What are WordPress Page Builders?

Posted by Christina Hills | WordPress Tips | 9

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about “WordPress Page Builders” lately, and I wanted to explain what they are. Since the release of WordPress 5.0 in 2019, WordPress major updates have focused on “Gutenberg,” the block editor. Gutenberg is totally different from the “Classic Editor.” But how is it different?

In this article, I’ll explain what WordPress page builders are, how they make building a website much easier to visualize, and a few recommendations. Please note that this article is aimed at people who already have a website up and running and are interested in using a drag-and-drop page builder instead of WordPress’ default Classic editor to create web pages and blog posts.

WordPress’s Block Editor “Gutenberg”

Guttenberg provides drag-and-drop functionality for building a WordPress page. The page builder functions for WordPress had been available in the form of plugins or themes, but with Gutenberg, WordPress has made it the default editing experience.

I don’t teach the Gutenberg because I don’t think it’s easy and intuitive for WordPress beginners. Other editor plugins are much easier to use. I like the Classic Editor plugin (the simplest editor), the Elementor, and the Divi Builder.

How Do Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Work?

The original WordPress editor was pretty much text and code-based. Typing text was a relatively simple task, but it often required some coding work when you wanted to have a different layout or fancy formatting. And you couldn’t see the final look of the page as you edited. To make things tougher for non-coders, things got more complicated as smartphones became popular, making it so important for websites to be mobile-responsive.

Then, the modern drag-and-drop page builders came onto the scene, handling all these issues!

With a drag-and-drop page builder, you click on sections (or elements) to drag and drop them into various locations on the web page. Page builders make so many things possible without having to deal with coding, like

Creating columns that adjust to the screen size
Placing images exactly where you want them to be
Having different layouts for different pages
Using pre-configured elements
Seeing the page layout as you build it

Besides Gutenberg, there are quite a few drag-and-drop page builder plugins available, each with unique features. Here are some popular ones that people seem to love.

Popular WordPress Page Builder Plugins

Divi Builder

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This is Elegant Themes’ premium plugin can add drag-and-drop page builder functions to WordPress sites. Originally offered as a part of the Divi theme, this plugin lets you incorporate many cool features into your site. I use the Divi Builder here on this website in conjunction with the Divi “Extra” Theme.

Elementor

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With Elementor, you will be seeing your edits right there on a live page. And it’s pretty fast! While being pretty user-friendly, it also lets you do deep customizations if you wish.

Beaver Builder

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Beaver Builder has been around for quite a while, and for good reason. Many of my friends like and use it. However, the Beaver Builder plugin is focused mainly on the web developer community, not on the non-techie community. So, there may be a bigger learning curve for some.

The “Block Editor” Gutenberg

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Conclusion

As mentioned above, Gutenberg is now a part of WordPress as of WordPress 5.0 and up. Many WordPress updates focus on improvements and enhancements to Gutenberg.

I am not yet using Gutenberg because I don’t think it’s ready for non-techies.

Drag-and-drop page builders might not be for those who love coding themselves, but for the rest of us, they save a lot of time and make it easy to design pages the way we want, allowing us to get really creative.

Do you use any of the above or other page builders? What do you like about it?

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About The Author

Christina Hills

Christina Hills helps entrepreneurs set up their websites using WordPress without having to rely on a webmaster or any tech people. Her trainings are fun and she makes it easy! Get the free PDF "The Do-It-Yourself Website Creation Checklist" Report Here

9 Comments

Andrea on March 26, 2019 at 9:11 am

Hi! Thanks for this article! In regard to the 3 options listed above, am I correct in thinking that Elementor and Beaver Builder are free (or at least have free versions) while Divi is not?
- Christina Hills on March 26, 2019 at 9:25 am
  
  I find Elementor more intuitive than Beaver Builder. But both have great reputations and they have a free version. The Divi Builder does not have a free version, but is a great page builder!
Elizabeth Tobin on March 26, 2019 at 10:00 am

Hi Christina,
Thanks so much for this info. I love getting your blog posts in my inbox because as a non-techie it’s so hard to keep up with all of the new developments. I’m thankful that you break it down for me : )

A couple of questions:

1. Will you be teaching Gutenberg in your next Website Creation Workshop?
2. Do you consider Optimize Press as a page builder and if so how do you think it compares to the others that you mention?

Thanks so much for all that you are doing to help us non-techie biz owners.

Liz
- Christina Hills on March 26, 2019 at 11:02 am
  
  Liz,
  
  1. Since you took my foundation class already, you would be a perfect candidate for my intermediate WordPress training. https://www.websitetransformationworkshop.com/
  Please email my support team so they can give you a special link.
  
  2. I stopped using OptimizePress once I found the Divi Theme! So I don’t follow their developments anymore, but they do have a great reputation.
Clare Lewis on March 27, 2019 at 10:29 am

Thanks Christina! Great to know the options and some history. I just started using Elementor with my Sydney theme and it looks like there are some great possibilities. Also noticed a lot of video tutorials on YouTube. I am curious about Gutenberg and if one is better than another.
- Christina Hills on March 27, 2019 at 2:51 pm
  
  Clare,
  Right now I would stick with Elementor. The new block editor from WordPress called “Gutenberg” I’ll be teaching in a few months
Nadiya on April 2, 2019 at 12:02 am

Thanks for the article, Christina. I’m an absolute fan of Thrive Architect. When it first came out as Thrive Content Builder it was a huge game changer and already incredible and it’s gone of getting beter and better. Plus the company is oozes integrity and authenticity and their trainings are excellent.
- A on April 7, 2019 at 6:04 pm
  
  Nadiya, is Thrive Architect a plug in? I can’t find it.
  - Christina Hills on April 8, 2019 at 7:19 am
    
    yes it’s a premium plugin that you must purchase. That is why you don’t see it at WordPress.org

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