diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/components.js b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/components.js
index 3a06e026..4d891424 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/components.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/components.js
@@ -33,17 +33,10 @@ export const NODE_COMPONENTS = {
   'table-row': props => <tr {...props.attributes}>{props.children}</tr>,
   'table-cell': props => <td {...props.attributes}>{props.children}</td>,
   'thematic-break': props => <hr {...props.attributes}/>,
-  'shortcode-wrapper': props => <div {...props.attributes}>{props.children}</div>,
-  link: props => {
-    const data = props.node.get('data');
-    const url = data.get('url');
-    const title = data.get('title');
-    return <a href={href} title={title} {...props.attributes}>{props.children}</a>;
-  },
   shortcode: props => {
     const { attributes, node, state: editorState } = props;
     const isSelected = editorState.selection.hasFocusIn(node);
     const className = cn(styles.shortcode, { [styles.shortcodeSelected]: isSelected });
-    return <span {...attributes} className={className} draggable >{node.data.get('shortcode')}</span>;
+    return <div {...attributes} className={className} draggable >{node.data.get('shortcode')}</div>;
   },
 };
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.css b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.css
index 6c40e7c4..6a13efba 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.css
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.css
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@
 .shortcode {
   border: 2px solid black;
   padding: 8px;
-  margin: 2px 0;
+  margin: 16px 0;
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.js b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.js
index 70c067e2..ebdaf6b1 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/index.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export default class Editor extends Component {
         marks: MARK_COMPONENTS,
         rules: RULES,
       },
-      shortcodes: registry.getEditorComponents(),
+      shortcodePlugins: registry.getEditorComponents(),
     };
   }
 
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ export default class Editor extends Component {
 
   handleDocumentChange = (doc, editorState) => {
     const raw = Raw.serialize(editorState, { terse: true });
-    const mdast = slateToRemark(raw);
+    const plugins = this.state.shortcodePlugins;
+    const mdast = slateToRemark(raw, plugins);
     this.props.onChange(mdast);
   };
 
@@ -136,12 +137,11 @@ export default class Editor extends Component {
     const { editorState } = this.state;
     const data = {
       shortcode: plugin.id,
-      shortcodeValue: plugin.toBlock(shortcodeData.toJS()),
       shortcodeData,
     };
     const nodes = [Text.createFromString('')];
     const block = { kind: 'block', type: 'shortcode', data, isVoid: true, nodes };
-    const resolvedState = editorState.transform().insertBlock(block).apply();
+    const resolvedState = editorState.transform().insertBlock(block).focus().apply();
     this.ref.onChange(resolvedState);
     this.setState({ editorState: resolvedState });
   };
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ export default class Editor extends Component {
               codeBlock: this.getButtonProps('code', { isBlock: true }),
             }}
             onToggleMode={this.handleToggle}
-            plugins={this.state.shortcodes}
+            plugins={this.state.shortcodePlugins}
             onSubmit={this.handlePluginSubmit}
             onAddAsset={onAddAsset}
             onRemoveAsset={onRemoveAsset}
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/rules.js b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/rules.js
index 261f9e43..a367b875 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/rules.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/MarkdownControl/VisualEditor/rules.js
@@ -25,6 +25,21 @@ const enforceNeverEmpty = {
   },
 };
 
-const rules = [ enforceNeverEmpty ];
+/**
+ * Ensure that shortcodes are children of the root node.
+ */
+const shortcodesAtRoot = {
+  match: object => object.kind === 'document',
+  validate: doc => {
+    return doc.findDescendant(node => {
+      return node.type === 'shortcode' && doc.getParent(node.key).key !== doc.key;
+    });
+  },
+  normalize: (transform, doc, node) => {
+    return transform.unwrapNodeByKey(node.key);
+  },
+};
+
+const rules = [ enforceNeverEmpty, shortcodesAtRoot ];
 
 export default rules;
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/unified.js b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/unified.js
index 2683850b..6a5071ba 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/unified.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/Markdown/unified.js
@@ -143,17 +143,18 @@ const remarkShortcodes = ({ plugins }) => {
     if (!nodeMayContainShortcode(node)) return node;
 
     /**
-     * Combine the text values of all children to a single string, then
-     * check that string for a shortcode pattern match.
+     * Combine the text values of all children to a single string, check the
+     * string for a shortcode pattern match, and validate the match.
      */
-    const text = mdastToString(node);
+    const text = mdastToString(node).trim();
     const { plugin, match } = matchTextToPlugin(text);
+    const matchIsValid = validateMatch(text, match);
 
     /**
-     * If a matching shortcode plugin is found, return a new node with shortcode
-     * data included. Otherwise, return the original node.
+     * If a valid match is found, return a new node with shortcode data
+     * included. Otherwise, return the original node.
      */
-    return plugin ? createShortcodeNode(text, plugin, match) : node;
+    return matchIsValid ? createShortcodeNode(text, plugin, match) : node;
   };
 
   /**
@@ -185,6 +186,13 @@ const remarkShortcodes = ({ plugins }) => {
     return { plugin, match };
   }
 
+  /**
+   * A match is only valid if it takes up the entire paragraph.
+   */
+  function validateMatch(text, match) {
+    return match && match[0].length === text.length;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Create a new node with shortcode data included. Use an 'html' node instead
    * of a 'text' node as the child to ensure the node content is not parsed by
@@ -242,7 +250,9 @@ const remarkToRehypeShortcodes = ({ plugins, getAsset }) => {
     /**
      * Return a new 'html' type node containing the shortcode preview markup.
      */
-    return u('html', valueHtml);
+    const textNode = u('html', valueHtml);
+    const children = [ textNode ];
+    return { ...node, children };
   }
 };
 
@@ -471,7 +481,7 @@ export const remarkToSlate = mdast => {
   return result;
 };
 
-export const slateToRemark = raw => {
+export const slateToRemark = (raw, shortcodePlugins) => {
   const typeMap = {
     'paragraph': 'paragraph',
     'heading-one': 'heading',
@@ -532,7 +542,9 @@ export const slateToRemark = raw => {
 
     if (node.type === 'shortcode') {
       const { data } = node;
-      const textNode = u('html', data.shortcodeValue);
+      const plugin = shortcodePlugins.get(data.shortcode);
+      const text = plugin.toBlock(data.shortcodeData);
+      const textNode = u('html', text);
       return u('paragraph', { data }, [ textNode ]);
     }