Website creation has come a long way in the past few decades. A process that required multiple departments, project managers, and all kinds of experts who had to work together for months can now be done in a matter of hours by using page builder tools.
Many different visual page builder tools don’t require any coding or advanced skills to master, and the most popular tool is called Elementor. It’s the best WordPress page builder, and our Elementor for beginners guide will tell you how it works and why you need it.
Elementor Page Builder Explained
The Elementor page builder is a drag-and-drop website building tool designed for the WordPress platform. It’s basically a plugin that allows you to create unique, high-quality web pages using a visual editor without any previous knowledge.
The creators of Elementor wanted to provide a simple tool that allows users to create a WordPress website from scratch. It allows you to set up a website that fits your brand perfectly with ease. You can use it to choose every individual feature, font style, background image, and so on.
With over 90 available widgets for content creation, appointment booking, multiple button options, ratings, and progress bars, it can help you create the ideal website according to your business’s needs. In the hands of an experienced WordPress developer, advanced options such as script optimization, rollback versions, and custom attributes, the results can be incredible.
You can use the tool to create any type of website or landing page, sales pages, product pages, promotional pages, custom forms, and everything in between. As long as you can imagine the result, the software can make it happen.
Elementor in WordPress for Beginners
If you decide to give Elementor a try to build a website, you will have to start from the beginning. One of the best things about this tool is that it allows live editing. You can view every individual element during the entire design phase. Let’s take a closer look at how the tool works in practice.
Step 1 – Installing and Activating Elementor
The first thing you should do is find the Elementor page building tool in the WordPress repository. Type “Elementor” in the search bar and hit “Install Now” when you find it. Once installed, hit the “Activate” button to start using it.
Step 2 – Creating New Pages from Scratch
Navigate to your WordPress dashboard and select “Pages,” and click “Add New.” You will then see a blue button that says “Edit With Elementor.” Click it to open the Elementor editor.
Once you access the plugin, you’ll see a sidebar with all available features on the left hand side. The drag-and-drop feature allows you to quickly choose features and build the site from the ground up. Before you get started, you can select one of many pre-designed layouts or build one yourself. Let’s start with a pre-designed layout first.
Step 3 – Start Building the Page
The Elementor editor has three primary building blocks: Sections, Columns, and Widgets. Start your build with the largest blocks and work your way down from there. Pick the Sections first, as they can accommodate multiple Columns and Widgets.
The Sections and Columns are straightforward to set up. Once the backbone of the page is complete, you can add widgets to customize every detail such as animated headlines, testimonial carousels, image galleries, etc.
Elementor’s Live EditorManual Page Structure Design
As mentioned above, the Elementor page editor allows you to build a website layout from the ground up. If you can’t find a layout that works, you can adjust a few basic settings to start building a site in no time. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:
Step 1 – Choose the Layout
Open Elementor and click on the gear icon in the top left corner. You’ll see a drop-down menu with the available pre-designed layouts. Pick the one you like, and it will appear in the building section. You can then add or hide all features at will. For example, if you don’t want a title on top of the page, you can hide the entire section with a single click.
You can also change the background by clicking on the “Style” tab and experimenting with the available settings. The tool allows you to upload your images or design the background colors with a simple color palette.
Step 2 – Structurize Every Section
Once you select a section, click on the tiny plus icon above the “Drag widget here” option and customize each section individually. This option might be too much if you want to build a simple website, but it’s excellent for designs that incorporate many different features.
Use the drag and drop tool to add the widgets you want to that section and feel free to switch things around until you get the desired result.
Step 3 – Move Entire Sections at Will
If you’re happy with how one section looks, but you don’t like its location, you can move it to a different part of the page. You can also change the layout, style, and other advanced settings for each element. Try a few different setups until you find the one that works the best.
Step 4 – Extend Available Options with Elementor Pro
If you want to create a truly unique user experience, the Elementor Pro version will grant you access to advanced tools and options including the use of global widgets. The great thing about global widgets is that they display automatically on every individual page of your website.
In other words, you won’t have to set up every page manually. All widgets including menu bars, buttons, and options, are copied to all pages. You can save any site element as global widgets by selecting “Save As Global” after right-clicking on the element you want to keep.
Other Elementor Applications
Elementor page builder can help you do much more than creating a webpage. It’s also a versatile tool when it comes to creating popup elements for user engagement. You don’t need more than a few minutes to set up a stylish popup to generate leads.
The provided Elementor Theme Builder can help you design site features such as headers and footers. You can also use it to create memorable interactive forms, including weForms, Contact Forms, WPForms, Typeform, etc. If you use BetterDocs, you can even set up documentation to allow your visitors to find more information about your products, their use, etc.
Last but not least, Elementor offers seamless integration with WooCommerce allowing you to create a unique eCommerce website according to your customer’s needs.
Wrapping Up
The people behind the Elementor page-building WordPress plugin created a visual website-building tool that makes website design feel like a breeze. It shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to master all features, and you can keep using the tool to make further changes in the future.
With a bit of practice and a few good ideas, you can create your website without hiring expensive design experts. It’s an extremely useful WordPress plugin that can help you save a lot of time and money on website creation costs.
