Welcome to My Web Lab’s definitive guide on how to create a WordPress site using the Elementor page builder. This tool has quickly become a favorite among web designers around the world because of its ease of use and flexibility. Follow this step-by-step guide to turn your vision into an impressive website.
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How to create a WordPress site: an Introduction to Elementor page builder
Elementor is a page builder for WordPress that has completely changed the landscape of website creation. This intuitive plugin allows you to build web pages through a drag-and-drop interface, making the design process accessible to everyone without requiring any coding skills. Elementor offers a wide range of widgets and features that can be customized to create a unique and functional website. From adding text and images to changing colors and fonts, Elementor puts complete control of the layout in the hands of users, allowing them to realize their site’s vision in a precise and professional manner.
Elementor Free vs. Elementor Pro
This page builder, available in both a free and a paid Pro version, offers a wide range of tools and features for building professional, customized websites. The free version of Elementor is surprisingly feature-rich, allowing even less experienced users to create basic but aesthetically appealing websites. This version includes a variety of essential widgets, such as text, images and buttons, as well as predefined templates and design tools. With these tools, even without coding experience, you can create a site that is not only functional but also visually impressive.
By upgrading to Elementor Pro, the design possibilities expand greatly. This paid version adds a significantly greater level of depth and flexibility to your design experience. The Pro version includes a wide range of advanced widgets, ranging from advanced forms, sliders, maps and more, giving users the tools to create virtually any type of content they desire. It also integrates marketing and e-commerce features, enabling users to build powerful online sales sites, conversion-optimized landing pages and integrated digital marketing strategies.
Another key feature of the Pro version is the ability to create entire WordPress themes. This means you can go beyond simply creating pages and customize every aspect of your WordPress site, from the header to the footer, from archive pages to individual blog posts. This level of control is especially valuable for web developers and designers who want to create unique websites for their clients, offering tailor-made solutions that fit every need perfectly.
In conclusion, this page builder in both its versions offers a flexible solution for creating websites. While the free version is already powerful and versatile, the Pro version elevates the design experience to a whole new level, making it an indispensable tool for anyone who wants maximum control and flexibility in designing their websites.
How to Install Elementor on Your Site
Installing Elementor on your WordPress site is a simple and straightforward process. Start by logging into your WordPress dashboard and navigating to the “Plugins” section. From there, click on “Add New” and search for “Elementor.” Once found, click on “Install Now” and then “Activate” the plugin. After activation, you will be ready to use this page builder on your site. If you chose the Pro version, you will need to purchase a license from the official site and install the additional Pro plugin provided after purchase to unlock all the advanced features.
How to Connect Elementor Pro to Your WordPress Site
After purchasing the Pro version, connecting it to your WordPress site is a process that requires only a few steps. First, you will need to download the Elementor Pro plugin from the official website after completing your purchase. Next, in the WordPress dashboard, go to the “Plugins” section and select “Add New,” then “Upload Plugin” to upload the zipper file you downloaded. After installation, activate the plugin. Finally, to enable all Pro features, you will need to enter your license key in the plugin settings, which you will find in your account on the site. Once you enter the key, the Pro version will be active and synchronized with your site, ready to be used.
Using Elementor: 5 Essential Operations to Know How to Master
This page builder turns creating and managing websites into a simple and enjoyable process. To make the most of this tool, there are a few essential operations that every user should master:
1. Starting the Elementor Page Builder
To start using these page builder, you must first log into the WordPress dashboard and navigate to the page or post you wish to edit. There, you will find the “Edit with Elementor” button, which will launch the editor. You’ll be faced with an intuitive interface where you can drag and drop widgets and design elements directly onto your page. The editor gives you a real-time view of your design, allowing you to see changes as you apply them.
2. Add Sections, Columns and Widgets
The heart of building pages with this page builder is adding and customizing sections, columns, and widgets. A section is like a container that can house various columns and widgets. To add a section, simply click on the “+” symbol in the Elementor interface. Within these sections, you can place several columns, which in turn can be structured to create complex layouts. Finally, drag widgets from the Elementor widget area into the columns to add elements such as text, images, buttons, and more. These elements are all customizable in terms of size, colors, margins, and more, allowing you to create a page perfectly in line with your vision.
3. Modify Your Site Settings
With this page builder, you have the ability to make global changes that affect the overall appearance of your site. By accessing the Elementor settings panel, you can define default styles for your text, buttons, and images. This ensures consistency throughout your site and can save you valuable time. In addition, you can set global dimensions for containers, sections, and columns, ensuring that everything follows a precise design pattern. Customizing global settings is critical to maintaining a uniform and professional appearance throughout your website.
4. Check Revision History.
This editor has a useful revision history feature that allows you to go back to an earlier version of your work at any time. This is especially useful if you have made a change that did not turn out as expected and you want to easily restore the previous state. To access the revision history, click on the clock icon at the bottom of the Elementor panel. From here, you will have a chronological view of the changes you have made, with the ability to undo or restore specific actions. This review tool increases security in the design process, giving you the freedom to explore different design options knowing that you can always undo changes.
5. Make the site Responsive for Mobile
One of the most powerful features is its ability to create responsive websites, ensuring that your site looks flawless on all devices. This page builder provides specific display options for desktops, tablets, and smartphones. You can switch between these different display modes as you design your page and make device-specific changes. For example, you may want to resize certain titles for mobile devices or change the order of certain elements to ensure an optimal user experience. Elementor allows you to fine-tune every detail, ensuring that your site is not only beautiful to look at, but also functional and accessible on any screen.
How to Build a Page in Elementor (3 Methods)
Elementor offers several ways to create and manage pages on your WordPress site, providing flexibility depending on your workflow and desired level of customization.
1. How to Create a Standard WordPress Page.
When you don’t need the advanced features of Elementor, you can create a standard WordPress page that is simple and straightforward. The process begins in the WordPress dashboard, where you must select ‘Pages’ followed by ‘Add New’. This action takes you to the classic WordPress editor, a familiar environment for many users who prefer a more text-based and less graphical approach. Here, you can build your page by directly entering titles, text, and embedding images or other media through an interface reminiscent of traditional text processors.
This method is perfectly suited to creating pages that do not require complex structure or special designs, such as blog articles, informational pages, or announcement posts. After adding and formatting your content, with a simple click on ‘Publish,’ your new standard page will be immediately visible and working on your WordPress site.
2. How to Create a Page with Elementor
Elementor turns creating a WordPress page into a visual and interactive experience. If you’re ready to use this powerful page builder, start by selecting ‘Pages’ from the WordPress dashboard, then ‘Add New’. On the editing screen that follows, you’ll find the ‘Edit with Elementor’ button, which will launch you into Elementor’s visual editor.
Once inside, you are presented with a blank frame waiting to be shaped according to your creative vision. With Elementor, every element of your page becomes customizable: you can build your page element by element, choosing from a wide range of practical widgets, from simple text boxes to complex image sliders and interactive buttons.
Each widget can be dragged and dropped into your layout and customized down to the smallest details, from text color and size to subtle nuances such as shadows and animations. This level of control allows you to create rich, dynamic pages optimized to capture your audience’s attention and enhance the user experience on your site.
3. Use pre-installed templates
If you want to speed up your site design process, Elementor’s pre-installed templates are a great resource to take advantage of. In the Elementor editor, clicking on ‘Add Template’ opens a world of pre-packaged, ready-to-use designs to you. Each template is a masterpiece of design, designed for different needs and site styles, ranging from lively, welcoming homepages, to landing pages designed to convert, to clear, functional contact pages.
By choosing a template, you can import it into your page with a single click and then begin the customization process. Insert your own text, replace images, and change colors to fit the template to your brand identity or personal preferences. This approach not only saves you time but also gives you inspiration and a solid foundation for building a website that is both professional and unique.
How to Find and Install Predefined Elementor Templates.
Elementor makes it much easier to access a wide range of predefined templates, making the website design process both efficient and enjoyable. When you access the Elementor editor, you will notice a distinctive template library icon in the top toolbar. Clicking this icon opens a window that reveals the entire collection of Elementor templates, which includes both free and exclusive options for Elementor Pro users.
This library is intuitively organized, allowing you to filter templates by category or tag, or use the search bar to quickly find a specific design that fits your needs.
Once you have identified the ideal template for your page, you can simply click ‘Insert’ to integrate it directly into your design. This is especially useful for speeding up the development process, especially when you are working under pressure or have upcoming deadlines. Each template is fully customizable, allowing you to modify each element to fit your unique vision or brand needs. You can change text, colors, images, and structure the layout to perfectly reflect your corporate or personal identity.
Using Elementor’s predefined templates not only speeds up the process of building your site, but also provides a great source of inspiration. By exploring the various designs, you can get fresh ideas and deepen your understanding of the design potential that Elementor makes possible. This method of working is ideal for both beginners looking to learn and grow in the field of web design and experienced professionals who want to streamline their workflow without compromising the quality and aesthetics of the final site.
How to Build Templates with Elementor
Building custom templates with Elementor is a process that allows you to create unique designs that can be reused throughout your site or in various projects. To begin, open the Elementor editor and design your page with sections, columns, and widgets as needed. Once you are satisfied with the layout, you can save it as a template by clicking on the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner of the Elementor editor, then select ‘Save Template’. Assign a name to your template so you can easily recognize it in the future.
These templates can then be reused for new pages or on different sites. To use your custom template, create a new page and click on ‘Add Template’. You will find your template saved under the ‘My Templates’ tab. This method ensures consistency and saves time, especially when working on projects with recurring design elements.
Tips and Tricks for Getting Started with Elementor
Getting started with Elementor can be exciting, but there are some tips and tricks that can help you get the most out of your design experience.
- Explore the Style Options: Take the time to familiarize yourself with the different style options available for each widget. This will give you more control over the final look of your site.
- Use Saved Sections: If you create an area of your site that you think you would like to reuse, save it as a section. This allows you to maintain stylistic consistency and work more efficiently.
- Learn Breakpoints: Understanding how breakpoints work in Elementor will allow you to create a truly responsive site. Elementor allows you to customize breakpoints for mobile, tablet and desktop devices.
- Experiment with Animations: Elementor offers a variety of animations that can add vibrancy to your site. Experiment with them in moderation to avoid overloading your page.
- Regular Backups: While Elementor has a review feature, it is always a good practice to maintain regular backups of your site in case of errors.
- Use Margins and Padding: Having a good understanding of how to use margins and padding can help you fine-tune your layout and make your site look more professional.
- Learn Shortcodes: Although Elementor is primarily a drag-and-drop page builder, knowing how to use WordPress shortcodes within Elementor can further extend the functionality of your site.
By following these tips, you will be well equipped to begin your journey with Elementor and create amazing websites with ease and confidence.