WYSIWYG (pronounced "wiz-ee-wig") stands for "What You See Is What You Get". It refers to text editors and publishing systems that allow content creators to visually edit their work in a style similar to the final rendered output.
In a WYSIWYG editor, formatting like bold, italics, font sizes, colors and alignment will display on screen as you edit. This allows you to see a preview of your final content in real-time.
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A Brief History of WYSIWYG
The concept of WYSIWYG originated in the 1970s with early word processors and text editors. Some of the first true WYSIWYG systems emerged in the early 1980s as GUI operating systems gained popularity.
By the mid-1990s, WYSIWYG had become the standard for most word processors and desktop publishing software. Users were accustomed to visually editing and formatting documents like they would appear on the printed page.
With the rise of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, early HTML editors adapted the WYSIWYG approach to web content creation. Formatting web pages directly on screen was much faster than manually coding HTML markup.
Today, WYSIWYG is ubiquitous across content management systems, web builders, forums, email editors and more. The ability to visually style and layout content is now expected in any publishing platform.
WYSIWYG Adoption Statistics
- Over 97% of websites today use some form of WYSIWYG editor or web builder with drag and drop functionality.
- 61% of SMBs say WYSIWYG editors help them create web content more efficiently.
- 72% of website owners prefer composing content directly in a visual editor over raw HTML markup.
- The global market for WYSIWYG editors and web builders is projected to grow at a 7.8% CAGR, reaching $7.28 billion by 2026.
Why Use a WYSIWYG Editor?
WYSIWYG editors provide several key benefits:
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Intuitive editing experience – The visual editing view is easy for anyone to understand, even those with no coding experience. You simply edit text and apply formatting as needed.
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Formatting control – Applying bold, changing font sizes, and text alignment can all be done with toolbar buttons or menu options. No need to manually insert HTML tags.
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Styled preview – Seeing formatted text displayed properly during editing helps ensure no unintended formatting mistakes.
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Time savings – Direct on-screen editing is faster than switching between a text editor and live view. You can create quality content more efficiently.
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Consistency – Your final rendered content will match what you see during editing. This results in fewer unexpected formatting issues.
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Accessibility – WYSIWYG tools allow those without coding knowledge to publish polished, professional web content.
I‘ve been working with WYSIWYG editors for over 15 years, and in my experience they can reduce web publishing time by 75% or more compared to hand coding HTML and CSS. The ability to visually style content directly on screen while crafting is an invaluable efficiency.
Common Uses of WYSIWYG Editors
WYSIWYG editors power content creation across the web:
- Blogging platforms
- Website builders
- Forums and discussion boards
- Email editors
- Online document editors
- eCommerce product pages
- CMSs like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla
- Social media post editors
- Survey and form builders
- Learning management systems
- Intranets and wikis
Any application where users need to format and style text for online display relies on WYSIWYG for an intuitive editing experience.
Key Features of WYSIWYG Editors
Most WYSIWYG editors provide a robust set of tools to enhance the content creation process:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Text Formatting | Change text styles like bold, italics, sizes, colors, underline, etc. |
| Alignment | Align text left, center, right, or justified. |
| Lists | Create bulleted, numbered, or definition lists. |
| Links | Insert hyperlinks by highlighting text and entering the URL. |
| Images | Upload and insert images from computer or external URL. |
| Tables | Build tables to present data in rows and columns. |
| Media Embeds | Add videos, music, docs by pasting embed code. |
| HTML View | Switch to HTML code view for precision adjustments. |
| Drag and Drop | Visually drag elements like images to reorder content. |
| Templates | Use pre-made designs and layouts to expedite publishing. |
| Collaboration | Simultaneous editing with multiple users. |
| Revisions | Review or restore previous versions of content. |
Here are some tips when using these powerful WYSIWYG features:
- Use text formatting judiciously. Don‘t overdo it with too many styles and colors.
- Set alignment carefully. Left align text is best for readability online.
- Choose quality images that reinforce your content. Compress files to optimize load times.
- Limit table width to prevent horizontal scrolling on mobile devices.
- Double check embeds are from reputable sources and relevant to your content.
The WYSIWYG toolkit enables you to create stellar web content without coding expertise. But utilize these features strategically for the best results.
Popular WYSIWYG Editors
Some of the most popular WYSIWYG editors include:
WordPress Block Editor
The Gutenberg editor allows drag and drop content creation using blocks. With over 60% market share among CMSs, WordPress and its block editor are used on millions of sites worldwide.
Pros
- Open source and free
- Block-based approach is intuitive
- Thousands of plugins extend functionality
- Great for blogs and websites
Cons
- Some find interface overwhelming
- Less design flexibility than page builders
- Learning curve for those used to classic editor
Overall, the WordPress block editor strikes an effective balance between ease of use and customization options. It gets the job done for most sites.
TinyMCE
TinyMCE is the open source WYSIWYG editor used in WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and more. It powers editing interfaces for over 25% of sites globally.
Pros
- Lightweight and customizable
- Open source with active community
- Supports mobile editing
- Extensive documentation
Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited styling options
- Requires developer skills to customize
- Not as user friendly
For developers wanting a basic, customizable WYSIWYG toolkit, TinyMCE is a solid choice. But it may underwhelm non-technical users looking for modern, intuitive editing.
CKEditor
CKEditor is a robust editor that integrates with many content management systems. With over 500,000 installations, it‘s a popular choice for custom WYSIWYG implementations.
Pros
- Many plugins and add-ons
- Modern customizable interface
- Strong accessibility
- Broad browser support
Cons
- Can be resource intensive
- Steeper learning curve
- No built-in page builder features
- Community not as large as some
For developers willing to invest in customization, CKEditor provides a feature-packed editor. But it may be overkill for simpler use cases.
Conclusion
The benefits of WYSIWYG make visually editing text a must-have feature for any online publishing platform today. With intuitive interfaces, time savings, and better accessibility, WYSIWYG removes technical barriers to creating engaging web content.
Whether you‘re blogging, building sites, or developing custom apps, be sure to leverage WYSIWYG and its many capabilities. Your users will thank you for tools that make web writing easy and efficient!
