Elementor Review: Competitive Page Builder
A Quick Look at Elementor
For WordPress, Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin. This signifies a few things, including:
- Unlike the basic post/page templates that come with your WordPress theme, Elementor allows you to build unique-looking posts and pages.
- The majority of your work doesn’t happen in the conventional block editor that comes with WordPress.
- It doesn’t need HTML/CSS/PHP/coding knowledge; everything is done through a user-friendly interface.
- It operates on the front end of your website, so it displays you the results of your work immediately.
- You may use it to build whatever content or page layout you want, independent of your WordPress theme’s capabilities.
- It works with all WordPress themes, so you may maintain your existing look and use Elementor’s features.
Using Elementor, even if you’re not a professional or have site-building knowledge, you can generate outstanding page layouts/designs. Notably if you are on a budget and do not want to engage a web designer.
The do-it-yourself philosophy seems to strike a chord with a significant number of consumers. At the time this article was written, over three million (!) WordPress websites had Elementor installed and was actively being used. That is an incredible amount, and it really goes to demonstrate that Elementor has absolutely taken the web by storm.
Let’s take a look, one at a time, at some of the most fascinating aspects that Elementor has to offer:
Features and Benefits
Elementor, right out of the box, has a few handy components built right in (no pun intended):
- To begin, there is the primary capability of creating pages in and of itself. In a moment, we will go back to discussing that topic.
- There are over 90 different content components and modules available for selection, including photos, headlines, buttons, carousels, counters, progress bars, and testimonials, among other options.
- The majority of operations may be completed using the drag-and-drop method; you can simply transfer any component to a different location on the screen by dragging it in the desired direction.
“What you see is what you get,” which means that the version of the page that you see in the Elementor interface is exactly the same as the one that your visitors will view on their end (unlike working with HTML and CSS, the old-school way). - All of the pages are optimized for search engines and mobile devices.
- There is a collection of pre-made page templates in the form of a library that may be imported and then customized. At the time this article was written, there were more than 150 free templates and more than 300 pro templates available. In addition, you have the ability to store your own templates.
- If you are using the Pro version of Elementor, you have access to a tool called the Theme Builder. This feature enables you to edit the fundamental components of your theme, including the header, footer, single post template, and blog archives, among other things.
- Last but not least, there is an entirely brand-new WooCommerce Builder module. It is quite similar to
- Theme Builder, except this one gives you the ability to redo all of the basic WooCommerce pages, including your single product page and your product archive page.
As I said before, the plugin’s main purpose is to let you build, tweak, and change your pages in any way you want and see the results in real time.
With the live preview feature, you can see how your page will look when it’s published (which is the standard scenario with native WordPress pages that are highly theme-dependent).
So, what exactly can you do? First, Elementor gives you access to more than 90 content elements or modules that you can put anywhere on the page. Then, you can change the order of these elements by using the drag-and-drop feature.
Headlines, photos, text paragraphs, videos, buttons, dividers, spacers, icons, image galleries and carousels, counters, testimonials, social network icons, and shortcodes are some of the accessible content components. There are many more content elements available. Additionally, you are free to utilize any widgets that are currently installed on your WordPress website.
In addition to that, Elementor provides you with access to the settings for the display. In this section, you will find the options to modify the backgrounds, margins and padding settings, default colors, fonts, and other elements.
In addition to that, there is a complete revision history, which indicates that you are able to return to an earlier version of the page (just in case you screwed anything up and are at a loss as to how to repair it).
Last, but certainly not least, Elementor gives you full control over what your page looks like on desktop, tablet and mobile.
Using those small toggles, you can switch back and forth between devices, and adjust the fine details to make the page look great everywhere.
Elementor Pricing
In the sake of objectivity and for the sake of this Elementor review, I should probably add that there is also a Pro edition available. However, you really don’t need it in order to take use of, like, 90 percent of Elementor’s greatness — I swear to you!
The primary plugin may be found in the repository maintained by WordPress itself (get it here). There are no unmentioned expenses, and signups or registrations are not required. It works perfectly!
Now, about that Professional version. To be fair, it does have several intriguing components that experienced users would like, such as:
- There are at least another 50 different pieces of material.
- 300+ other page layouts to choose from.
- Creating A Theme With The Theme Builder (the module where you can change the headers and footers of your current theme).
- Builder for WooCommerce (the module that allows you do rebuild your WooCommerce product pages).
- You may create popups and have them connected with either an opt-in form or some kind of special offer/discount by using the Popup Builder module.
- It’s an easy-to-use form builder that (comes with integrations with popular marketing tools).
- Global Widgets may be used throughout the whole site.
- Any Elementor block may have its style customized using custom CSS.
- Create sidebars and widgets with Elementor.
Here’s the current pricing of Elementor Pro:
Using Elementor
Let’s move on to the next part of our evaluation, which will be more hands-on. The following is an overview of how to get started using Elementor:
Elementor is, at its core, a WordPress plugin, but one that is a little bit more sophisticated than the average one. Installing and activating it is the first step that has to be taken before you can use it. All of this is standard—it works exactly the same way as any other WordPress plugin.
After that, there is a settings panel that you may visit if you want to, but doing so is not required. However, this step is optional. You are free to go directly to your WordPress pages and start the creation of a new one there. You will immediately be presented with the choice to ‘Edit using Elementor’:
You are going to be brought to the Elementor user interface immediately after clicking on this primary button. The following is the situation:
- The primary painting. This is where you will store your content blocks, and it is also where you will be able to edit them.
- The components of the material that are now accessible.
- This is the section of Elementor’s interface from where you may access its settings (colors, fonts and so on).
- This is how you go back to see the various components of the material.
- The page’s overall configuration that you are now working on.
- The history of the page’s many iterations.
- A switching apparatus (desktop, tablet, mobile).
- Take a look at the updates.
- Publish the page in question.
In order to utilize Elementor to create even a simple page, you must first get familiar with the hierarchy of the page structure that it employs, which is as follows:
- There is no limit to the number of parts that may be included inside a page.
- There may be one, two, three, or more columns in each part.
- One or more content components may be included inside each column.
- Last but not least, each individual content piece may have its own style applied to it.
So, we have:
Page → Sections → Columns → Content → Styling
To get started, you can either add a ready-made template or include a blank section:
You will then be able to fill these new columns with material by just dragging and dropping certain blocks from the sidebar into the appropriate locations inside this new section that you have created. You may also reorganize parts by dragging and dropping them in their respective places.
After you have positioned a content block where you want it, you can click on it to make adjustments to the display of the block as well as the specifics of what it contains. There are three primary tabs accessible for that: Content, Style, and Advanced. Each tab has its own subtabs.
Working with separate content blocks in this manner, one at a time, until the whole page is finished may be accomplished in the same manner.
In general, Elementor is quite user-friendly and has a decent level of intuitiveness. Working with your pages will become a lot more enjoyable after you have a firm understanding of the page/structure hierarchy and are familiar with each of the content sections. Especially as you get into some of the more complex capabilities, such as the following examples:
- experimenting with the Z-index of elements (to bring stuff forward versus putting it in the back)
- customizing the on-hover state of elements (changing their appearance based on the cursor position)
setting transitions between sections, like so:
Pre-made Templates
The creative capabilities that come packaged with Elementor are indeed fantastic; yet, what use are they to you if you don’t have a single bone in your body that is responsible for design? After that, you have the option of using one of the many pre-built templates that are made available to you by Elementor.
When I say “many,” I mean it in the most straightforward meaning that the word may have. More than 150 templates are available in the free edition, while the Pro version provides access to more than 300 more alternatives.
Elementor Kits, which are collections of templates that all adhere to the same design style and allow you to develop a full website that is consistent with itself, are also included in the package. These kits are referred to by their acronym, Elementor. If that doesn’t satisfy you, then maybe this will do the trick.
The library has a variety of various sorts of often used pages for a variety of reasons. You will discover an excellent collection of about pages, contact pages, homepages, landing pages (especially for diverse niches, such as a hotel, restaurant, and so on), portfolios, team pages, and many other types of web pages.
Not only are you able to import templates into your website, but once you do so, you are also free to modify those templates in any way you see fit until you get the precise effect you are looking for.
Last but not least, you have the ability to save any of your own web pages as templates, after which you can either reuse them on another website or share them with the community openly over the internet.
Who needs Elementor?
As I sit here and write this review of Elementor, one thing that I have to acknowledge is that this tool has left me with a really positive impression. I’ve tried almost every major page builder plugin that’s currently available, but I always find myself going back to Elementor as the most reliable option.
Of all the page builders, Elementor is the one that requires the least amount of time and effort to learn, and it also offers the most number of free features.
Simply said, it is the ideal do-it-yourself (DIY) option for anyone who want to build outstanding website designs on their own but do not have any coding abilities, understanding of HTML or CSS, or related experience.
If you believe that the default block editor in WordPress places too many restrictions on what you can do with your website, Elementor may be the plugin for you. If you are having trouble positioning your material where you want it, aligning the columns the way you want them to be, or adding photos in a certain method, then Elementor can assist you in doing all of those things.
In the end, Elementor is for those who want to develop attractive pages for their websites but do not consider themselves to be designers.
Elementor Review Conclusion
Is it true that Elementor is superior than the other editors available? To be honest, it is dependant on our point of view.
Even though the market for page builders has expanded substantially over the last few years, Elementor’s primary rivals, Beaver Builder and Divi Builder, have remained the same during this time. Consequently, the selection of a page builder boils down, for the majority of individuals, to a choice between Elementor, Beaver, and Divi.
To put it another way: Each of the three tools is excellent. They represent the pinnacle of achievement among page builders. Having said that, none of them are unquestionably superior than the others in any aspect of the competition. Your personal choice, the kinds of features that are most essential to you, and the manner in which you desire those features to be provided will ultimately determine whether you pick Elementor, Beaver, or Divi as your page builder (in terms of UI and so on).
Nevertheless, there is one factor that places Elementor in a position that is head and shoulders above the competition. That one thing is the price, or rather the absence of a price.
Although there is a paid “Pro” version of Elementor available, the free version of the plugin still provides access to a significant portion of its functionality. That is not something you get with Beaver and Divi. Because of this, Elementor is the first and best choice available to anybody searching for a page builder plugin.
Pros of Elementor:
- FREE! New websites seldom require Pro.
- It is simple to use and has a large feature set.
- Again, the selection of free features is astounding. I should repeat that.
- It lets you to create unique page layouts and designs not accessible in your current theme without HTML,
- CSS, or PHP knowledge.
- Inline text editing and real-time previews provide a ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ editing experience.
- Separate desktop, tablet, and smartphone displays.
- Alignments, margins, and padding have comprehensive settings. You control everything.
Cons of Elementor:
- Adding custom style to links is an operation that does not always go according to plan. It’s possible that you won’t be able to change Elementor’s default font and color settings, even if you may not like them.
- When anything on the page is not aligned properly, it might be difficult to pinpoint the precise margin value that is the cause of the issue. You may, for instance, have a basic block, a column inside it, and then a content element within the column. There are individual margin settings for each of them.
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