10 Reasons I Recommend ThriveThemes to All of My Clients
Do you ever see those awesome looking websites and wonder how they did it? Are you the type of person who wants the absolute best software for your business? Or, maybe you just want something that's easy to use?
Well, I've got a software recommendation for you that I tell all of my clients about. And, if you said “yes” to any of the questions above, this might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Want to listen? There's an audio version below
Over the past six years, I've built a business that allows me to work from anywhere. In the early stages of my business, I was cheap. I didn't invest in what I was doing, and I didn't follow the guidelines for new bloggers I shared here.
However, after getting frustrated with what I had, I started looking for better solutions that would help me get better results. And, by “better results,” I mean more subscribers, more sales, and more clients.
Related: How I Use $2,081.39 in Software to Run My Business From Anywhere
But there's one tool I used on almost every page. There's one tool I use for every website my company builds. And there's one tool that I now recommend to almost all of my clients, especially the ones who're just getting started online.
That tool is ThriveThemes.
Now don't let the name fool you. ThriveThemes is more than just WordPress theme software.
The full ThriveThemes software suite includes:
- Multiple WordPress themes
- A complete lead capture plugin
- Powerful quiz-building software
- A headline split-testing function
- Full landing page customization software
- And more!
And, while I am a big fan of ThriveThemes and what their management team is doing, their software isn't without issues. If you're interested in knowing my hesitations about recommending TT, scroll to the bottom.
Ok, let's look at why I'm constantly recommending ThriveThemes and why my clients are always asking me for my affiliate link so they can get it too!
10 Reasons I Recommend ThriveThemes to All of My Clients
Before you continue, please let me say that Thrive's themes and plugins only work with WordPress. If you're not using WordPress, this software won't help you. To get started with a WordPress blog, click here to learn more.
1: Drag and Drop Editor
One of the things that makes ThriveThemes so amazing is their drag and drop editor, Thrive Architect. If you've been confused by other website builders, or if you've felt limited with other themes and what they can do, you'll love Thrive Architect.
Before switching to TT, I used Genesis themes, but I felt very limited on what they could do, and I didn't feel like I could create the landing pages I wanted to create. So, I invested in OptimizePress, but that software was also limited and not as easy to use as Architect.
If you want the easiest to use and most powerful drag and drop editor for WordPress, check out Thrive Architect.
2: Pre-Built Templates!
But ThriveThemes doesn't stop after giving you the tools to build amazing landing pages. They also give us pre-built landing page templates, lead box templates, and more!
As soon as you create a page and edit it with Architect, you'll have the option to load up a template that was expertly created by the TT Team. Each pre-built landing page template is fully customizable in every way. You can change the colors, move elements around, and add whatever you want or need to align the template with your brand.
And you get that same power and flexibility with every lead box, pop-up, and welcome mat you create with Thrive Leads.
3: Faster Loading Times
One thing I'm always thinking about is website loading speed. I don't want anything on my sites that slows down the user experience.
TT's themes knock this part out of the park, and they help you and me in two ways.
First, Thrive's Themes are built for speed. They don’t have extra code, and inside Architect, you even have the option to strip out excessive CSS code that can lead to longer load times. I don't know all of the technical bits about how PHP and HTML work, but some themes are just slower than others. TT's themes are just plain fast.
Second, if you've heard, seen or read me talking about website speed and image optimization, you'll be happy to know that with every Thrive theme, you get automatic optimization with Kraken.io. Built into every theme is a setting you can enable that automatically optimizes (either lossy or lossless, it's up to you) every image you upload.
Unnecessarily large images are one of the biggest causes of slow websites, and ThriveThemes will help you take care of that.
In fact, the TT team has specifically addressed speed in their sales FAQ:
4: Built-In Split-Testing
I love split-testing. I get a kick out of creating both A and B options to see which one performs better. Split-testing (aka A/B testing) is built into almost everything ThriveThemes has.
They have a plugin called Thrive Headline Optimizer that allows you to test multiple titles for posts and pages to see which one gets more shares and interactions. Here's how I'm using Thrive Headline Optimizer on the post you're reading right now:
They a plugin called Thrive Optimize that allows you to create two versions of a landing page to see which one converts better and captures more leads, gets more webinar registrations, etc.
And, with Thrive Leads, you can split test every optin box, light box, and lead magnet you create. In February's issue of Catalyst Monthly, I shared the tricks I used to get a 79.31% on one of my optin forms. With Thrive Leads, you can split test colors, borders, shapes, images, just about anything, and it's awesome!
Oh, and the split-testing elements built into Thrive Themes don't hide the test data or make it hard to find. Every test is clearly presented, and you can let the software determine a winner, or you can choose one manually. It's powerful, simple, and easy to understand.
5: Constant Improvement
About twice a month, Thrive Themes releases updates to their software. Sometimes it's a patch; sometimes they're adding something new.
Just recently they added a new feature to Architect that allows you to change your colors on every landing page so that your branding is consistent. A few months ago, they added a feature that allowed me to save elements on one page so I can use them on another page without having to either copy the entire page and delete what I didn't need or have to recreate the element I wanted.
The team at Thrive Themes is always taking feedback from their users and adding new features. With a membership, every improvement is included.
6: Everything is Included
Before I started using Thrive's software, I bought themes from Genesis, landing page software from OptimizePress, headline optimization and split-testing from KingSumo, and I bounced between about three different other plugins for lead capture.
With a subscription to Thrive Themes, everything is included.
And, by getting both themes and plugins from the same developer, everything works together and there are no conflicts. Having everything work together has saved me tons of time and has streamlined my business so that I spend less time tweaking settings, and more time coaching my clients and building my business.
Click here to see how ThriveThemes compares to Divi Themes and the Divi Builder
7: Massive Value
At this moment, to get every theme, plugin, and tool from Thrive Themes, it's about $228 a year. To you, that might not be a lot, but when I started, I had to give myself a pep talk just to spend $100 on OptimizePress.
Before switching to TT, I'd spent about $500 on a developer package with StudioPress (now included free with a WPEngine hosting account). I'd spent $99 for OptimizePress, plus another $199 for upgrades, and $25 a month for their membership to get new landing page templates. I'd spent $150 on KingSumo Headlines so I could split-test my blog post titles. And, I purchased OptinSkin for $80 a few years ago so my lead boxes weren't ugly.
To get a comparable solution from LeadPages, you'd pay $199 a month. If you're looking at ClickFunnels, expect to pay over $30 a month, and all you get are sales pages (but you can use ClickFunnels without WordPress).
Click here to see how ThriveThemes stacks up against LeadPages
Click here to see how ThriveThemes compares to ClickFunnels
Thrive Themes provides it all, from a trusted and reliable source, where everything is designed to work together, for $228 a year. (NOTE: TT pricing is expected to go up).
8: Regular Updates
The TT team stays on top of all WordPress developments and they respond to changes in the marketplace. I've never worried about broken plugins or delayed updates.
Look at the theme you're using. When was it last updated? If your current theme hasn't been updated in more than a year, it's probably time to get a new theme from a new developer.
Updates and improvements are critical when it comes to software. From bug fixes to security patches to GDPR compliance, it's important for your website to be up to date. With Thrive Themes and their suite of plugins, I haven't had to worry.
9: Integrated Integratedness
Integrated into every Thrive theme and plugin is an API connection tool that allows you to integrate with your other services with just a few clicks. Integrated integratedness!
Instead of having to rely on Zapier (which I love by the way), you can connect your site directly to your email software, your webinar software, and all sorts of other things. When you connect point A (your site) directly to point B (your email service, etc.) you reduce the possible points of failure in your business. And reducing the chances of things breaking is a good thing.
10: It's Easy to Use
If everything else I've mentioned wasn't enough, everything with ThriveThemes is easy to use. With Architect, you can drag elements onto your pages, resize them, make columns, change colors… it's all easy. With Thrive Leads, you can create amazing lead capture boxes with ease on your own or use one of their pre-built (and included) templates. And if you want to run a split-test, just duplicate the optin box and run the test.
Over the past six years, I've worked with a lot of software companies, and some of them are easier to use than others. Oftentimes, the easier the tool is to use, the more expensive it is. Thrive Themes is easy to use, but it doesn't break the bank.
Other Considerations & My Hesitations
As I mentioned above, there are a few things to consider before investing in a ThriveThemes membership.
First, the membership is $228 a year. Forever. Yes, you can stop paying and still use the software (which is super-nice and something not everybody offers) to keep getting support and new features, you have to continue to pay. Not a big deal and certainly not a deal breaker, but worth noting.
Second, I was hesitant to get all of my software from a single source. If TT goes belly up, technical support ends and no updates are provided. However, these types of online software companies rarely go out of business. Their costs are low, their profits are high(er), and as long as people continue to pay, they'll never run out of money.
Third, I wasn't a fan of using a website builder based on shortcodes. If you disable the plugin that reads the shortcodes, your shortcodes don't work and all your visitors see is a block of code on your site when they visit. ThriveThemes isn't set up that way. While they do use shortcodes, most of their pages work with lots of HTML code and CSS.
Fourth and finally, this isn't really cautionary, but it's worth noting. Almost everything in ThriveThemes has a video tutorial showing you how the element works and how to use it. Some plugins have one or two training videos, TT has dozens (if not hundreds). There's a lot to learn when using any software for the first time, and the Thrive team has made just about everything easy to understand.
Final Thoughts
I wasn't kidding; over half of my clients now use Thrive software. I built my wife's non-profit website using Architect, and I have some of my best friends using it. I would not recommend anything I wouldn't use myself, and I feel good about recommending ThriveThemes to you.
