Among website platforms, WordPress is probably the most famous. When talking about Content management systems alone, WordPress owns 60.8% of the market share. This is how widespread and massive WordPress is.
WordPress powers 14.7% of the top websites in the world. 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 plugins will enhance or add functionality to your WordPress site. Through plugins, you can make your website into anything you can imagine.
This is the reason why plugins can be considered as the beating heart 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. One notable plug in is the page builder plug in called Elementor.
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.
Elementor: A Quick Overview Why Elementor Is Bad
To begin with, Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress. Page builders are a tool that allows users to build websites from scratch.
Elementor is not new, however. Since its release in mid-2016, Elementor has been in the WordPress Plugin Library. It has quickly become one of the most popular, visual page builders in WordPress. From there, it hasn’t stopped and rested on its laurels.
Elementor continues to evolve and grow at an incredible pace, keeping up the latest technologies.
Since it is a drag-and-drop builder. 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.
Drag and drop builders work on the principle that “what you see, is what you get”. This means that you can see what you create while building or editing your website. It is easy to visualize how your website will look when you build 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.
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.
You don’t need to know HTML, CSS, PHP or any other programming skills to use this interface. 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 works with all types 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.
We wouldn’t discuss Elementor, however, if that is all 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. Rather than page building, it brings about images of a monster who uses the elements to vanquish 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
The smart phones were first. Then came the Internet of things. Now, almost everything can be used to browse the internet. Still, the most common way to browse the Internet would be a debate between the personal computer or laptop versus the smartphones and tablets.
If you’re the owner of a website and want to get “hits”, you shouldn’t be allowed to pick on any 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 is not surprising to see people who don’t know where to start when creating a website.
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. What’s more is you do not need to know custom CSS or any coding at all.
Convenience
Elementor’s many tools make it easy to create 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), allows users to create 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 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 main draw is for its simplicity to integrate on your website and its customizability.
Elementor allows you to set up an eCommerce store with the WooCommerce plugin. You can create your WooCommerce shop through Elementor using Lementors. You can also include products and integrate them into your design.
The Users for Elementor
Elementor can be used by almost anyone. Digital marketers, students and everyone in between. 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
Elementor is a great tool for casual users who want to inject some personality and pizazz into their blogs or websites. 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.
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.
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. You could even combine the plugin with Landing page friendly plugins to really hone in on your sales.
If you want to get serious, you can avail of the Elementor Pro features that allow you to create lead forms. 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.
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
For people whose work involves building websites for clients, there is no better choice than Elementor.
Elementor offers many features that make website building easier and more efficient. The drag and drop feature allows builders an easy way to create a website from scratch. 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. They can use the aesthetics, functionality, form, or any combination of the above to build the perfect website.
Flexible themes can be used with the plugin by Elementor users to create 100% custom client websites.
But if you want to code, Elementor still allows you to do that.
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.
It isn’t easy to create websites. 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.
Then there is the website navigation, the overall aesthetic, not to mention, the security of your website. Each of these must be maintained in a pristine condition to keep users and visitors satisfied with your website’s overall performance.
Doing so will take a lot of work. 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. It will be easier to do the work.
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 make it easier and more accessible for users to carve their own space on the Internet. Why Elementor Is Bad
The Examination of Elementor
The Interface
The Elementor plugin must be activated before it can be used. 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.
The default settings for people just starting out should not be altered. 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
This will bring about the dashboard that has the following parts:
- The Main Canvas where most of the action will take place. Here you can edit and redesign the majority of your websites.
- 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. where you can switch between views on how your website will look like on different gadgets (desktop, tablet, or mobile)
- Preview the Changes
- Publish
From this interface, you can choose what to do with your website. You have two options: you can start from scratch. Edit an existing webpage. You can even use a template to get you started with your work. Why Elementor Is Bad
Elementor Structure Hierarchy
Before you can truly begin creating websites in Elementor, you need to understand how it works. In this case, you need to get a grip of how the website elements in Elementor work as well as how they work with each other.
Sure, Elementor might offer a drag and drop builder, which at first glance can make it a chaotic and free builder. There is a structure to all this “madness.” This structure is essential for effective website building, and not just copying a template.
Every page built with Elementor contains 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. Sections hold widgets and columns. Basically they hold the other elements of the website together.
Columns meanwhile divide the sections. Each column can be customized and controlled individually, just like the sections. Each column can be home to multiple widgets or content. 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. Of course, you can still customize and style these two.
Pre-made Templates
While they are not necessary in creating web pages (you can always make them from scratch) , having pre-made templates is always a godsend. 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. Each template can be used as-is or modified to fit your needs.
So how many templates do Elementor provide its users? Free users are given 150 and more templates available to use. If that is not enough, Pro users are given three hundred and more templates to play around with.
Then there are the Elementor Kits. These are “design kits” that consist of a collection of templates. These templates are mostly uniform or share the same design feel. These kits are perfect for crafting whole websites that carry a singular vision on its design aspect.
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. Why Elementor Is Bad
There are pages for contact pages, about pages, landing pages, and niches. restaurants, hotels, resorts etc.) portfolios, and even teampages as well as many more.
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.
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.
Through examining it sprocess, we can clearly see how good the functions of the Elementor Plugin is.
To begin:
- Open a blank page and click “Edit With Elementor”
- 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. Choose the one that best suits your needs. It is best to choose one that has enough columns to meet 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. Why Elementor Is Bad
Editing a Pre-Existing Page in Elementor to Suit your Design
After learning how to create web pages with Elementor from scratch, we can now look at editing instead of building one from an existing page. Pre-existing pages can come from a variety of sources.
They can come from your own saved pages. Some can come front he dozens of templates available from Elementor’s library. They can also be templates 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.
- Adding in a new widget is the same as doing it from scratch. You just take the widget you want to use from the Elementor Panel and then drag it to where you want to place it 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 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. 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. These settings can be adjusted until you find the right setting. Why Elementor Is Bad
The Price of Elementor
It seems unbelievable that elementor is a free plugin when you consider all of the features it offers. You heard it correctly. Elementor is completely free
You might have noticed that the Pro version is mentioned. 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.
The official WordPress repository contains Elementor’s main plug-in. It is entirely free and no hidden costs or signups and registrations are needed. 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
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
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
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
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
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. This really boils down to Elementor Pro.
Aside from the ones listed above, Elementor Pro has its other benefits. These include: Why Elementor Is Bad
- 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 to build popups and integrate them with either an on opt-in form or 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.
- For further customization, add custom CSS to any Elementor Blocks
- Sidebar widgets and widgets can be used to deploy Elementor elements
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. Why Elementor Is Bad
The Pros and Cons 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. These features are also very simple 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
- The “What you see, is what you get” approach makes it simple to build your website. This approach can help you save 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. This is because most blocks, columns, and content elements have their own margin settings.
- Some people have observed that Elementor can sometimes slow down the overall speed of your website. Why Elementor Is Bad
The Verdict for Elementor
Elementor is an excellent 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. 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 provided they adhere to the WordPress Codex coding standards.
Can Elementor be used with other WordPress plugins?
Elementor works with almost 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. Why Elementor Is Bad
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, Studio plan users will be required to pay the full price.
How can I pay for Elementor Pro
The folks at Elementor access Stripe, PayPal, or any credit card to pay for Elementor Pro.
Is there a Demo Version for Elementor Pro? Why Elementor Is Bad
Elementor Pro does not have a Demo version.
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.