You need everything to create a WordPress page or website that looks great. The platform’s page builder is available 24/7, but you won’t be able to edit the site as often as you would like due to its size and location.
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 is designed to make it easy to create websites. Plus, no coding is required!
Do you think Elementor could be the right page builder for you? Are you still undecided? To answer your curiosities, we’re deeply diving into everything it offers.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from the YouTube channel Pinky1472. To get a comprehensive overview of Elementor, you may still want to check out our article below.
Elementor in a Nutshell – What is It About? Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
Elementor is a WordPress website builder plugin. It’s best known for its visual and intuitive drag-and-drop editor that allows you to use a wide range of design assets and blocks and see what your page will look like 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. One good thing about this one-of-a-kind platform is that all the tools you need to build a website are within your reach – all without the added hassles of coding that may get in the way of enjoying it.
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.
- To edit your pages and posts, you have a completely separate interface that allows for interaction. 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.
- The front-end handles all editing of your pages and websites. This means you’ll be able to see your work immediately as your visitors or customers see it. This remarkable feature allows you to better understand what design elements keep customers coming back for more.
Elementor, as a whole, makes it easy for anyone to use when it comes to creating an impressive 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.
Numerous similar web design plugins might offer working people a pleasant drag-and-drop experience as well as a few useful tools. Still, not all of them can live up to Elementor’s standard. 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
If you’re completely new to web design or you have basic knowledge of it but don’t have enough time to commit to it, Elementor has got your back with its library of over 150 template options to choose from. 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 are templates that can be used to create pages for specific and individual parts. Examples of blocks include portfolios, pricing tables, FAQs, portfolios, and more.
If you wish to expand beyond Elementor’s in-house template selection, you may find them from tons of third-party sources all over the internet and import them onto the platform under the My Templates tab.
Massive Widget Selection
It’s not just the vast range of templates that Elementor is lucky to be packed with. The plugin is also rich in widget choices. Widgets are smaller, more contained elements that house a wide range 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. Map widgets powered by Google Maps, testimonials, star ratings, and gallery widgets are also part of what Elementor has in store.
You can add as many pages as you like to your site. To expand your selection, you can also import templates from third-party sources.
Convenient Drag-and-drop Editing
If there’s one thing that Elementor is most prominent for, it has to be its highly convenient user experience. 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.
Elementor also offers right-click support, which allows users to make minor edits without having to look at the sidebar. This is something that a few WordPress web design plugins don’t offer.
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. The plugin also has more advanced options to let you tweak specific adjustments to your 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
All of Elementor’s templates are mobile-friendly by default, but you may be wondering if you could make some changes to match how you want it to look. The platform allows you to customize your website to look better on tablets and smartphones, just like everything else.
You can click on the Switch view icon in the sidebar to be presented with three viewing options: one for your desktop, tablet and one for your 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. Similar situations could have occurred if you tried to edit on any other design platform.
Elementor’s Revision History tool is a great help in this situation. With it, you can revert to any of the previous versions of the page you’re editing without sacrificing the rest of your design elements.
The Pricing
The Elementor plugin is offered completely for free, letting you take full advantage of all its core web design features and elements needed to create a good-looking site or page. Elementor Pro has many more upgrades and additions than the previous version. You might be interested in one.
Among the things you may get to enjoy if you choose Elementor Pro include exploring an expanded library of themes, templates, and design blocks; custom CSS and advanced coding capabilities; creating forms and pop-ups within the platform’s editing interface; integrations with WooCommerce; and, of course, the theme builder.
Elementor Pro offers four subscription options, each tailored to different individuals 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 for the first year, and then $499/year thereafter; 100 pro websites activated, VIP customer support in less than 30 minutes
- Agency Plan – $999/year, 1000 pro website activations, VIP customer support in under 30 minutes
The Elementor Cloud Website Builder + Hosting plan is $99 annually. 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?
If you want to build a website or landing page without thinking of adding anything else to further attract your clients, you may choose to stand by the free plugin variant. Elementor Free is already feature-rich in retrospect – its series of core tools are as dynamic as other web design platforms where their premium plans bring the same level of delivery. It is so dynamic that business teams can use the free version. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
With Elementor Free, you can:
- Optimize your website and pages for mobile viewing.
- Check out the version history of your website.
- Make use of fully customizable themes as well as built-in pre-made templates
- Add or edit out website blocks however you need them.
Elementor Pro might be the right choice if you need to license multiple websites. 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:
- An expanding list of over 300 themes and 100+ premium block templates;
- Global widgets allow you to use the same widget on multiple pages and not have to modify it individually.
- If you are looking for more ways to draw potential customers, there is a front-end form creator and a pop up editor.
- Integrations with the popular e-commerce platform WooCommerce, complete with template blocks and widgets that let you build an online storefront;
- The ability to create your personalized theme from scratch through its Theme Builder feature. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
However, unless you wish to license multiple websites, Elementor Pro shouldn’t be viewed as the only way to expand the WordPress plugin. Elementor Free, as mentioned above, is sustainable enough for most users. However, there are many flexible themes and templates that can be integrated into Elementor. Astra is a notable example.
Using 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. After you have installed the plugin, you will see a settings panel. You can modify any content while 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. As soon as you click on the button, you will be redirected to builder interface. The image below perfectly illustrates what it looks like. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
Based on the image, here are some things you should know as you explore this interface.
- The workroom or canvas. It takes up the largest part of the screen.
- The widgets area. Situated on the left side next to the canvas, it contains lots of content and design elements that are ready to use.
- Settings. Symbolized by three small horizontal lines, it is where you get to access a wide range of colors, fonts, and other design assets.
- The Open Elementor widgets button. It is essentially a menu button that allows you to return the widgets list. Nine little squares are used to 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 Changes. Once you click the tiny eye icon, you’re given a full look at the changes you’ve made to your page before you’re ready to publish it.
- The Publish/Update button. Once this shaped button goes green, that’s when you’re ready to publish. It’s gray if your page is being updated. This time, unlike green, you cannot click it. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
Structure Hierarchy
Before we can even begin building, you must first understand the structure hierarchy that Elementor follows. This similar structure has been used by many web designers, including those who are more experienced in website design.
In Elementor, your primary goal is to create a page. A page is where it usually contains a series of sections and the columns that come after that.
A section can be described as a row you can customize with many design elements such as background, colors and sizing.
On the other hand, the columns are located within a specific section. These are the places where widgets and content elements are located. Each widget can be customized and sized separately.
This is Elementor’s hierarchy structure.
Page > Section > Column > Widget/Content element
Designing a page
Now that we know how the skeletal outline works, let’s go ahead and create a page. On WordPress’s page design interface, click the Edit with Elementor button. Soon you’ll see a plus (+), highlighted in red violet. Click on it to add a section. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
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. Simply drag any widget from the interface’s widget area and drop it onto them, be it a heading or an image. These widgets can be rearranged and rearranged within the page.
Now is the time for fine tuning the details and making the page more attractive. There are three main editing tabs to explore: Content, Style, and Advanced.
Designing a pre-existing or pre-made themed page is much easier than doing so 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?
Don’t get us wrong – based on what we’ve shown you so far, Elementor is surely poised to be among the very best WordPress web design plugins out there. However, nothing in this world is always perfect. 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. To get it working again, refresh it and reopen it.
- 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 Woocommerce Product Slider
- You may find that some editing adjustments don’t work as you expect. 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.
With that being said, it’s no wonder why many individuals like Elementor as a whole – it’s both a popular DIY solution for folks who may not have on-hand expertise with web design and a quick, feature-rich platform for a wide range of businesses.
We do have a few users in mind who will find Elementor more suitable. These are:
- Casual internet users. Elementor offers many customizable benefits that are especially useful for bloggers and website owners.
- Digital marketing professionals. Design tools aside, most of Elementor’s features are built to be marketing-ready – from the seamless integrations to thousands of platforms using Zapier to the pop-up and e-commerce widgets.
- Site builders. If creating websites for a handful of clients is your day job, then Elementor is a great stepping stone to get you to where you want to be. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
Alternatives to Elementor
Just because Elementor has advantages that may far exceed other contemporary web design plugins doesn’t mean you should consider it as the only choice worth considering.
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. On the other hand, Beaver Builder may not be as flashy as the other two plugins, but it still manages to pack as many essential design tools as possible 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. If you’re searching for a top-notch drag-and-drop page-building instrument for WordPress that’s stuffed with professional-grade design tools and features, with most of those core features offered for free, look no further than Elementor. Elementor Woocommerce Product Slider
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 Woocommerce Product Slider
Can I export or upload my templates to Elementor
Yes, you can import your templates to Elementor. You can create a new template using the Theme Builder. Additionally, you can import your personal themes to the website builder via the Templates tab.
Similar to the previous function, you can export your template files to be used on another WordPress site – useful if you work as a web-builder for multiple clients.
What pages can I make with Elementor?
With Elementor, you can create homepages, landing pages, landing pages, about pages, or any mixed-interest pages under the sun.
If you’re subscribed to Elementor Pro, you can create full websites and even online stores apart from numerous pages.
Is Elementor slowing 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.