Elementor Pro Review
The word ‘Elementor’ has a unique ring to it. It sounds like something from the future or a fictional character from a movie. But in reality, it’s one of the most popular WordPress page builder plugins.
If you’re a website developer and looking for the perfect page builder plugin for your workload, look no further than Elementor. You can either use the free version or get a subscription for the paid one. It entirely depends on what functionalities you want and the scale of your work.
In this review, we’ll cover all of the features that Elementor boasts. Consider it our take on probably the best drag and drop tool out there.
But before that, you might be wondering what a page builder plugin is if you’re new to the game. Let’s take a brief look.
What is a WordPress Page Builder?
WordPress is undoubtedly one of the most popular platforms for web developers thanks to its seamless integration with PHP and MySQL. The page builder option allows you to customize your website as you want. However, the platform is quite old and the user interface is pretty limited in terms of options.
That’s where aftermarket or third-party page builder plugins like Elementor comes into play. Its purpose is to upgrade the default WordPress editor and allow you more ways to bring your creativity to life. You get to access advanced layout options that include multiple rows and columns.
On the other hand, the default page builder is limited to adding texts and images to your website in a linear manner. With a good plugin like Elementor, you can take your workflow and customization game to another level.
What is Elementor Page Builder?
Just as the name suggests, Elementor is a page builder plugin for WordPress. It was released back in 2016 and web developers have been going crazy over it since then. It utilizes the ever-popular drag and drop method while building pages. It makes the customizations a lot easier and more dynamic when compared to the default editor.
Over the years, the plugin has evolved and developed a lot. It included even more features to get the attention of the users. Since its release, Elementor has recorded over 5 million installs across the world! And it has maintained a hefty 4.8 rating on the official WordPress website as well. During its existence, it has become one of the best visual WordPress editor tools!
Features of Elementor
We know you’ve been waiting for this section. This is where we talk about different features and technicalities that make Elementor a one-off tool to invest in.
The Installation
Before you use Elementor page builder or any WordPress plugin, you need to install it. And WordPress plugins are notoriously known for being very hard to install. Anyone who uses the platform has experience with installation errors and technical difficulties.
However, that’s not the case with Elementor. Just as you would add any other plugin on your WordPress dashboard, you just add Elementor. Even if you decide to go with the paid version, uploading the ZIP file is very straightforward.
Keep in mind that having the free version installed is mandatory if you want to invest in the paid version.
User Interface
Your first interaction with the Elementor page builder algorithm will be through the user interface. And that’s the perfect place to start.
The first and most prominent feature that’ll grab your attention is the Elementor Finder. It’s designed to solve one of the inherent problems of other page builders. In a regular page builder, making changes to a page or a design element means a lot of clicks, or quitting the application altogether. This is not only frustrating, but it takes a lot of time to configure individual pages as well.
You won’t face this problem with Elementor at all. You can click on the Finder search bar or press CTRL+E to enable the search bar. All you have to do now is search for what you’re looking for. And clicking on the search result will directly take you to that page.
The only drawback we found in the system is that it doesn’t allow you to find widgets. If you happen to work with a lot of them, it might be a painstaking journey for you.
The Side Panel
The side panel on the Elementor page builder plugin is your master control for your developments. As you already know, it’s a straightforward drag and drop tool. The side panel is where you grab your elements from. A very good feature of this side panel is that it takes minimal space on your design screen. So, you can have enough space to move your elements around.
Another great thing is that you simply expand the sidebar to your preferred size. The tiny arrow button will help you get the right size. When you click on the button, the sidebar completely disappears and allows you to view your page as the uses would. You can also press CTRL+P to toggle the bar.
At the bottom of the page builder sidebar, you have more options like the settings, navigator, preview changes, history, and so on.
When you look at the side panel closely, you’ll find two icons on two top corners. One is three horizontal bars that take you to the page settings. And the other one is a grid that takes you to the Elementor library.
Section Navigator
We’ve already mentioned that Elementor is one of the most famous visual page builder tools out there. The section navigator feature has a huge contribution to the fact. The section navigator is a floating window. Just as the name suggests, it allows you to jump between ‘sections’ of your page layout.
The Preview Window
One of our most favorite features. In most WordPress plugins or page builder tools, you must refresh the browser or open another tab just to see your changes take place. But that’s not the case with Elementor. It has a handy preview window for the updates in real-time, as soon as you make the change.
Layout Options
One of the biggest reasons to opt for a third-party page builder plugin is the layout. The default editor on WordPress is very limited in terms of layout customizations. But with Elementor, you have the utmost freedom to design your own website layout.
It all starts with you clicking on the ‘Add New Section’ on the Elementor plugin. From there, you get plenty of layout options to select from. Moreover, you can add more columns as you develop your page!
Editing and Styling
When the plugin first came out, your only option was to edit the layouts and columns from the side panel. But with an update, Elementor fixed it. You can edit and style your page as you want with click drag and drop.
It’s one of the prime reasons behind Elementor’s popularity. The constant updates. The users are very vocal about their experiences and the development team listens to all of them. However, this particular plugin tends to force styling. So, if you want absolute minimalistic design, you may want to stick to the default WordPress editor.
Elementor Pro vs Free
You might be thinking if Elementor is so good, why would you want to invest in the paid version? It’s true.
The free version of Elementor is good enough for numerous page designs. But Elementor Pro is specifically designed for professionals. Just like any other ‘Pro’ tools do.
Elementor Pro is equipped with tools to speed up your development, workflow, deployment, and maintenance process. It also has handy tools that help you convert more sales.
Here are some amazing features of Elementor Pro:
Theme Builder
Elementor Pro comes with an integrated theme builder option which you don’t get in the free variant. You will no longer be constrained with your theme options. You get tremendous customization options on your theme as well!
Manage Forms Visually
If you’re a professional website developer, there is nothing new to tell you about the importance of forms. They work as the primary tool for conversion and lead generation. However, they are a pain to manage.
With Elementor Pro’s visual form management feature, you can design and integrate the forms you want without any prior knowledge of development. The entire process has been revolutionized by Elementor with the introduction of visually designable forms.
Templates
Templates are blessings for all kinds of developers. And it’s especially true for web developers. It not only widens the door for design possibilities but can also break creative blocks by supplying new ideas.
Elementor Pro comes with various templates and blocks to allow you maximum freedom over your design choice. You can go ahead and select any template to start with and make it your own creation through customization.
Final Words
In a world where WordPress reigns over any other web development tool, the introduction of Elementor is not surprising. However, the execution of the page builder plugin is amazing. It’s one of those tools that care for the developers more than anything. All of the features that you have been missing out on while using WordPress, get them with Elementor Pro.