Step-By-Step Guide to Elementor

Elementor is an incredibly popular page builder for WordPress. It utilizes a simple drag-and-drop interface, making it possible for anyone to create visually appealing layouts without needing to know code. This guide provides detailed steps to get you started with Elementor.

Step 1: Install and Activate Elementor

First, you need to have Elementor installed and activated on your WordPress site. Follow these steps:

Step 2: Create Your First Page with Elementor

Now that Elementor is installed and activated, you can start building your first page:

1. Navigate back to the left-hand side menu and click on “Pages”.
2. From the ‘Pages’ dropdown, select “Add New” to create a new page.
3. At the top of the screen, you’ll see a field for entering the title of your page.
4. Once you’ve added a title, click on the large blue “Edit with Elementor” button located beneath the title field.

Step 3: Get Familiar with the Elementor Interface

The Elementor interface is divided into two primary areas:

1. The editing area: The largest part of the screen, this is where you’ll see a real-time preview of your website as you build it. Any section in this area can be clicked on for editing.
2. The widget panel: Located on the far left side of the screen, this panel contains various widgets like text, images, buttons, and more. Each widget can be dragged and dropped onto your page in the editing area.

Step 4: Build Your Page

1. Add sections: From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the left-hand side menu and click on “Pages”. Select “Add New” to create a new page. Type in the title of your page in the field at the top of the screen. Now click on the large blue “Edit with Elementor” button located beneath the title field. In the Elementor editor screen, you’ll see a large ‘+’ icon in the middle of the editing area. Click it to add a new section. A small pop-up will appear in the middle of your screen with different column structures. Choose your preferred one.
2. Add widgets: In the Elementor editor, you will find a dark-gray panel on the left side of your screen. This is the widget panel that holds all the various widgets like text, images, buttons, etc. Each widget is represented by a small square with an icon and a label. Click on the widget you want to use, hold the mouse button, drag it over to the right side into the section you just added, and then release the mouse button to drop it there.
3. Adjust section layout: When you hover your mouse over the section you just added, you’ll notice a blue border appearing around it. At the top of this blue border, there is a six-dotted icon. Click on this icon to open additional settings for the section layout, style, and advanced settings in the left-hand widget panel.
4. Preview and Publish: At the very bottom of the screen, you’ll find a panel with various icons. On the far left of this panel, you’ll see an ‘Eye’ icon for previewing your page. Click it to open a new tab with a preview of your page. If you’re satisfied with your page, click the green ‘Publish’ button located in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Step 5: Discover Elementor Templates

Elementor provides a wide variety of pre-designed templates:

1. Click on the gray ‘Folder’ icon in the middle of the bottom panel. This opens the template library.
2. Browse through the library and click on ‘Insert’ when you find a template you like.
3. After the template loads on your page, you can click on any element to edit it to your liking.

Step 6: Save Your Work

You must always remember to save your work:

1. You can click the upward-facing arrow next to the green ‘Publish’ button in the bottom panel.
2. Here, you can choose to save your work as a draft, publish it immediately, or schedule it for later.

Step 7: Responsive Editing

Elementor lets you optimize your website for different devices:

1. Find the ‘Responsive Mode’ in the bottom panel, represented by desktop, tablet, and mobile icons.
2. Click on the icon that represents the device for which you want to customize your layout.

Tips and Tricks

1. Right-Click Menu: Elementor offers a context menu when you right-click on any widget, column, or section. This menu includes helpful options like duplicate, copy, paste, save as a template, and more.
2. Navigator: Elementor provides a tool called ‘Navigator’, which gives you a hierarchical view of your page. You can access it by clicking the ‘Navigator’ icon, which looks like a file folder, in the bottom panel of the Elementor editor.
3. Hotkeys: Elementor has a variety of keyboard shortcuts to help speed up your workflow. These can be accessed by clicking the ‘Keyboard Shortcut’ icon, which looks like a keyboard, in the bottom panel of the Elementor editor.
4. History Panel: Elementor provides an easy way to undo or redo changes. Simply click the ‘History’ icon, which looks like a clockwise arrow, in the bottom panel to access this feature.
5. Global Widgets: If you want to use the same widget across multiple pages, save it as a global widget. You can do this by right-clicking on the widget and selecting ‘Save as Global’. Any changes you make to the global widget will be applied across all pages where it’s used.

With these steps, you should be able to get started with Elementor. There’s a whole world to explore beyond this, but this guide should serve as a firm stepping stone on your journey to building beautiful WordPress websites with Elementor. Happy creating!