What is Web Authoring? Guide, Types, Tools & Software (2026)

Have you ever visited a website and wondered, "How was this made?" You might picture a developer surrounded by screens of complex, scrolling code. In the past, that picture was accurate. But today, creating a beautiful and functional online presence is more accessible than ever. You no longer need to be a coding expert to build a professional-looking web page.

This accessible process is called web authoring, and the web authoring tools available in 2026 have empowered everyone—from small business owners and students to corporate trainers—to create and publish content for the world to see.

This guide will serve as your starting point. We'll demystify what is web authoring, explore the different types of web authoring software you can use, and help you understand which tool is right for which job—from building a full website to creating specialized eLearning content.

What is Web Authoring?

In simple terms, web authoring is the process of creating content for the World Wide Web. This content can be anything from a single, simple web page with text and images to a massive, complex website with thousands of pages, interactive features, and online store functionality.

Think of it like using a program such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. You use that software to author a document. You type text, add headings, insert pictures, and create lists. Web authoring follows the exact same idea, but the final document you create—a web page—is designed to be viewed in a web browser like Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

At its most basic level, all web page authoring involves combining a few key components:

• Text: The words you read on the page.
• Media: This includes images, videos, audio files, and animations.
• Hyperlinks: The clickable links that connect you to other pages.
• Structure: The underlying layout that organizes all the text, media, and links.

The software you use to put all these pieces together is called a web authoring tool. The tool you choose will depend entirely on how simple or complex your project is.

The Evolution of Web Authoring: From Code to Clicks

To understand today's web authoring tools, it helps to know how we got here. The process of making a website has changed dramatically, making the web a more creative and accessible place for everyone.

The Old Way: Hand-Coding Everything

In the early days of the web (the 1990s and early 2000s), web authoring was a job almost exclusively for technical experts and programmers. If you wanted to build a website, you had to do it all by hand.

• Open a Basic Text Editor: You would use a simple program like Notepad (on Windows) or SimpleText (on Mac).
• Write HTML Code: You had to manually type all the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). This code provided the raw structure. To make a word bold, you couldn't just click a "B" icon; you had to type <strong> at the beginning of the word and </strong> at the end.
• Write CSS Code: To add any style—like colors, fonts, or positioning—you had to write a separate file using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). This code is what makes websites look good.
• Upload with FTP: When your code files were ready, you had to use a separate program called an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Client to manually upload your HTML and CSS files to a web server so the world could see them.

This process was slow, difficult, and required deep technical knowledge. A single misplaced bracket or typo in the code could break the entire page.

The New Way: Visual Editors and Clicks

Today, modern web authoring software handles all that complexity for you. While the end result is still HTML and CSS code (your browser still needs that code to read the page), you, the creator, no longer have to see or write it.

The new way is visual, not code-based:

• You See What You Get: Most modern tools are "WYSIWYG" (What You See Is What You Get). This means the screen you edit on looks exactly like the final web page.
• Drag-and-Drop: To add an image, you simply drag an "image block" onto the page. To add text, you click and type directly into a text box.
• Instant Publishing: When you're finished, you just click a "Publish" button. The software automatically generates all the clean, complex code in the background and makes your site live on the internet.

This revolutionary shift from "code to clicks" is the main reason why web authoring has moved from being a purely technical skill to a creative one.

What Are the Main Types of Web Authoring Tools?

Web authoring software is not one-size-fits-all. The best tool for you depends entirely on your technical skill, your goals, and what you are trying to create. We can break down the main types of tools into three major categories:

• Text-Based HTML Editors (For Developers)
• WYSIWYG Website Builders (For Beginners & Businesses)
• Specialized Content Authoring Tools (For Niche Content like eLearning)

Let's explore each one in detail.

Text-Based HTML Editors

This category is the modern, powerful evolution of the "old way." These tools are built specifically for developers, programmers, and web professionals who still work directly with code. They choose to work with code because it gives them maximum control, performance, and the ability to build highly custom websites.

A text-based editor is like a supercharged version of Notepad. It doesn't hide the code; it makes writing code easier.

Key Features:

• Syntax Highlighting: It automatically color-codes your HTML, CSS, and other programming languages. This makes the code much easier to read and helps you spot errors at a glance.
• Code Completion: It suggests code as you type, saving time and preventing typos (e.g., you type <strong> and it automatically adds the closing </strong>).
• Error Checking: It can underline code that is incorrect or won't work, just like a spell-checker in a word processor.
• File Management: It helps you organize the hundreds or even thousands of files that make up a large, professional website.

Why would anyone still use code?

• Total Control: You are not limited by any templates or pre-built blocks. If you can imagine it, you can code it.
• Performance: Hand-written code is often "cleaner" and can be optimized to make a website load much faster than one built with a visual tool.
• Complex Functionality: To build complex web applications (like a social media site, a project management tool, or a custom search engine), you must work directly with code.

Examples of Text-Based Editors:

• Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
• Sublime Text
• Notepad++

Audience: Developers, coders, computer science students, and technical professionals.

WYSIWYG Website Builders

This is the category that has truly democratized web authoring, empowering millions of beginners and small business owners to get online. WYSIWYG (pronounced "wiz-zee-wig") stands for "What You See Is What You Get." This philosophy is the core of these tools: the version you edit on your screen is identical to the final website your visitors will see.

These web authoring tools are almost always cloud-based (you access them through your web browser, like Gmail) and are designed to be as user-friendly as possible. They completely remove the need to ever see or write a line of code.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-Drop Interface: This is the defining feature. You build your page by literally dragging elements (like "Image," "Text Box," "Video Player," "Contact Form") from a menu and dropping them onto your page.
• Professionally Designed Templates: You don't have to start from a blank screen. You choose from thousands of beautiful, pre-built templates for different industries (e.g., restaurant, photography portfolio, online store) and then customize them with your own text and images.
• All-in-One Hosting: These platforms bundle everything together. You pay one monthly fee that typically includes the software, the web hosting (the service that keeps your site online), security (SSL), and often a custom domain name.
• Built-in Features: They include common needs like e-commerce (letting you sell products), blogging, and contact forms as part of the package, so you don't need to add them separately.

Examples of WYSIWYG Website Builders:

• Wix
• Squarespace
• WordPress (with Page Builders like Elementor or Divi)

Audience: Beginners, small business owners, freelancers, bloggers, artists, and anyone who wants a professional website without hiring a developer.

Specialized Content Authoring Tools

The final category is a unique and important one that directly addresses the need to create eLearning content. These web authoring tools are not designed to build an entire, public-facing website. Instead, they are designed to create specific types of web content that are meant to be embedded within another website or, more commonly, within a Learning Management System (LMS).

The primary example of this is eLearning authoring tools.

Key Features:

• Interactive Content: These tools go far beyond text and images. They are built to create quizzes, interactive scenarios, drag-and-drop activities, timelines, flashcards, and even software simulations.
• Responsive Design: They output content that is mobile optimised, meaning it works perfectly on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This is essential for modern learning.
• SCORM/xAPI Export: This is the most important feature. They don't just "publish" a web page. They export a standardized, trackable package (like a SCORM file). This "web package" is essentially a self-contained website-in-a-ZIP-file, designed to be uploaded to an LMS. The SCORM standard allows the LMS to track the user's progress, such as whether they completed the course and what their quiz score was.
• Template-Based: Like modern website builders, these tools are often template-based to speed up the creation of beautiful, interactive lessons.

Examples of Specialized Content Authoring Tools:

• Compozer: A modern, cloud-based eLearning authoring tool designed for creating interactive, SCORM-compliant training content. It is a powerful and user-friendly tool that helps you create engaging eLearning content without needing any coding skills. It provides 100+ professionally designed templates that are fully responsive and feature pre-built interactions, allowing instructional designers and trainers to create beautiful courses easily. It publishes to SCORM and xAPI formats, ensuring it works with any modern LMS.

Audience: Corporate trainers, instructional designers, educators, and human resources departments.

Conclusion: What is Web Authoring Software?

Web authoring has successfully evolved from a complex, code-driven task into an accessible creative process. At its simplest, it is just the process of creating content for the web. The web authoring software you choose simply depends on the job you need to get done.

• If you are a developer who needs absolute control and performance, you will use a Text-Based Editor like VS Code.
• If you are a beginner or small business owner who needs a beautiful, functional website, you will use a WYSIWYG Website Builder like Squarespace or WordPress.
• If you are a trainer or educator who needs to create trackable, interactive eLearning content, you will use a Specialized Content Authoring Tool like Compozer.

Today, modern web authoring tools have empowered us all to become creators. Regardless of your technical background, the ability to build, publish, and share your ideas on the web is now available to everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is web authoring?

Web authoring is the process of creating and putting together content (like text, images, and links) to produce a web page or website. It is the "authoring" or "creating" part of web development. It can be done by writing code (HTML, CSS) or, more commonly, by using web authoring software like a website builder or a specialized content tool.

What is the difference between web design and web authoring?

This is a common point of confusion.

• Web Design refers to the visual and experiential part of the website. It's like being the architect and interior designer. It involves creating the visual layout, choosing color schemes, selecting fonts, and focusing on the user experience (how easy and enjoyable the site is to use). The final product of a designer is often a plan or a visual mockup.
• Web Authoring is the process of building that plan. It's like being the construction crew. It's the "hands-on" act of using a web authoring tool (Compozer) to add the content, structure the pages, and publish the final, functional product to the web.

In short, web design is the planning and look, while web authoring is the building and creating.

What are the three main types of web authoring tools?

The three main categories of web authoring tools are:

• Text-Based HTML Editors (e.g., VS Code, Sublime Text): Used by developers to write code manually for maximum control and performance.
• WYSIWYG Website Builders (e.g., Wix, Squarespace, WordPress with Elementor): Used by beginners and businesses to build entire websites visually using drag-and-drop templates.
• Specialized Content Authoring Tools (e.g., Compozer): Used by professionals like trainers and educators to create specific types of web content (like interactive eLearning) that are then published to a website or LMS.

Is WordPress a web authoring tool?

Yes, WordPress is one of the most popular and powerful web authoring tools in the world. At its core, it's a Content Management System (CMS), which is an advanced type of web authoring software. Beginners can use its simple editor (or a visual page builder plugin like Elementor) to author content easily, while developers can access its underlying code to build highly custom and complex websites.