Visual Composer is a popular drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress that allows users to create fully customizable website layouts without needing to write any code. Although it shares a history with WPBakery (previously called Visual Composer), today it operates as a completely separate tool with its own distinct set of features. Visual Composer focuses on providing a comprehensive website builder experience, not just limited to pages but covering headers, footers, and other site-wide elements.

Key Features of Visual Composer:

1. Drag-and-Drop Editor: Visual Composer offers an intuitive front-end editor that allows users to design their website in real time, viewing changes as they are made. No coding skills are required, making it accessible to beginners.
2. Full Website Builder: Unlike WPBakery, Visual Composer is a full-fledged website builder, allowing you to edit more than just content pages. You can design headers, footers, sidebars, and even custom page layouts with ease.
3. Pre-designed Templates and Elements: It comes with a large collection of pre-built templates, blocks, and elements such as buttons, galleries, sliders, and forms. These templates can be customized and combined to build professional websites quickly.
4. Responsive Design: Visual Composer allows you to create responsive websites, ensuring that your content looks great on all devices (desktop, tablet, mobile). You can also adjust how elements appear on different screen sizes.
5. Theme Compatibility: Visual Composer works with almost any WordPress theme, meaning you can add it to an existing site without worrying about theme limitations. It also includes a theme builder function for complete site control.
6. WooCommerce Integration: The plugin integrates smoothly with WooCommerce, letting you create and customize product pages, shop layouts, and checkout processes without coding.
7. Cloud Marketplace: Visual Composer provides access to an online marketplace where you can find and download additional templates, content elements, and design blocks. This allows for further customization and expansion of your site.
8. Custom CSS and JavaScript: For developers or advanced users, Visual Composer allows you to add custom CSS and JavaScript directly into your pages, giving you more control over styling and functionality.
9. SEO and Performance-Friendly: Visual Composer is designed with SEO best practices in mind, and it generates clean code to help your site load faster and rank better in search engines.
10. Visual Composer Hub: This feature allows users to access a cloud-based library of elements, templates, and add-ons. You can download and use these components as needed, keeping your WordPress installation lightweight.
11. Parallax and Background Effects: Visual Composer includes advanced design options like parallax scrolling, background videos, and custom animations, allowing you to create visually engaging and interactive websites.
12. Content Elements and Widgets: Visual Composer comes with an extensive library of over 100 content elements and widgets like buttons, sliders, forms, and testimonials that can be inserted into your page designs.

Benefits of Visual Composer:

• Ease of Use: The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for non-technical users to create professional websites without any coding knowledge.
• All-in-One Solution: As a full website builder, Visual Composer allows you to design not just pages but entire site structures like headers and footers.
• Large Template Library: With access to a wide array of templates and elements, it offers versatility and speeds up the website creation process.
• SEO and Speed Optimized: Visual Composer is built with performance and SEO in mind, generating fast-loading, clean code.

Ideal Use Cases:

• Business Websites: Perfect for business owners looking to build a professional, customized website without hiring a developer.
• E-Commerce Stores: With WooCommerce integration, it’s ideal for online stores looking to create custom product pages and improve customer experience.
• Agencies and Freelancers: Visual Composer’s flexibility and white-label options make it an excellent tool for agencies or freelancers working on client websites.
• Portfolios and Blogs: Its dynamic content and customizable layouts make it great for creative portfolios and blogs that need unique design elements.

Summary:

Visual Composer is a comprehensive website builder plugin for WordPress, providing more than just page-building capabilities. With its drag-and-drop interface, pre-designed elements, and wide range of customization options, it’s a great tool for creating beautiful, responsive websites without coding. Its full-site editing features, WooCommerce integration, and access to the Visual Composer Hub make it a powerful and versatile solution for both beginners and experienced developers.