Are you looking for the easiest ways to build your website from scratch? This in-depth, complete beginners guide on how to use Elementor like a pro even if it’s your first time will help you set up stunning websites instantly.
Elementor is a popular and free WordPress plugin page builder. There are no shortcodes to get familiar with. It’s the easiest drag and drop interface that allows you to complete optimization and customize your website in a few clicks.
You don’t need tech wizards to help you set up your page, all you need are easy-to-follow instructions, which is what this review offers, and a few expert tips to enhance the quality of your work. Be an instant web page developer that creates stunning websites of any niche.
Elementor is the most versatile page builder that is used by beginners and professionals alike. You can instantly create stunning websites from scratch and for free.
We’ll walk you through the basic steps on how to use Elementor and learn everything you need to know about WordPress plugins.
Elementor is a WordPress plugin page builder that perfectly works with almost any WordPress theme. It allows you to complete access and visual layout, designing, and customization. There are plenty of functionalities to include and have a clear vision through its simple interface.
To keep things in perspective, Elementor is a plugin and you’ll still need a theme. Elementor is a flexible page builder and compatible to work on almost any WordPress theme you’ll prefer.
You can also check our dedicated page for the Elementor theme page review that’s intensively crafted by experts to provide vivid details of how these page builders work intensively.
How Do I Use Elementor Plugin In WordPress
Since Elementor is a free plugin for WordPress, you will need to download it first from its website. If you are not sure about which plan to select or wanted to run the page builder for free, it offers a trial version that is already pretty decent and allows you to create stunning websites, to begin with.
There are two ways on how you can obtain the Elementor’s free plan. Either by going directly into your dashboard or visiting the Elementor page and download the ZIP file.
After you’ve downloaded Elementor’s ZIP file, you can start working on it. Find the best and most convenient way for you. First, you can navigate into your WordPress dashboard and check the plugin section. Click the ‘Add New” from the plugin sections and upload the file (.ZIP) into your website.
Once you install Elementor, you can activate and start working on it.
Second, you can access the free plan of Elementor through your dashboard. Check your plugin sections and search for “Elementor”. Once you’ve hit the search, the plugin will automatically appear and be ready to install Elementor.
You can click the icon ‘install’, wait for it to download, and press ‘Activate”.
These two options allow you to instantly access the free plan of this page builder. It will appear in your side menu and you can start adjusting the settings of these plugins.
Elementor allows you to edit and enjoy its functionalities when you create and edit posts and pages. Through its crystal clear and easy to use drag & drop interface, you can now customize your page settings anytime and however, you want it to appear.
Settings
Generally speaking, since Elementor page builder has a drag & drop interface, it’s vital to know which system you should use for customization.
Elementor page builder has categories that enable you to navigate with its widgets (individual page elements), columns (this is the section where widgets are located), and sections (this area is where you’ll find the widgets and columns).
The widgets are categories for contents that help you customize your website. The free plan allows you to access fundamental elements such as:
- Header
- Text Editor
- Button
- Icon
- Google Maps
- Image
- Video
- Divider
- Spacer
30 elements allow you to customize your website through the drag and drop process. In case you wanted to access more functionalities, you can upgrade your plan to the Elementor Pro.
Though there are huge differences to what you can access from the trial version compared to the Pro version, for beginners and starting, all the things you’ll need are accessible to the free plan.
Just to give you a quick glimpse of what you can access with the Pro plan, here’s a quick rundown with some of the features:
- Call To Action
- Portfolio
- Blockquote
- Form
- Price Table
- Flip Box
Pro elements provide a professional approach to most websites and support eCommerce designs plus integration of WooCommerce. Elementor also enables widgets from third-parties. These third-party add-ons expand the available widgets.
Upgrading from a free plan to the Elementor Pro will unlock more features to level up design integration. By doing so, you’ll be adding a few bucks. Here is the complete and updated Elementor cost and pricing list guide for reference.
How To Use Elementor: Page Builder (Free Plan)
Element offers a wide array of pre-made Elementor templates suitable for a variety of options, including building websites. You can customize the types of posts that you’ll create, use a template, and work under its user-friendly interface.
- Step 1. Create a new page or post.
Get started by navigating into the WordPress dashboard. Under your dashboard, you’ll see the section “Pages” or “post”. Click the “Add New” under the Pages or Post.
- Step 2. Edit your page or post with Elementor.
Wait for a couple of seconds until the screen loads. You can use WordPress as your default page/post editor or use Elementor.
To access Elementor, you need to click the button that says “Edit w/ Elementor”.
- Step 3. Enjoy the drag & drop interface.
The screen will be empty. You can start dragging and dropping elements from your dashboard’s sidebar. Play a little bit and see how the elements work as you navigate them from one place to another.
You can start with the page Heading. Check the box that indicates the word ‘Heading’. Hold down your mouse button, then start dragging it to the place that says you can drag your widget.
By default, this element will consume full width from your page. You can also customize the size of your heading by clicking the tiny ‘plus’ (+) button to help you customize its structure suitable for your page.
Once you’ve clicked this plus button you will be redirected to another option. This is where you will choose your structure. There are a variety of structures to select. You can choose a 3 column structure if you’d prefer.
Once you’ve clicked this icon, you’ll see new sections on your page. If you select a 3 column structure, it will instantly appear on the screen. Besides, all of these columns have the plus button icon.
You can start customizing everything on the new section by dragging and dropping widgets inside each column.
- Step 4. Edit and customize your settings.
Every element or section that you put on your page enables you to freely customize. You can check for the 6 dots (like those of dice) and start customizing.
For example, you can replace the headings style, contents, or features such as padding and margins (advance features), widget responsiveness, and more.
- Step 5. Publish the new page/post.
Since Elementor page builder offers a front-end interface editing tool, what you see when you are editing your page is the same as when you publish it in real-time.
This feature saves a lot of time for page developers as you don’t need to guess how your work in the process looks like when published. An interesting feature that Elementor offers to all its consumers.
Nonetheless, you can easily navigate and work with Elementor like a pro. There are no complicated shortcodes to learn for you to create stunning and professional websites.
Elementor breaks the traditionally complex process of site builder settings and development. You can start with a blank page or use templates. Either way works best for you.
Regardless of which plan you select, Elementor Pro offers more advanced features and additional widgets, unlike with the Elementor trial version. However, both offer fundamental and interesting features that help you build websites easily that have professional-grade layouts.
How To Work With Elementor (Theme Builder)
Elementor’s versatility never changes and allows you to explore wonderful ideas and put them in action. The theme builder is available on the Pro version. This feature enables you to custom fit your page’s headers and footers alongside your page content for a dynamic result.
The theme builder itself enables developers to override a lot of aspects from your WordPress theme. This way, you can retain those aspects that work perfectly for your design and change those you need to.
Once you’ve started building dynamic pages, you may want to continue editing content to match with your overall layout plan. The best part is if you’ve customized a layout or template, saving them for future reference is available and a great option. A time-saver. Get started by following these easy instructions.
- Step 1. Go to WordPress Dashboard and click ‘Templates”.
Once you’ve logged into your account, navigate your mouse into the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Templates’ section. You’ll find this under the Elementor’s side menu.
- Step 2. Import or Add New Template.
You will create a new template suitable for the header. If there is a header that matches your preference, you can use that template or import it. Otherwise, you can ‘Add New” customize a template.
The dialog box will pop up that allows you to select the type of template you’ll use. For this one, you’ll be selecting a header. Then you can enter the corresponding name of the template.
If you are using Elementor free plan, your options will be limited to page and section templates. While the Elementor Pro has several extra categorized templates such as archive, single, footer, header, and global widget.
- Step 3. Edit the New Template.
You may find the next step familiar as it ‘s the same when you create a new page. You are using Elementor for customizing a new header.
There are a variety of options when it comes to customization. You can create new layouts from different widgets or images and contents. Once you have saved the new header, it allows you to easily access it from the new page.
Elementor allows you to build custom templates for different kinds of pages and sections. Included on these options are product pages, blog archives, single post, footer, header, and page. All the templates that you have customized can be saved for future references.
The process is almost the same whether you wanted to create a header or a footer. Elementor is user-friendly and helps you work on its interface like a pro. You can easily follow it’s settings even without a manual.
Is Elementor Easy To Use
The most important feature that you have to check with page builder software is its ease of use. Whether a page builder offers stunning websites and tons of ready-made templates, if it’s not user-friendly, then it won’t be a good help.
Elementor stands-out to the competition because of it’s simple and easy to use interface. There are no shortcodes to get familiar with for you to create dynamic and professional-looking websites instantly.
One of the main reasons why it has millions of users and counting is because of its solid and convenience of use. It also has a free trial with all the basic information needed when building a new website. This dedicated Elementor tutorial will help you in getting started with your designs.
Elementor enables you to create impressive designs, page layouts, templates, customize posts, and more even if you are a beginner. This WordPress plugin requires zero codings to configure the settings when creating pages.
If you are a start-up business and budget is limited, Elementor has a free plan that allows you to create a dynamic website. You can set up your page alone as the drag and drop settings are user-friendly.
When it comes to loading speed, given the most compatible theme to use with this WordPress plugin, Elementor is fast. You can use Elementor to optimize your pages and make them SEO-friendly. There are a lot of ways on how you can enhance the speed of page builders.
Nonetheless, whether you edit with Elementor or use Elementor for website development, it is search engine optimization-friendly and built from strict codes to deliver outstanding performance when it comes to page designs and layouts.
How do I start Elementor
If you don’t know where to begin, this tutorial will help you instantly build websites like a pro. The first thing you need is the most advanced yet simple tool to transform your ideas into life. Elementor is trusted by millions when it comes to creating dynamic and professional-grade websites, it’s incredibly fast, easy-to-follow and the user interface is a time-savvy and life-changing experience.
Elementor has a free trial. There are two ways on how you can obtain this WordPress plugin. One, download Elementor on their official website. Second, you can access it through your WordPress dashboard and start from there.
Once you have Elementor on your WordPress dashboard, you can activate it and start to edit with Elementor on each section. Either you start from scratch or use pre-made templates. The possibilities are endless, you can save your custom-made layouts, designs, blocks, templates, and more.
Elementor is super easy-to-use. There are no shortcodes needed to get familiar with for you to create stunning pages. Upgrading to the Elementor Pro version unlocks more options, widgets, and settings. You can do this anytime, the free version is also a great start-up and provides all the basic settings you need to create pages.
Conclusion
One of the things that you have to check when looking for software or tools to help create a website is the convenience of use. Software that provides a free version that allows you to create a decent website instantly is a plus. Most web developers who’ve been using Elementor like its simple interface.
You can customize areas of your page that you want to improve or retain sections that look better with your design. Whether you start from a blank page or use a ready-made template, it allows you complete control. The front-end editing settings help you save time as you can visualize how the page or layout looks like while in process.
There is no need for saving and refreshing the settings for every simple change as it provides visuals to what you create. No wonder more and more developers trust this software. You don’t need complex settings on how to use Elementor and create designs like a professional website builder.
