What Is An HTML Editor And Why Does It Matter?

The internet never stops growing. Every day, more users respond to content created by others and create their own. This is in part due to the ease of accessibility offered by powerful web development tools. These tools let people with different interests share their passions with the world. Another factor encouraging the growth of personal websites is tools that take a visual approach to web development. They allow anyone to create and shape their own website.

Drag-and-drop tools are the perfect example of how web development tools have made web design intuitive and non-technical. Users can design web applications and add features by simply placing them where they want. Inline HTML text editors are a great example of this approach.

However, features such as inline text editing and drag-and-drop web design are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to accessible web development. If a tool is to help its users, even more, it must include additional robust features. Fortunately, tools such as Froala’s WYSIWYG HTML Editor offer much more than just inline HTML text editing. They give you complete control over your website and web development.

This article will walk you through the philosophy of HTML editors. It explains how they work, why they are so popular, and what to look for if you decide to try one.

How Does An HTML Editor Help You With Web Development?

Web development builds websites by dividing the work into two main domains: front-end and back-end. The user sees the front-end, which involves the website layout, user experience, interface, and web design. On the other hand, the back-end deals with the inner logic, functionalities, and website data. While the front-end may seem like the easier part to handle, it is challenging for websites with a very specific design.

The front-end determines a user’s first impression of your website. Based on your front-end, a user decides if your site is worthy of their attention. A carelessly designed front-end fails to fulfill its basic function by driving away your visitors. To avoid this, developers use frameworks and tools which give them complete control of the website design and layout, like HTML editors.

HTML is one of the core languages of the internet. It specifies the structure of your website. With an HTML editor, you get to define where different media like text, images, and videos go. It also specifies the internal or external sources of that media. HTML is the starting point when you build your website from scratch. With the right HTML editor, you ensure that your website is built on the proper fundamentals.

What Impact Your Choice Of HTML Editor Can Have On Your Website?

HTML editors are great tools. They significantly improve your web development productivity. That said, however, people were making excellent websites much before there were HTML editors. This begs the questions: Are HTML editors really that necessary for building a quality website? What direct advantages do HTML editors offer?

Simply put these editors have many benefits to offer.

With inline HTML editors, the most significant benefit is the editing environment. They are popularly known as WYSIWYG, editors because ‘what you see is what you get.’  This means you edit your site visually, directly on the page. You put your text, headers, images, and other media exactly where you want them. You also get to determine the layout and add content in real-time, without the hassle of constantly checking it in a browser. Essentially, this increases your development velocity and ensures your web design turns out the way you intended.

With a capable HTML editor, you also get an environment dedicated to a fully customizable and controlled web development experience. If you choose an editor like Froala, you get many more features alongside the rich text editing environment. You can grow the list of features by adding plugins any time you want.

What Are The Basic Features The Right HTML Editor Should Have?

In a market with plenty of options, deciding on the right HTML editor can be tricky. Each editor comes with its own sets of pros, cons, and setup requirements. In addition, some offer only a fraction of the features the others have. Some of them may not even be in your budget. 

When you decide on an HTML editor, check the basic features your choices offer. Here are the more important features to look out for:

Developer & SEO Friendly

An HTML must be intuitive and easy for developers to use.  A great HTML editor allows them to save time and effort by offering useful functionality. At the same time, an HTML editor needs to provide optimal SEO for your website.

Offers An Extensive Array Of Visual Themes & Elements

Website design is all about visual appeal and user-friendliness. HTML editors should offer graphical web design strategy options. After all, the user experience depends on the visual layout of your website and can be a determining factor for its success. Custom themes should definitely be on offer.

Supports Rich Image Editing & Inclusion Features

Images are part of the visual appeal of a website. They are very important if your website hopes to attract visual learners. Your HTML editor should let you include pictures and diagrams effortlessly. The ideal editor should also provide an image editor as part of the development environment. That way you can edit and include your images in one easy workflow.

Guaranteed To Work Everywhere

Everybody has a mobile device for viewing websites and browsing the internet. But that doesn’t mean every user will view your website just on a laptop or smartphone. Your HTML editor should recognize that. It should support every device your users can throw at it.

No Compromises On Performance

Whatever features an HTML editor packs, it shouldn’t compromise on quality. As you build and add more functionality to your website, its codebase will get heavier and more complex. In these cases, your HTML editor needs to be robust and keep providing dependable performance. Any lags or lack of support affect both your website and your productivity. 

With these requirements met, you can be confident that the HTML editor you choose will provide you with excellent value. Not all HTML editors cover all the bases, but Froala does. It has all these features and much more. Its lightweight nature and security features are another part of its popularity.

Why Should You Trust Froala For Your HTML Editing Needs?

If you want to try out a powerful inline HTML editor, look no further than Froala. As one of the leading HTML editors on the market, Froala packs a ton of features to help you design the website you need. It enables you to structure and write text inline within its environment, and it’ll generate a robust codebase on the backend. With Froala you can choose from a library of visual themes or even create your own custom style.

You can customize Froala. You can choose which buttons go on the toolbars and which toolbars go where. It is also lightweight, supports a variety of third-party plugins, and is built to HTML5 standards. Finally, you can even run unit tests through it, and it runs on all popular browsers and devices.

Want to try out a feature-rich HTML editor that doesn’t let you down? Head over to Froala and witness just how much control you can have over your website’s front-end.