When I first learned about web design many years ago, I had to learn to hand code everything. WordPress was not around then. I learned how to use web design software known as Dreamweaver and Fireworks. I am thankful, however, for the time it took for me to learn HTML, because even now with platforms like WordPress, knowing HTML or at least having a good idea of what is going on in a particular code is useful knowledge. There are times when the only way to fix something on your webpage is to do it using HTML, because depending on your WordPress theme, you may not be able to make the adjustments you want to without the use of HTML.

The problem comes in however when even if you know a little HTML and take the chance of changing something in WordPress using the "text" editor [HTML editor] or you go into Appearance > Editor and make changes to the code (HTML or CSS), the only way to know if those changes give you the results you were hoping for is to save your website and then view it in the browser and by then your website might be broken and difficult to repair. And then you have an inoperable site and that will affect your traffic and conversions for sure.

Using Firefox, the is a FREE Add-On you can download that will let you edit any webpage you are currently on to see what changes would occur if you were to make adjustments to the code in your WordPress Dashbaord. This add-on creates a draft version of a webpage without actually making those changes Live to the rest of the internet. You can play with CSS and HTML all of you want and view the changes affected to a webpage without worrying about breaking your site.

The Firefox Add that will allow you to do this is called Firebug.