Page Builders have a bad reputation in the WordPress community. The additional source code, which makes it easy to use, often has a negative impact on the website’s loading times. In addition, the dependency is often criticized, because it is not possible to keep the layout or (in some plugins) at least the content after the plugin is deactivated. I too, tried to do without the use of page builders wherever Possible, in order to avoid the unnecessary code overhead.
But then came Elementor.
Table of Contents
What Makes Elementor Special?
There are many reasons to choose this plugin. Here are the main Elementor benefits:
1. Superfast
Anyone who has ever used a Page Builder may know the following situation: Drag and drop an item onto the corresponding area of the website and the wheel rotates. The coffee has been roasted, ground, brewed and drunk and the cog is still spinning. Not so with Elementor. Any change is immediately visible. In the last weeks and months, I haven’t seen the live update work immediately.
2. Easy To Use
This small gif animation also serves as a transition to the next advantage. The operation of Elementor is very simple and intuitive. By clicking on the button “Edit with Elementor” in the admin area you get to the front view of the website. On the left are the available widgets, on the right are the areas into which the widgets are drawn. To edit an item, click it on the right, and the available settings open on the left.
3. Free
Even the free version of Elementor can easily compete with many premium page builders. Especially since you can extend the widgets in the free version with additional also free add-ons (see below). In the future, there will certainly be more widgets from both Elementor Team itself and third-party vendors.
4. So Many Templates
Perhaps you know the homepage templates from different hosting providers that consistently disregard every rule of good design. With Elementor, the templates can really be seen, even the free templates. They provide an optimal starting point for all newcomers to familiarize themselves with the settings of the plugin. In addition, the design process can be extremely shortened with the help of the templates.
What Happens If You Deactivate The Elementor Plugin?
Unlike many other page builders, Elementor does not leave a variety of shortcodes after disabling the plugin. If for whatever reason, you decide to stop using the plugin at a later time, you will be left with an unstyled HTML page with all the content. Depending on your own CSS capabilities, the optics of the page can then be polished up relatively easily. You could even apply the styles of the Page Builder to your own style sheet before uninstalling Elementor. With this trick, you would keep the design of the site and even optimize the performance.
Extensions/Add-ons for Elementor
Once a plugin has reached a certain level of awareness and popularity, there are many developers who program additional add-ons for the plugin. This is also the case with Elementor. Here are 3 popular plugins that provide multiple add-ons for Elementor:
1. Essential Addons Elementor by Codetic
Codetic’s Essential Addons Elementor plugin includes 7 free add-ons at the time of publication of this article. The “Post Grid” and the “Creative Buttons” add-on are worth mentioning here. With the “Timeline” function, I personally don’t like the implementation so much, because it is not a continuous timeline, but only 2 posts are related.
2. Elementor Addon Elements by Webtechstreet.com
The Elementor addon elements plugin also enriches its own website with 7 free add-ons including “price tables” and boxes with the popular flip effect.
3 Addons for Elementor by Elementor Addons (livemesh)
Addons for Elementor even add 13 additional add-ons to the Page Builder in the free version. “Post Grid” is on board as well as the “price tables” add-on. In addition, the plugin can enhance your website with animated “circle charts”, “counter stands”, “skill bars” or “post carousels”.
Elementor Vs Elementor Pro
Despite the many great features of the free version or precisely because the free plugin is so convincing, it is also worth a look at Elementor PRO. With more than 30 premium widgets, more than 75 premium website templates, global settings, etc., the workflow can be extremely shortened and achieve beautiful results without having to write a line of code yourself.
For Elementor PRO there is always an offer promotion. It is best to visit our deals and offer page regularly.
Best WordPress Themes for Elementor
On Elementor’s website, you will find a selection of free and premium WordPress themes that work well with Elementor. In general, Elementor would have to work with each theme, as it also includes its own page template (Elementor Canvas). This allows you to transform each page into an Elementor page. Among other things, I tried the following themes with the plugin:
1. GeneratePress
The WordPress Theme GeneratePress is definitely a good choice when it comes to free themes. Due to the “light construction” it helps websites to fast loading times. Even the premium version is cheap and comes with a fair license that is unlimited. I find it a little disappointing that you have to style the premium header in the backend and not in the customizer. GeneratePress harmonizes very well with Elementor. However, design over the full width of the screen is more difficult to implement.
2. Sydney
Another WordPress theme recommended by Elementor is Sydney. The first thing that stands out and at the same time confuses when you activate the Sydney theme is the recommendation to install the Page Builder by Site Origin, not Elementor. However, this message is easy to click away. Otherwise, the theme gets along very well with the Elementor plugin. The header area can be conveniently edited in the Customizer with live preview.
3. OceanWP
I would say that the ratings alone speak for themselves. There is hardly any other theme that has only 5-star reviews! Of all the WordPress themes I’ve tried, OceanWP works best with the Elementor plugin. It even seems to have been designed specifically for Elementor. But even without using the Page Builder, the Theme OceanWP probably won’t be missing from any leaderboard of free WordPress themes. The free version already includes settings like no other free theme with numerous premium features. With the PRO version of OceanWP, you can even add other features to your website, such as Sticky Header and Footer, as well as 10 other great Elementor widgets.
4. Astra
OceanWP’s many settings could also lead to confusion, especially for WordPress beginners. If you would like to keep it a little more minimalist, I recommend the Astra Theme. Here too, one has the feeling that the theme has been developed especially for Elementor. With less than 50 kB and SEO-optimized source code, there are great chances to create a fast website and achieve a good ranking among search engines.
The following web design formula is a bit older, but it is more relevant today than ever before:
Web Designing Formula:
WordPress + OceanWP Theme + Page Builder Elementor = Awesome Websites
The only small change I would make to the formula today is to replace the OceanWP theme with Astra.
Possible Errors When Using Elementor
So far, I have noticed the following errors when using Elementor:
1. Elementor And White Screen
After clicking on the “Edit with Elementor” button, the front view opens with the widgets on the left and the widget area on the right. In some cases, however, the right side is completely white. If this is also the case with you, then there is a good chance that you are using an outdated browser. The solution to the problem is to simply use a modern browser.
2. Drag & Drop Function of Elementor Widgets Does Not Work
But even with modern browsers, there can still be problems. For example, with the new Microsoft Browser Edge, the Drag and Drop feature does not work and the Elementor widgets cannot be dragged to the right. Again, I recommend you to use a different browser (preferably Firefox).
Conclusion
In my opinion, the plugin is a real “game-changer” for WordPress. All undecided users who do not yet agree on which CMS they want to use would have to choose WordPress simply because of Elementor. For all founders and small business owners who are considering creating their website with an 08/15 homepage kit themselves, I advise you to look at the Page Builder beforehand. No homepage kit can really keep up with this. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elementor will prevail among the various free and premium page builders and build its own ecosystem with numerous add-ons and themes within the WordPress community in the near future.
What Else Can Be Said About Elementor?
Have you tried Elementor before? What experiences have you had with the plugin?