bearings are.
- Since we have already talked about Thrive’s fixation on conversions, you wouldn’t be surprised that they also have a lot of conversion and sales-focused elements.
Thrive cannot boast of being conversion-focused if they don’t provide the right and appropriate tools.
- Thrive is also compatible with many third-party services. This includes the usual suspects of Mailchimp, Facebook, and even Zapier.
- Thrive also provides beginners with educational content and tutorials to teach them about content-making focused on sales
- You can also create pop-up overlays through Thrive Architect’s lightbox tool. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
- Thrive Architect allows you to create an auto-scrolling website. Somewhat situational in use, but with enough creativity, you can make a novel website based on this feature.
- Thrive Architect also supports coders by adding custom HTML and CSS to your pages.
Thrive Architect Price
Thrive Architect was once available as an individual. However, Thrive Themes recently changed this. You will need to purchase their Thrive Suite package to use Thrive Architect.
Thrive has 2 payment plans available: Quarterly and Yearly:
| Thrive Suite Quarterly | Thrive Suite Yearly |
| $99 per Quarter | $299 per Year |
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Thrive Architect Pros and Cons
Pros
- Features an intuitive design that is easy to use. You can even visualize your designs in real time.
- This tool will help you create unique content on the Internet
- It comes with high-quality templates for landing pages as well as webpages. Because they are organized in sets, it is easy to find the perfect template.
- It is mainly focused on conversion and sales; as such, this is the perfect website builder for marketers and online businesses.
- Most websites are mobile responsive, so you can be sure that your website is smartphone compatible
- It is a lightweight plugin that will not noticeably slow down the pages’ loading times.
- It has good and attractive pricing
- It can be integrated to a wide range of email service providers.
- You can use Gutenberg (WordPress’ latest page builder) with Gutenberg blocks. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Cons
- Not available individually, You have to buy the whole Thrive Suite to use it. If you already own a WordPress Theme, this will double your cost.
- Aside from that, You need to download Thrive Product Manager before you can even begin to plant a single element on the builder.
- Thrive lacks a lifetime payment option.
Special Mentions
Brizzy
Brizzy is another WordPress builder that lets you generate web pages of amazing design. You don’t need any coding knowledge to use it. It can be compared to the big three Elementor, Beaver Builder and Divi.
Like most of the other builders, Brizzy fairs well as a plain builder; however, there are a few areas that it could work with.
Brizzy doesn’t have a developer APIi. As such, you cannot have third-party extensions with Brizzy. This severely cripples Brizzy’s potential. This limits Brizzy’s flexibility, and as such, this is why it cannot reach the heights of Elementor, Beaver Build, and Divi
Brizzy is also lacking in the documentation department. This isn’t a major problem, but it makes Brizzy less reliable than other builders who have robust and complete documentation.
Furthermore, the documentation that exists for Brizy also is not as comprehensive. So in most cases, people asking or needing help might find themselves scratching their heads.
The following is Brizzy Pricing:
| Personal | Freelancer | Agency |
| $49 per annum | $99 per year | $199 per annum |
Ideal for personal work |
Ideal for working with clients |
Perfect for White-label solutions |
Oxygen Builder
The Oxygen builder has a similarity to Webflow in nature. Although it may look similar to WordPress, it is not WordPress. Non-techies should not use oxygen because it is complex.
Most website builders are more inviting to a wider audience. This applies to people who don’t know much about coding or how it works. Oxygen seems to be the exception to that rule.
Despite this, Oxygen allows both designers and experienced users to create amazing websites.
People who are interested in website development should not use Oxygen. There is a steep learning curve. This is, of course, perfect for a challenge.
Oxygen is also a great tool for web developers and designers who need to fine-tune every detail. Oxygen provides the tools necessary to have full control of a website’s elements, as well as its bits and pieces.
For beginners or those who want a simpler user experience, this is not the best option. Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
The price of Oxygen is prohibitive. It doesn’t even have a demo. What it has is a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can always return the Oxygene product if you’re not up to the challenge.
| Basic Plan (99 USD One-time Payment) | WooCommerce Plan ($149 once-off payment) | Agency Plan ($169 once-off payment) |
| Most flexible and powerful visual builder for WordPress | Visually build websites as well as WooCommerce stores | The ultimate for building websites for clients while using Oxygen |
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Gutenberg Builder
While this is WordPress main builder, majority of online consensus is united: Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
Simply, NO.
It is very buggy.
Writing in it is a bit unwieldy as it forces you to turn each paragraph into separate blocks. It has a mind of its own.
Lastly, despite significant efforts to improve its performance, it still lags considerably, especially when creating massive posts.
There is a reason why WordPress page builder plugins were created. And that is to avoid using the default one.
Verdict Wes Mcdowell Elementor Tutorial
At the end of the day, your choice of WordPress page builder or page builders, in general, is up to your preference. They might be experts in one area.
It is a great idea to pick a WordPress theme that suits you first and then go with the page builder that comes with it. This is a great way for you to save money and still get high quality work.
Elementor offers the best features and is free to use.
However, if there is one thing that you can learn from this review, let it be this:
Avoid Gutenberg, WordPress’ default developer, and save yourself the hassle.