HTML stands for hypertext markup language. It refers to embedded text commands that are not visible to the reader, but that tell a web browser how to display content on a webpage. HTML is primarily concerned with text formatting and content layout. HTML is sometimes referred to as “code.” However, “code” can also refer to other things, such as computer programming languages, depending on the context.

In the WordPress editing screen for posts and pages, there are tabs labeled Visual and Text just above the editing bar. When the Visual tab is selected, HTML is inserted when different buttons on the editing bar are selected, but is not visible to the writer. If the Text tab of the WordPress editor is selected, the inserted HTML will be visible along with the content.

HERE IS WHAT HTML FOR BOLDFACING LOOKS LIKE:

1). When viewed in the Text tab of the editor
<strong>Some text I want to boldface</strong>

2). When viewed in the Visual tab of the editor
Some text I want to boldface

HTML “codes” must be exactly correct. A single misplaced punctuation mark can cause dramatic results, such as linking or boldfacing whole paragraphs of text, causing text that is visible in the editor to be hidden from the page, or displaying seemingly random characters that you did not type. It is also possible for HTML codes applied using the Visual editor to overlap each other, which can cause text and images not to be located or displayed properly. Such problems are easily corrected by someone with a working knowledge of HTML.