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There are two main types of web authoring tools available, Tag Editors and WYSIWYG Editors.
Tag editors essentially provide short cuts through toolbars and menus for inserting HTML tags into a document, saving a lot of typing and speeding up the process of document creation. In addition, some include wizards for rapid construction of tables and forms.
WYSIWYG editors use a graphical interface where the designer enters text and can use such features as drag-and-drop and menus for inserting graphics, multimedia and applets into the document.
Using HTML tag editors still requires a working knowledge of HTML. The main benefit is the reduction in repetitive typing of HTML tags, which also reduces typing errors. This makes tag editors very useful for creating large web presentations with numerous, complex pages.
These editors usually provide a means of "linking" the HTML document directly to your favorite browser for testing the page as it is created. Tag editors can often satisfy most web design needs and are simple to learn how to use.
WYSIWYG editors create the illusion that anyone can design high quality web pages with no knowledge of HTML. But, a good knowledge of HTML will improve understanding of what each option means when inserting items, such as graphics, and how those options affect the final page.
In addition, WYSIWYG editors tend to creation pages using the HTML standard best suited to a specific browser. Netscape Navigator Gold and Communicator create pages best viewed in Navigator, while Microsoft's FrontPage creates pages best for Internet Explorer.
Difficulties can arise when web pages are created with a specific browser in mind, but the pages are viewed in a different browser, which is quite common on the Internet. This leads to the second reason for having a good knowledge of HTML when using WYSIWYG editors.
Once the page has been created, testing it in different browsers will illustrate the need for some modifications to the HTML to accomodate the browser's differences in interpreting HTML. These modifications ultimately must be done in a text editor, such as Notepad, as WYSIWYG editors may not always provide this capability.
A combination of WYSIWYG and Tag editors, with a basic text editor, and a good working knowledge of HTML, will provide all the tools necessary for creating professional quality HTML documents.