When it comes to page builders for WordPress, Elementor is undoubtedly a leader. This tool has already helped build over 8 million websites, winning users’ hearts with its simplicity, speed, and incredible flexibility. Elementor offers everything you need to create impressive WordPress websites, from beginners to professionals. This article will reveal everything you need to know about this tool. Find out why Elementor has become a favorite in the web development world and how it can transform your next project.
What is Elementor on WordPress?
Elementor is a page builder for WordPress that is a great alternative to the standard Gutenberg block editor. Its main advantage is that it provides ready-made sections, pages, or even complete website templates that users can easily import to their hosting and adapt to their business’s individual needs. This process greatly simplifies and speeds up the creation of websites from scratch.
Elementor allows users to create web pages directly in a visual editor where they can see the results of their work in real-time. Using the plugin is similar to the work of an artist painting on a canvas: you can add, move, and customize elements with the mouse. The basic version of Elementor offers a wide range of tools and widgets, including text blocks, images, buttons, and sliders, providing considerable design flexibility.
For those looking for even more options, Elementor Pro extends the functionality of the basic version by providing additional professional tools such as forms, portfolios, animated headers, and full-fledged theme templates. This allows developers and designers to create more complex websites, including online stores and large corporate portals. Elementor works with all WordPress themes supported by version 5.0 and above, allowing users to continue using their favorite templates with new functionality. You can easily integrate your design with existing content without being limited by the theme. Elementor changes the perception of the website development process, making it accessible to anyone who wants to express themselves on the Internet.
Benefits of Using Elementor
Elementor provides WordPress users many options for creating and customizing websites. Here are the main ones:
Elementor greatly simplifies creating WordPress websites by offering a simple drag-and-drop interface that enables real-time visual editing. Thanks to the extensive library of widgets, users can easily add text, images, buttons, and videos and use sliders to enrich the site’s functionality. Elementor also provides full mobile responsiveness, allowing the site to look perfect on any device.
Pre-built templates help users quickly customize the design of their pages, while the advanced features of Elementor Pro allow users to create custom headers, footers, and other elements without coding. This version also integrates with WooCommerce, providing a deep dive into e-commerce.
Elementor interacts with leading marketing platforms, optimizes SEO, and allows you to create complex data collection forms. With tools for adding dynamic content and animations, Elementor makes every website functional and visually appealing. Moreover, support for multilingual websites opens up opportunities for international companies. If you need a flexible, powerful website-building platform, Elementor is a choice worth considering.
- Drag-and-Drop interface
- Real-time visual design
- Extensive widget library
- Mobile responsiveness
- Pre-built templates
- Full customization of themes
- Elementor Pro
- Integration with marketing and social tools
- SEO optimization
- Advanced feedback forms
- Built-in style elements
- Interactivity and animations
- Multilingualism
- Change history and backup recovery
Elementror vs. Elementor Pro
Elementor stands out from other web page builders because of its free plan, which provides users with all the tools they need to build personal and corporate websites.
The free plan includes:
- Full use of the builder, access to real-time editing, mobile versions, tracking change history, and more.
- More than 30 basic widgets: tools for adding text, images, maps, audio, and other elements.
- More than 40 free templates: a variety of pages and blocks for different website needs.
For those who need more advanced features, Elementor Pro offers paid plans:
- Premium templates and widgets: More than 300 high-quality templates and over 100 blocks for advanced design options.
- Theme Builder and WooCommerce: Tools for creating custom themes and customizing your online store.
- Advanced marketing and integration features: Including pop-ups, feedback forms, MailChimp integration.
- Control over CSS and access to premium support: The ability to implement your own CSS and access 24/7 support.
Elementor Pro also offers the ability to use a single widget on multiple pages, automatically applying all changes to the appropriate places on the site. Different plans, “Personal,” “Plus,” and “Expert” differ in the number of sites on which the plugin can be used, which provides flexibility for different types of users – from individual developers to agencies that serve multiple sites.
How much does Elementor cost?
Elementor Pro is available in various pricing tiers tailored to the number of websites you want to utilize it on, providing cost-effective options suitable for different levels of website development needs:
- Essential Plan – 1 site: $59
- Advanced Plan – 3 sites: $99
- Expert Plan – 25 sites: $199
- Agency Plan – 1000 sites: $399
How Elementor Improve WordPress Functionality
Elementor significantly extends the functionality of WordPress in a variety of ways, simplifying site design, improving integration with marketing tools, and impacting site performance.
Here is a detailed overview of these improvements:
Better design: Elementor changes the way users approach the design of WordPress websites by providing a flexible drag-and-drop interface. This tool allows users to visually design pages without programming knowledge, democratizings.
- Visual Design Interface: Users can see changes in real-time as they adjust layouts, add elements, and customize pages, making it easy to achieve the look they want without switching between the dashboard and the live site.
- Wide range of widgets: Elementor includes various widgets for adding complex elements such as carousels, hero images, and interactive counters. These features can be dragged and dropped into place, offering advanced design options beyond traditional WordPress themes.
- Responsive design controls: The plugin allows designers to customize settings for different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) in one interface, ensuring that the website will look good on all screen sizes without additional plugins or custom code.
Integration with marketing tools: Elementor integrates seamlessly with a number of marketing tools and platforms, increasing its usefulness for digital marketing strategies:
- Email Marketing Integration: Elementor supports direct integration with popular email marketing services such as MailChimp, ConvertKit, and HubSpot, allowing users to easily embed signup forms on their pages that can be designed and hosted in Elementor to maximize conversion rates.
- Conversion popups and widgets: With Elementor Pro, users can create custom pop-ups that integrate with these marketing tools, providing opportunities for temporary discounts, newsletter signups, and more. These features help you run effective conversion-oriented marketing campaigns directly from your WordPress site.
Role in website performance
Although Elementor offers significant benefits, it also affects website performance:
- Page load speed: Elementor’s complex design elements and dynamic content can lead to increased page load times if not managed properly. However, the plugin offers built-in optimization tools that help mitigate some of the performance impacts.
- Optimization features: Users can use the Elementor-optimized widget set and lazy loading of images only when they are in the viewport. In addition, the code generated by Elementor is constantly being improved to ensure it is as efficient as possible.
- Responsiveness and SEO: Elementor’s designs are inherently responsive, improving the user experience and positively impacting search engine optimization. In addition, the clean code and the ability to add alternative tags and meta descriptions directly in the builder help improve search engine visibility.
Elementor in WordPress offers a comprehensive set of tools that improve functionality, integration, and performance, making it a good asset for any WordPress user looking to boost their web presence.
Challenges and Considerations of Using Elementor
While Elementor is a powerful tool for building websites on WordPress, there are several challenges and considerations that users should be aware of to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.
Potential Drawbacks in Elementor
- Site Bloat: Elementor, particularly when used with a large number of widgets and add-ons, can lead to site bloat. This can increase page loading times as more code is required to load each element on your pages.
- Conflicts with Other Plugins: Elementor may not always work seamlessly with other WordPress plugins. These conflicts can lead to functionality issues or even break parts of your site, particularly if the plugins are manipulating similar aspects of your website.
- Overdependence on Elementor: Building a site entirely with Elementor can lead to overdependence, where removing Elementor could disrupt the site’s layout and functionality. This can make switching themes or plugins problematic.
Best practices for using Elementor
To mitigate some of the potential downsides and maximize the effectiveness of using Elementor, consider the following best practices.
Optimize for performance:
- Limit the Use of Widgets: Only use widgets that are necessary for your design to avoid excessive load times.
- Regularly update and maintain: Keep Elementor, along with any themes and plugins, updated to ensure compatibility and security. Regular maintenance also helps in identifying and resolving any performance issues quickly.
- Optimize images and videos: Use optimized images and lazy load videos to improve page loading speeds.
Choosing the right add-ons:
- Select compatible add-ons: Ensure that any add-ons or plugins are fully compatible with Elementor to avoid conflicts that can break your site.
- Quality over quantity: Choose high-quality, well-reviewed add-ons developed by reputable developers. This can prevent issues related to poorly coded plugins.
Design with responsiveness in mind:
- Test on multiple devices: Regularly test your site’s design on various devices to ensure it looks and works well across all platforms.
- Use responsive editing tools: Utilize Elementor’s responsive design settings to adjust how elements look on different screens without needing separate plugins.
Backup your site regularly:
- Implement regular backups: Before making significant changes with Elementor, ensure you have a recent backup. This is crucial for recovering your site if something goes wrong during editing.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Elementor is a robust and intuitive page builder for WordPress. Elementor comes with a rich library of widgets and templates that increase design flexibility, and its Pro version offers additional advanced features such as theme creation and WooCommerce integration. Elementor is especially well suited for those who value creative control and flexibility in their web design processes, including freelancers, marketers, and companies looking to build a solid online business.
If you are considering using Elementor for your WordPress projects and need expert support, Artilab is here to help. Our team of professionals has extensive experience with Elementor, ensuring that we know exactly how to utilize its capabilities to meet your unique website needs.