How to Edit HTML in WordPress Code Editor (Beginner‘s Guide)

As a 15-year web development veteran, I‘ve seen firsthand how editing HTML and CSS can transform a WordPress site.

While WordPress makes building websites easy for beginners, sometimes you need to tweak the core code to unlock greater customization.

That‘s where learning how to edit HTML comes in handy.

In this in-depth guide, we‘ll dig into the key reasons why editing HTML is an important skill for WordPress users at all levels to learn.

I‘ll also walk you through, step-by-step, how to edit HTML in WordPress using different methods.

By the end, you‘ll have the knowledge to start making custom edits to your site‘s HTML and CSS like a pro.

Why You Should Learn How to Edit HTML in WordPress

With over 455 million websites powered by WordPress as of 2022, it‘s the world‘s most popular CMS by far.

But with great flexibility comes some limitations:

• Themes and page builders only provide certain customization options.

• Plugins can add functionality but may lack specific features you want.

• Some changes are difficult or impossible to make through the admin dashboard alone.

This is where understanding how to edit the backend code – HTML, CSS, JavaScript – is crucial.

1. Unlimited Customization Options

Editing the HTML and CSS opens up unlimited design possibilities.

You have complete control to customize things like:

• Typography – font size, color, style, etc.

• Layout – padding, margins, element positioning.

• Visual styles – borders, shadows, animations.

• Responsive design – create CSS breakpoints for mobile, tablet, etc.

You‘re no longer limited by what the theme settings allow.

2. Fix Theme and Plugin Issues

Sometimes themes and plugins contain bugs or conflicts that cause problems.

By learning how HTML and CSS works, you can:

• Identify and fix styling issues.

• Override plugin or theme CSS causing problems.

• Remove unused JavaScript or CSS cluttering your site.

Troubleshooting directly in code is often faster than waiting for an update.

3. Optimize Site Speed and Security

Optimizing a site‘s frontend code can improve performance.

You can:

• Minify HTML, CSS, and JS to reduce file size.

• Asynchronously load CSS and JS to speed up load times.

• Add caching HTML headers to allow browser caching.

• Remove vulnerable JavaScript libraries.

These enhancements make your site faster and more secure.

4. Custom Integrations and Functionality

Knowing HTML and CSS helps integrate external tools and APIs by writing custom code.

A few examples are:

• Adding conversion pixels and analytics scripts.

• Building custom forms with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Creating popups, slide-ins, and other interactive components.

• Pulling data from external APIs to display on your site.

The possibilities are endless when you can code custom functionality.

5. Better SEO Implementation

Editing HTML also helps improve SEO and accessibility.

You can:

• Add ARIA roles to boost accessibility.

• Modify on-page content for better SEO optimization.

• Insert semantic HTML tags like header, main, and footer.

• Implement proper title, meta, and alt text through code.

Optimizing the frontend code improves visibility and ranking.

How to Edit HTML in the WordPress Block Editor

Modern WordPress sites use the block editor, also called Gutenberg, to create content.

The block editor provides a few methods to edit HTML:

Use the Code Block

The simplest option is adding a Code block.

Click the "+" icon to insert a new block, search for "Code", then add your HTML snippet within the code block:

Think of it like a mini HTML sandbox to test changes quickly without affecting other content.

Edit Individual Blocks as HTML

You can edit the underlying HTML generated by any block in the editor.

When you click the three dots in a block toolbar, there‘s an option to "Edit as HTML":

This lets you modify just that block‘s HTML. For example, you could add a title attribute to an image block or edit the CSS of a button block.

Use the Code Editor View

To access your page or post‘s full HTML, use the Code Editor view.

Click the three dots > Code Editor to see the raw HTML output of all editor blocks:

This is useful for editing the complete <head> or <body> markup.

Editing HTML in the Classic Editor

The previous classic editor in WordPress also made it simple to edit HTML.

When editing a post or page, click the "Text" tab in the toolbar to view the raw HTML source:

You can then modify the post content HTML directly.

The classic editor is limited compared to the block editor but can still be useful for quick HTML tweaks.

Editing Theme Template Files

For major site-wide changes, you may need to edit the core theme files powering your WordPress site.

In the admin sidebar, go to Appearance > Theme Editor. Click "Theme Files" then select the template file you want to edit such as header.php or single.php.

Caution: Be extremely careful when editing theme files. Just one small typo can completely break your site.

Always back up files before editing. Avoid editing theme files unless you have development experience.

Using FTP to Edit HTML and CSS

For advanced users, you can use FTP to modify HTML documents and CSS stylesheets on your live site.

We recommend an FTP client like FileZilla that makes editing easy:

• Connect to your hosting account with FTP credentials.
• Navigate to /wp-content/themes/your-theme/ to find stylesheet files.
• Right click a file like style.css and select View/Edit.
• Modify the CSS code and save locally.
• Upload saved file to overwrite original via FTP.

FTP allows full control for editing code while avoiding getting locked out of your dashboard.

Tips When Editing HTML and CSS in WordPress

Here are some best practices to follow when editing HTML:

• Always back up files before editing.

• Test edits on a staging site before going live.

• Make small incremental changes rather than big sweeping edits.

• Use version control systems like Git to manage changes.

• Learn basic HTML and CSS before attempting advanced edits.

• Reference documentation when trying unfamiliar code.

• Validate HTML markup after editing to catch errors.

• Check site on multiple browsers and devices after changes.

• Create child themes before editing theme files.

• Be cautious about editing premium themes or plugins directly.

• Add CSS rather than removing default styles to avoid issues.

Ready to Start Editing HTML in WordPress?

Being able to tweak and customize WordPress sites through HTML and CSS code is an invaluable skill.

While it takes practice, learning the basics opens up new possibilities to improve your site‘s design, functionality, speed, and security.

Start by making minor edits, taking backups, and testing extensively.

Before you know it, you‘ll be customizing WordPress beyond what you can achieve through the admin alone.

Have any questions as you get started? Let me know in the comments!