Are you looking for a way to build a custom WordPress website but don’t know how to code?
The default WordPress editor lets you create custom content blocks, but you’ll need coding knowledge to create a custom site from scratch.
WP Composer offers a great middle ground. It provides near-endless customization options without requiring you to touch a single line of code unless you want to.
In this WP Composer review, we take an in-depth look at this WordPress page builder plugin so you can decide if it’s the right tool to help you build a custom website for you or your clients.
WP Composer Review: A High-Level Overview
WP Composer is a WordPress website builder that makes it easy to create a custom website. The drag-and-drop builder allows you to create a completely unique site without having to custom code anything.
The visual editor lets you customize your pages in real-time. It offers responsive editing, a wealth of design options, and global styles to help you make site-wide changes.
Here are some of the core features that set this WordPress page builder plugin apart:
- Easy to use drag and drop website builder to add, edit, rearrange, and delete website elements
- Responsive editing to preview and customize your site on any screen size
- Access a vast library of design elements that give you complete control over the design of your site
- Save and manage your custom designs for future use or other website projects
- Global styles to control the design of your entire website-
- Advanced customization options, including CSS, for granular website design control
- Animations, drop shadows, scroll effects, and more (on the premium plan)
- Built-in font and icon manager to access over 1500 Google fonts and 3500 icons
An In-Depth Look At Using WP Composer
Now that you understand what WP Composer does let’s examine how this plugin works in real time.
First, you need to install and activate the plugin. Then, you’ll be asked to enter your product key.
Note: For this tutorial, we’ll be using the pro version of the plugin since it gives us access to template packs, animation effects, and more, but there’s also a free version of the plugin available.
Helpful Setup Wizard
Once the plugin is installed and activated, you’ll be taken to the main plugin screen. Here, you’ll see three ways to access the page builder.
- Edit with WP Composer from your page or post list
- Edit the current page you’re viewing with WP Composer
- Edit the page via the link in the admin toolbar
After you open up the editor, a helpful setup wizard will walk you through making your first website customizations. All you need to do is read the overlay text on the screen and follow the directions.
The first thing you’ll be asked to do is create a column, which is where you’ll add different site items. Then, you’ll add new items to the newly created column.
It also shows you how to access the template library from the site editor toolbar. We’ll go more in-depth into the template and preset section below.
Exploring the Page Customization Options
To add new site elements to your page, you’ll add what’s called Items. These include image sliders, icons, headings, Google Maps, progress bars, spacing, and more. Think of these as the central elements you’ll use to customize your page.
There are over 50 items to choose from that allow you to build a truly custom website. Click on the item you want to add and drag it over to your page.
It will add it to your page along with demo content you can customize to your liking. Clicking the Edit icon will bring up all the available customization options, which will differ based on the item you’ve selected.
In this case, we can control the position, the animation and scroll effects, font choice, and more. If you know CSS, then you can also add additional CSS classes for complete control over the design.
For every section you add to your site you not only have control over the item, but you can edit the Row and Column too. Simply click on the Edit icon to bring up your list of options. This truly gives you granular control over the final design of your website.
Overall, the design options are too vast to cover in a single review, but if you’re a website owner with a specific vision in mind, you’ll be able to create it with this plugin.
It’s also worth mentioning that you can customize any WordPress theme with this plugin. However, this plugin comes with a free WordPress theme called Zoom Lite, which gives you the highest level of control and plays the nicest with the plugin.
Accessing the Template and Preset Library
There are several different ways to access the template and preset library. First, you can navigate to WP Composer and then Add New with WP Composer from your WordPress dashboard. Here, you can access the template library, which contains pre-built pages like about pages, blog pages, landing pages, service pages, contact pages, and more.
Click the Save and Start Editing button on one of the page templates. This will activate the page, so you can start customizing it however you’d like. You can customize every element on the page by clicking on it and bringing up the item options screen.
The other way to access the template library is through any page you’re editing. All you need to do is click the Templates and Presets icon, which will bring up the menu for you to select a layout pack, template, or preset.
WooCommerce Support
If you’re a WooCommerce store owner, then you can take advantage of the pre-built WooCommerce customization options. If you have WooCommerce installed, the item options will automatically be available.
Since WooCommerce pages aren’t the highest-converting right out of the box, this is a great way to improve their appearance and conversions.
WP Composer AI
Another cool feature is the built-in AI tools. You can activate the AI tool within the builder to quickly produce written text, images, and even custom code. It’ll draw context from existing site elements and content on the page.
If you’re struggling with creating content for your new website, this is a great feature to have. Plus, it supports multiple languages.
WP Composer Support and Documentation
You can take advantage of a few different support options if you’re using a premium version of the plugin. First, there’s a small video tutorial library within the main plugin page in your WordPress dashboard. Simply click the Support button to access it.
This isn’t the entire support library but contains video walkthroughs of the latest tutorials. There’s also an extensive documentation library that includes a variety of helpful video walkthroughs. It covers everything from installing a template to adding pricing list icons and more.
It would be nice to see article breakdowns as well. However, since it’s a newer plugin, we can expect the documentation library to grow over time.
Beyond the self-serve support options, you can also email their support team. They’re active Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 8 PM.
WP Composer Pricing
WP Composer is a feature-rich and highly customizable WordPress website and page builder that’s perfect for site owners who want to build custom sites without the cost of hiring a developer.
The free version of the plugin offers a lot of site-building functionality and is a great way to get started customizing your site. You get access to the drag-and-drop editor, inline text editing, AI integration, 35+ free site elements, and more. However, if you want access to the library of website templates, advanced animations and effects, background gradients, and more, you’ll need to opt for one of the premium plans.
Luckily, the pricing for the premium plans is very straightforward. It is based on the number of sites that need to use the plugin, and it is yearly.
Here’s a more detailed pricing breakdown:
| Number of Sites | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 | $35/year |
| 3 | $95/year |
| 5 | $155/year |
| 15 | $455/year |
This pricing structure makes it pretty easy to choose between plans, since all you need to do is figure out the number of sites you want to use the plugin on. Single-site owners can opt for the Pro plan, while developers or agency owners building a large number of sites will want to consider the Developer plan.
Final Thoughts on WP Composer
Overall, WP Composer is an advanced WordPress page and site builder that comes with everything you need to build a custom WordPress site. If this is your first time using a page builder, there will be a learning curve.
However, once you understand how the plugin works, it becomes easy to customize your site. Plus, the template library goes a long way toward setting the foundation for your site.
With WP Composer, you’re in the driver’s seat. You have exceptional control over the final design, and the built-in responsiveness ensures that your site looks great on every screen size.
WP Composer is a safe bet if you’ve been considering a page builder to create a custom website. You can always start with the free version of the plugin, allowing you to explore its capabilities before deciding to upgrade to a premium plan. And the best part? The pro versions of the plugin come with very transparent pricing.
Finally, it’s a newer plugin so you can expect the feature set to grow in time. Plus, it already packs some advanced features like AI integration and a large animation library to add advanced functionality to your site.
Keep reading the article at WP Mayor. The article was originally written by Kevin Wood on 2024-06-10 07:00:00.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.