When it comes to creating a good-looking page or website on WordPress, you need to make sure you have everything you need to accomplish it. Sure, the platform’s in-house page builder is always ready to assist you, but the problem is you can’t edit it as much as you’d like because of how bulky and out-of-the-place it is.
Third-party plugins for web design can be used to solve problems you might have with WordPress. One of the most popular is Elementor. Elementor aims to aid you in creating websites in a uniquely easy way – and when we say it’s a breeze to work with, we do mean it. No coding required!
Do you think Elementor could be the right page builder for you? Are you still undecided? We’re digging deep into all it has to offer, in order to answer your questions.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from the YouTube channel Pinky1472. You can still read our article to get an overview of Elementor.
Elementor in a Nutshell – What is It About? Elementor Tabs Plugin
Elementor is a website builder plugin designed for WordPress. It is best known for its intuitive and visual drag-and-drop editor. This allows you to create a variety of design assets and blocks, and then see how your page looks to visitors in real time.
With an interface that’s more akin to that of popular website builders like Squarespace and Wix, Elementor lets you either opt for a ready-made professional template or create a good-looking WordPress website from the ground up. This unique platform has one advantage: all the tools that you need to create a website are at your fingertips.
What Does It Have to Offer?
Elementor is a WordPress plugin that lives up to its reputation. It offers a clean and simple interface that allows you to quickly navigate through all it has.
- With Elementor, you’re greeted with an illustrious range of dynamic and attractive themes compared to the more standard and plain templates that often come with WordPress’ in-house themes.
- You get a separate and highly interactive work interface to edit your posts and pages. There’s no single sign of bulkiness associated with WordPress’s similar editor – everything is built to be silky smooth on your end.
- You can keep your current theme, even if it’s from WordPress – Elementor can deal with all WordPress themes as long as they’re compatible with version 5.0 of the platform or higher. The plugin can be used to transform a dull theme into something more appealing.
- All the editing for your pages and sites is done from the front end. You’ll see your work as soon as your customers or visitors see it. This outstanding feature gives you a better understanding of which design element keeps them returning for more or otherwise.
Elementor as a whole makes it simple to create a stunning page. The interface of Elementor is so simple and packed with useful tools, even people with more advanced knowledge in web design, can use it without any difficulty. This has made the website builder an excellent choice for those with limited resources or who work in a small team.
Many similar web designer plugins may offer working individuals a pleasing drag-and-drop experience and a handful of useful tools. Elementor’s standards are not met by all plugins. With that being said, Elementor has gained a positive reputation among many WordPress users – more than three million of them have had the plugin installed on their accounts.
What makes this interesting web design platform stand out from all the rest? What other features does it offer that others don’t have? We’ll find out soon as we take a more in-depth look at what Elementor has in store for us, starting with its illustrious list of features.
Meet Elementor’s Features
Completely-packed Template Library
Elementor’s library of more than 150 templates is perfect for those who are new to web design, or have some knowledge but don’t have the time. All of them make the site-building experience easy on your end, as they help turn your ideas into a product that can catch anyone’s attention immediately.
The platform’s templates are classified into two categories:
- Pages – full-length templates that only require you to do low-effort customization
- Blocks – templates for individual and specific parts of a page – examples of which include FAQs, pricing tables, portfolios, etc.
You can find templates from other sources than Elementor’s own and then import them into the platform via the My Templates tab.
Huge Selection of Widgets
It’s not just the vast range of templates that Elementor is lucky to be packed with. There are many widget options available in the plugin. Widgets can be smaller and more contained elements, which house a variety of content.
With a whopping total of 60+ widgets, you gain lots of insight into how you want to structure your website as well as the flexibility of doing so. These include text-related elements like headings, inner sections, media files such as images and videos, buttons and icons, as well as website sidebars. Elementor also offers testimonials, star ratings and gallery widgets as well as map widgets powered Google Maps.
You can add as many pages as you like to your site. As with the templates, you may also opt to import those from third-party sources to further expand your selection.
Convenient Drag-and-drop Editing
Elementor’s user interface is the most notable feature. Elementor’s drag-and-drop functionality allows users to create and edit pages as easily as possible. Simply drag whatever widget you like best from the left sidebar, and drop it into your workspace. Similarly, you may tweak some adjustments between the page’s elements by dragging it to a different location.
Apart from that, Elementor offers right-click support to assist users without having to go over the sidebar for slight edits all the time – something a couple of WordPress web design plugins aren’t equipped with.
You will find a section called Navigation View that provides a complete list of content, arranged according to Elementor’s page layout. We’ll talk more about that later.
Also included within the editing interface is a Finder tool to help you further navigate swiftly between pages or content elements.
Fine-tuned Control Over Your Elements
For a basic WordPress page-building plugin, Elementor is surely stuffed with many design options that anyone can enjoy hassle-free. Elementor understands that every detail is important when creating a website that stands out. It allows you to modify and fix any design elements in the site you are building.
You can make necessary changes to your site’s content blocks and widgets, images, text, and text. You can also modify the font, size, and color of text content and headings.
Those are some of the basic editing tools you can explore in Elementor. You can also make specific adjustments to the plugin’s content elements. The plugin offers advanced customization options that include widget positioning within columns, custom CSS settings, animation effects and exact margins and padding for numbers.
Options for Your Mobile-friendly Page
Elementor templates are all mobile-friendly by default. However, you might be curious if you can make some adjustments to your template to suit your needs. You’ll be glad to know that the platform gives you full control to do whatever you want to make your website more appealing on smartphones and tablets, as with everything else.
Just click the Switch view icon along the sidebar, and you’ll be greeted with three viewing options, each for the desktop, tablet, and mobile phone. If you want to omit a widget or limit whatever you want your clients/customers to see, you may choose any of the three and edit right away.
An opportunity to look back at the changes you’ve made
Sometimes a few ‘undo’ actions may not be enough to fix a huge design mistake. You might have encountered similar occurrences if you tried editing on any design platform.
That’s where Elementor’s Revision History feature comes in handy. You can easily revert to previous pages without losing any design elements.
Pricing
You can use the entire Elementor plugin for absolutely free. Elementor Pro, however, has more additions and upgrades that are miles ahead of the previous version, some of which may interest you in trying one.
Elementor Pro will allow you to explore a wider range of themes, templates and design blocks, as well as custom CSS and advanced programming capabilities. You can also create forms and pop-ups in the platform’s editing interface, integrate with WooCommerce, and use the theme builder.
Elementor Pro has four main subscription plans, each designed for various individuals and/or groups. The plan also offers a website builder and hosting plans for advanced site management. All tiers are paid annually and share the same premium features; the only two factors that set each other apart are the number of website activations and customer support response time.
Elementor Pro Plans
- Essential Plan – $49/year. 1 Pro Website Activation. 24/7 Customer Support
- Expert Plan – $199/year, 25 pro website activations, 24/7 customer support
- Studio Plan – $299 in the first year, then $499/year after; 100 pro website activations, VIP customer support in under 30 minutes
- Agency Plan – $999/year. 1000 Pro Website Activations. VIP Customer Support in Less Than 30 Minutes.
Elementor Cloud Website Building + Hosting is $99 per year. It gives you the same features you can expect from any Elementor Pro plan but includes stunning hosting and CMS capabilities. It offers a wide range of templates and design assets. Your website is protected by Google Cloud Platform integration, SSL and robust website management.
Elementor Free vs. Elementor Pro
The tricky part is: Do you feel the free WordPress plugin version is still appropriate for you, or do the Pro versions have such an advantage that you want to give it a try instead?
The free plugin version is a good option if you don’t want to add any extra features to your website or landing page. Elementor Free has many features that are already impressive in retrospect. Its core tools are just as dynamic as those of other web design platforms, which offer the same level or more delivery. So dynamic that even business teams can get away from using the free version instead. Elementor Tabs Plugin
With Elementor Free, you can:
- Create optimized mobile-friendly versions of your site and page
- Go through your website’s version history
- Make use of fully customizable themes as well as built-in pre-made templates
- Add or edit out website blocks however you need them.
If the ability to build and license more than one website is what you’re looking for, Elementor Pro may be a more logical option. One of its advantage that sits above the free version is that there is a lot of value added to it. What we mean by it is you have more options to explore and more features to give you the extra edge. These include:
- A growing list of more than 300 themes and over 100+ premium block templates.
- Global widgets allow you to use the same widget on multiple pages and not have to modify it individually.
- A front-end form builder and a pop-up editor if you want more ways to attract potential customers;
- Integrations with WooCommerce are available, with templates blocks and widgets to help you create an online storefront.
- The ability to create your personalized theme from scratch through its Theme Builder feature. Elementor Tabs Plugin
Elementor Pro should not be considered the only way to grow the WordPress plugin if you don’t want to license multiple websites. As previously mentioned, Elementor Free is already sustainable enough for most users – there are plenty of flexible themes and templates out there that can be integrated with Elementor, a notable example of which is Astra.
Elementor: How does it work?
To get the Elementor plugin to start, the first thing you will need to do is install and activate it in WordPress. Once you’ve installed it, there’s a settings panel that you can visit if you wish – you may opt to modify whatever you want to see while you do the editing. Otherwise, you may head straight to WordPress’s pages section.
From there, you will notice the Edit with Elementor button placed conveniently along the bar above the canvas. You will be immediately redirected to the builder interface as you click the button. The image below perfectly illustrates what it looks like. Elementor Tabs Plugin
Based on the picture, here are a couple of things that you should expect as you explore the interface:
- The workroom or canvas. It’s a huge part of the interface that takes up most of the screen.
- The widgets area. It is located on the left side, next to the canvas. It contains lots of content as well as design elements that can be used.
- Settings. It is represented by three horizontal lines. This symbolise the ability to access a variety of fonts and colors.
- The Open Elementor widgets button. Essentially considered a form of the menu button, it allows you to return to the widgets list – nine little squares represent this.
- The Global Settings button. It is represented by the cogwheel icon and takes you to the more advanced settings.
- The Revision History button. Displayed as a clock icon, it allows you to take a look at the history of previous versions of your page or website.
- Switch to another view You can convert your desktop page to tablet-friendly or mobile-friendly versions by clicking the small monitor icon. This icon can be used to edit the content you wish your customers to see on their smartphones.
- Preview your changes. Click the small eye icon to see all the changes to your page.
- The Publish/Update button. When the shaped button turns green, you are ready to publish. It’s gray if your page is being updated. This time, unlike green, you cannot click it. Elementor Tabs Plugin
Structure Hierarchy
Before you can begin building, it is important to understand the structure hierarchy Elementor uses. This similar structure has been used by many web designers, including those who are more experienced in website design.
Elementor’s primary goal is to create pages. A page is a collection of sections and columns.
A section can be described as a row you can customize with many design elements such as background, colors and sizing.
The columns, on the other, go inside a certain section. These, in turn, are where the widgets or content elements are placed. Each can be styled and sized individually.
To recap, this is how Elementor’s structure hierarchy plays out:
Page > Section > Column > Widget/Content element
Designing a page
Let’s create a page now that we have an understanding of the skeletal structure. Click the Edit with Elementor link in WordPress’ page design interface. You’ll soon notice a plus (+) button highlighted in red violet – click on that to add a new section. Elementor Tabs Plugin
Next, you will need to choose the structure for your section. You may choose a single column or multiple, depending on what type of content you wish to add. From there, you may populate those columns with content elements. Drag any widget from the interface’s widget section and drop it onto those columns, whether it is a heading or an images. You can even adjust or rearrange them and sections and columns within the page.
Once you’re happy with the structural placement, now is the time to retune the finer details to make the page look more presentable. You can explore three main editing tabs: Style, Content, and Advanced.
It is easier to design a pre-existing theme page than it is to create one from scratch. You would usually only need to make minor adjustments between sections, columns, and widgets, unless you are adding a new design element. Elementor’s drag and drop functions make it much easier to refine some changes than coding.
The Disadvantages: What Else is Lacking?
We don’t mean to mislead you, Elementor is certain to be one of the best WordPress web design tools. But, there are always imperfections in the world. While there are many things that we love about it, there are a few that some of you may find inconvenient:
- The editing interface can be a bit buggy on some occasions. It’s speedy, swift, and ultimately convenient, but it does so well, too fast to the point where it freezes altogether. With that in mind, you might need to refresh and reopen it to get it back on track.
- Although most of Elementor’s features can be used for free, some may find them to be essential, but they are only available in Elementor Pro. This may prove frustrating for some. You can’t set sitewide styles with the free version. Instead, you are limited to only a few pages at a time. Elementor Tabs Plugin
- Some editing refinements may not go exactly as you wish them to. On the one hand, if you add custom styling to certain links, you may end up with the default typography and font color. On the other, you may have difficulty locating the exact margin value whenever the alignment of your design elements is off.
Who should use elementor?
Elementor has a wealth of expert-level features and tools. The free version includes these, as well as additional useful upgrades for any Elementor Pro plan. It is also easier to use than most other WordPress web design plugins.
It’s easy to see why so many people love Elementor. Elementor is both a popular DIY tool for those who don’t have the necessary web design skills and an intuitive platform that can be used by a broad range of businesses.
However, there are some specific users we have in mind that will find Elementor to be a more suited choice. These are:
- Casual internet users. Bloggers and hobby website runners, in particular, will enjoy the wide, customizable benefits gladly offered by Elementor.
- Digital marketing professionals. Elementor features can be used for design purposes, but they are also marketing-ready. This includes seamless integrations with thousands of platforms via Zapier and pop-up and online commerce widgets.
- Site builders. Elementor is an excellent stepping stone for those who are interested in creating websites for clients. Elementor Tabs Plugin
Alternatives to Elementor
Elementor may have some advantages over other web design plugins, but that doesn’t make it the best choice.
Many WordPress web design plugins offer similar functionality to Elementor. Some may only offer a few. We all know by now that WordPress’s in-house web design feature is not everyone’s cup of tea – that’s why the plugins were created in the first place, to make the experience much better by the mile.
There are currently two other top WordPress web builders plugins that are comparable to Elementor in terms if features: Divi builder By Elegant Themes and Beaver Builder. Divi is able to edit your website directly from the front-end interface, just like your clients. Although it has a similar look, there is no free option. Beaver Builder is a more straightforward plugin than the others, but it packs as many design tools as you need into one platform. These are already enough to create an attractive website.
Elementor is not the only web design plugin you can use. SeedProd, Page Builder are also notable alternatives.
Final Verdict: Is Elementor worth trying?
Answering the question is yes. Elementor is a premium drag-and-drop page building tool for WordPress. It’s packed with top-quality design tools and features. Most of these core features are offered free. Elementor Tabs Plugin
There’s no question as to why people keep coming back to this impressive plugin to create pages and websites. Elementor is different than other web design plugins in that it allows anyone to create whatever they want with no restrictions. Elementor isn’t like other web design plugins that require you to upgrade to a higher plan, or to purchase a paid license. This ensures there is enough space for everyone.
Here’s some advice before we let you explore Elementor for yourself: if your job involves running multiple websites and creating them for clients, we recommend you try Elementor Pro. Otherwise, the free plugin for WordPress will work just as fine!
FAQ Elementor Tabs Plugin
Can I export or upload my templates to Elementor
Yes, Elementor can import your templates. Apart from letting you create one from scratch with the help of the Theme Builder feature, you can import your personalized themes into the website builder under the Templates tab.
In a similar function, you can export your templates to be used on other WordPress sites – a handy function if you work for multiple clients as a website-building professional.
What types of pages can I create using Elementor?
Elementor allows you to create landing pages, homepages, landing page, landing pages and about pages.
Elementor Pro subscribers can create websites, and even online shops.
Does Elementor slow down my website?
Elementor will not slow down your website so that it takes as little time as possible to load. A website built with this plugin might take two seconds longer than one built from WordPress’s built in website builder. Nonetheless, both equally bit faster than the version made through, say, Beaver Builder.
WordPress websites made with plugins can take longer to build due to multiple factors, including poor hosting, large media files and slow themes.