While adding a bunch of spaces in your HTML code might seem like the easiest solution, you’ll quickly find that browsers sometimes play along. They tend to collapse multiple spaces into a single space, often disrupting your intended layout. In this guide, we’ll tackle the intricacies of HTML spacing and arm you with all the techniques you need to become a master of whitespace—especially if you’re using the powerful Elementor website builder.

Understanding HTML Spacing (and Why Spaces Sometimes Collapse)

Adding extra spaces within your HTML code is the most straightforward way to create separation between words or elements. However, web browsers have a mind of their own when it comes to rendering whitespace. Here’s the key concept to understand:

Browsers collapse multiple spaces: If you type five spaces in a row within your HTML, the browser will typically render that as a single space on the webpage. This behavior is designed to make text easier to adapt to different screen sizes and devices.

For example, imagine you try to add extra spaces between words in a sentence within a paragraph of text. When you view that text in a web browser, the extra spaces will likely disappear, leaving you with regular word spacing. This can be frustrating when you need precise control over the layout or formatting of your content.

Luckily, there are far better ways to conquer spacing in HTML, giving you the exact results you want.

Core Techniques for Adding Space in HTML

Non-breaking Spaces ( )

The non-breaking space is your secret weapon for preventing words from automatically breaking at the end of a line. It’s represented in HTML using the special entity   Think of it as the glue that holds two words together, ensuring they always appear side-by-side.

Here’s where non-breaking spaces shine:

  • Preserving word pairs: For instance, you might want to keep titles together like “Dr. Smith” or ensure a price and currency symbol doesn’t split (e.g., “$100”).
  • Preventing awkward line breaks: Sometimes, a single word might get pushed to the next line, leaving a distracting gap. A non-breaking space can keep that word with the rest of the sentence.
  • Creating intentional spacing: You can use multiple   entities in a row to insert more than a single space, but remember there are better ways to handle larger spacing needs (which we’ll cover later).

To use a non-breaking space, simply insert   where you want the unbreakable space to appear. For example:

				
					html
We welcome Dr. Smith to our team.

In this example, even if the browser wants to resize the text, “Dr.” and “Smith” will stay together.

Preformatted Text (<pre>)

The <pre> tag is your go-to tool when you need to preserve exactly the spaces and line breaks you’ve typed within your HTML code. It’s like a special container that tells the browser, “Hands off! Leave this text formatting as is.”

Here’s why the <pre> tag is useful:

  • Code snippets: are the standard way to display blocks of code on a webpage, ensuring proper code indentation and spacing.
  • Displaying poetry or text art: If you want to display a poem where line breaks and spacing are crucial for the presentation, the <pre> tag will keep your formatting intact.
  • Tabular data (in a limited way): While not primarily designed for tables, the <pre> tag can be used to display simple tabular data where spaces act as separators between ‘columns’.

To use preformatted text, wrap your content within opening <pre> and closing </pre> tags. For example:

				
					<pre>
  This is a line of text.
  This is another line.
        With extra spaces.
</pre>

This would be displayed exactly as you typed it, with all the lines and spaces preserved.

Line Breaks (<br>)

The <br> tag is a simple yet powerful tool for forcing a line break within a block of text. Unlike non-breaking spaces, which affect word spacing, the <br> tag inserts a break that causes the text to continue on the next line.

Here’s when to use the <br> tag:

  • Separating lines in poetry or addresses: If you want specific lines of a poem or address to appear on their line, the <br> tag provides a clean solution.
  • Creating short breaks within a paragraph: Sometimes, you might want a small break within a paragraph without the larger spacing that comes with creating a whole new paragraph. The <br> tag works well for this.

To use the <br> tag, simply insert it where you want the line break to occur.  It’s a self-closing tag, meaning you don’t need a separate closing </br> tag.

Example:

 

				
					"Roses are red,<br>Violets are blue,<br>This poem uses line breaks,<br>And you can too!"

Try to use sparingly <br> tags. Often, there are more semantically appropriate ways to structure your content, which we’ll cover next with paragraphs (<p>).

Paragraphs (<p>)

The humble <p> tag is the backbone of content organization on web pages. It defines a paragraph, a distinct block of text separated visually from other blocks on the page. Browsers automatically insert spacing (usually in the form of a vertical margin) above and below each paragraph, giving your content structure and breathing room.

Here’s why paragraphs are important:

  • Readability: Paragraphs break up large walls of text into manageable chunks, making your content easier to scan and digest.
  • Semantic meaning: Using <p> tags tells browsers and search engines that this is a distinct unit of content, improving how machines understand your page’s structure.
  • Styling control: With CSS, you can apply styles to paragraphs, like custom fonts, text sizes, colors, and more. While we’ll focus more on CSS spacing techniques later, understanding <p> tags is essential.

Using paragraph tags is simple. Wrap each paragraph of your text with opening <p> and closing </p> tags.

Don’t use <p> tags simply to insert space. CSS offers far more powerful and precise tools for controlling the spacing around elements on your page.

Mastering Spacing with CSS

While HTML provides basic spacing tools, CSS gives you unparalleled control over how elements are spaced on your website. From fine-tuning margins and padding to adjusting text properties, CSS lets you achieve pixel-perfect layouts.

Margins

Think of margins as the invisible space around an element, creating a buffer between it and its neighbors. You can control margins on all four sides of an element: top, right, bottom, and left.

Here’s why margins are powerful:

  • Separating elements: Margins are your primary method for creating visual separation between blocks of content, sections, headings, images, and more.
  • Overall page layout: Margins play a crucial role in defining the overall structure and “white space” of your website.
  • Focus and emphasis: By strategically using larger margins, you can draw attention to specific elements on the page.

In CSS, you can set margins using the margin property. Here are a few examples:

  • margin: 20px; (Applies a 20-pixel margin on all sides)
  • margin: 10px 25px; (Sets a 10-pixel top/bottom margin and a 25-pixel left/right margin)
  • margin: 5px 10px 15px 20px; (Sets individual margins for top, right, bottom, and left in clockwise order)

Margins can be set using pixels (px), percentages (%), or other CSS units like em and rem. Negative margins can also be used to create overlapping effects.

Padding

Padding is the space between an element’s content and its border.  Unlike margins, which create separation outside an element, padding expands the space within it.

Here’s why padding is a spacing superstar:

  • Breathing room for content: Padding prevents text or other content from bumping up against the edges of its container, improving readability and visual comfort.
  • Background control: If an element has a background color or image, the padding is where that background will be visible.
  • Visual emphasis: By applying larger padding, you can make an element appear larger and more prominent.

Just like margins, you can control padding using the padding property in CSS. The syntax is the same:

  • padding: 20px; (Applies a 20-pixel padding on all sides)
  • padding: 10px 25px; (Sets a 10-pixel top/bottom padding and a 25-pixel left/right padding)
  • padding: 5px 10px 15px 20px; (Sets individual padding for top, right, bottom, and left in clockwise order)

Remember, margins place space outside an element, while padding creates space inside it.

When both margin and padding are applied, the total space between elements is a combination of the two. Also, the element’s background extends into the area of its padding.

Text Properties

CSS offers a collection of properties designed explicitly for controlling how text is spaced and formatted within elements. Let’s break down the most important ones:

  • text-indent:  This property indents the first line of text within a block-level element, like a paragraph. It’s commonly used to create the traditional paragraph indentation style.
    Example: text-indent: 30px; (Indents the first line of a paragraph by 30 pixels)
  • line-height: This sets the vertical spacing between lines of text, also known as leading. A larger line height value increases the space between lines, making text easier to read.
    Example: line-height: 1.6; (Sets the line height to 1.6 times the font size, providing ample spacing)
  • word-spacing: Controls the amount of space between words. Use this to increase or decrease the horizontal gaps between words.
    Example: word-spacing: 5px; (Adds 5 pixels of extra space between each word)
  • letter-spacing:  Adjusts the spacing between individual letters, also known as tracking.  Positive values make letters further apart, while negative values squeeze them closer.
    Example: letter-spacing: 2px;  (Increases the space between letters by 2 pixels)
  • white-space: This property dictates how a browser handles whitespace within an element’s content. Important values include:
    • normal: Default behavior; collapses multiple spaces.
    • nowrap: Prevents text from wrapping to new lines, even if it means overflowing the container.
    • pre: Similar to the <pre> tag, preserves all whitespace.
    • pre-line: Collapses spaces like normal but preserves line breaks.

Text properties can be applied to paragraphs, headings, and other text elements to tailor their appearance. Experiment freely to find the perfect balance for your content.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Spacing Techniques

Empty Elements and Visibility

Sometimes, a sneaky “invisible” element is the solution for tricky spacing needs.  Here’s how this works:

  1. Create an empty element: Often, a <div> or a <span> is used.
  2. Give it dimensions: Use CSS to set a width and height for this element.
  3. Hide the content: Use the visibility: hidden property to make the element itself disappear while its dimensions still create space on the page.

This technique might seem odd, but it can be useful for creating fixed spacing when the other methods aren’t quite right.

While this works, it’s often better to find more semantic CSS solutions using margins, padding, or the techniques below.

Pseudo-elements ::before and ::after

Pseudo-elements allow you to style and, importantly, add space around specific parts of an element without cluttering your HTML with extra tags. The two primary pseudo-elements used for spacing are:: before and:: after.

Here’s how they work:

  • Inserting content: These pseudo-elements let you insert content either before or after an element’s existing content. This inserted content becomes part of the element’s visual layout.
  • Controlling dimensions: Using CSS, you can give before-and-after pseudo-elements a width, height, margin, and padding. This makes them invisible boxes that can create spacing effects.
  • Visual tricks: Common uses include adding decorative icons, creating space for custom tooltips, or inserting background images positioned alongside the main element’s content.

Flexbox

Flexbox (short for Flexible Box Layout) is a CSS layout module that revolutionized the way we create flexible, responsive designs.  It offers powerful tools for aligning and distributing space within containers.

Here’s why Flexbox is excellent for spacing control:

  • Flexible distribution: Properties like justify-content allow you to distribute space between flex items easily. For example, justify-content: space-around will add equal spacing between items, while justify-content: space-between will spread items out as far as possible within the container.
  • Alignment power: The align-items property controls alignment along the secondary axis of the Flexbox container. This lets you center elements vertically within a container or align them to the top or bottom edge, creating diverse spacing options.
  • Responsiveness: Flexbox layouts adapt gracefully to different screen sizes, automatically reflowing items and their spacing as needed.
  • Simplified complex layouts: Flexbox can streamline many layout scenarios that were traditionally difficult with older techniques, often requiring less code and fewer spacing “hacks.”

Here are some essential Flexbox properties for spacing:

  • justify-content: Controls distribution of space along the main axis of the Flexbox container.
  • align-items: Controls alignment along the cross-axis.
  • flex-direction: Sets whether items are laid out in a row or column.
  • flex-wrap: Determines if items should be wrapped onto multiple lines

Note: Flexbox has a bit more to learn than simple margins and padding, but it’s well worth understanding!

CSS Grid

CSS Grid is another powerful layout tool. It is best known for creating complex two-dimensional grid-like layouts, but it also offers straightforward ways to manage the spacing between elements within the grid.

  • grid-gap: This is the key property! It sets the spacing between grid rows and columns, creating a uniform gutter.
    Example:  grid-gap: 20px; (Creates a 20-pixel gap between all grid items)
  • Flexibility for Individual Items:  You can also adjust margins, padding, and alignment properties on individual grid items, offering a combination of overall spacing control and fine-tuning for specific elements.

Note: CSS Grid excels when you have a clear grid-style layout in mind. For simpler arrangements, Flexbox or even traditional spacing techniques with margins and padding might be more appropriate.

Real-World Elementor Spacing Examples and Best Practices

So far, we’ve covered the fundamental building blocks of HTML and CSS spacing. Now, let’s see how Elementor website builder takes these concepts and supercharges your workflow. Get ready for intuitive controls and powerful features that make crafting the perfect layout a joy.

Common Elementor Spacing Scenarios

Here are some everyday situations where you’ll be adjusting spacing in Elementor:

  • Spacing sections: Creating breathing room between major content sections on a page.
  • Widget spacing: Arranging widgets within columns and adjusting the spacing around them.
  • Text formatting: involves fine-tuning line spacing, paragraph margins, and heading styles and ensuring consistent text appearance throughout your site.
  • Visual balance: Achieving a harmonious layout where spacing plays a crucial role in overall visual appeal.

How Elementor Streamlines Spacing

  • Visual, drag-and-drop controls: Adjust margins and padding for elements with intuitive sliders or by dragging visual handles directly in the editor. See your changes in real time!
  • Global styles: Define default spacing preferences for consistency across your entire website.
  • Responsive design tools: Ensure your spacing adapts perfectly to different screen sizes using Elementor’s device-specific controls.
  • Advanced CSS customization: If needed, directly access and write custom CSS for any element, giving you full control when standard options aren’t quite enough.

Best Practices for Elementor Spacing

  1. Start with a plan: Consider the overall visual hierarchy and flow you want. A quick mockup of your layout can help plan spacing needs.
  2. Embrace Elementor’s sections, columns, and widgets:  Use these structural elements to organize content,  creating natural spacing with Elementor’s built-in settings.
  3. Fine-tune as needed: Adjust margins and padding on individual elements to achieve pixel-perfect results.
  4. Prioritize readability:  Ensure your text spacing promotes ease of scanning and avoids cramped or overly loose layouts.
  5. Test on different devices: Use Elementor’s responsive mode to ensure spacing looks great on mobile and tablets, not just desktops.

Why Elementor Website Builder

Throughout this guide, we’ve explored the nitty-gritty of spacing in HTML and CSS. Yet, what makes the Elementor platform such a powerful combination for website creators of all skill levels is how seamlessly they integrate these concepts.

Ease of Use

  • Intuitive Interface: Forget deciphering code. Elementor’s visual builder lets you click on elements and adjust spacing directly with sliders and visual aids. This empowers you to make changes without fear of breaking your layout.
  • No Coding Required (Unless You Want It): Achieve professional results without writing a single line of CSS. However, if you’re comfortable with code, Elementor provides custom CSS fields to expand your options even further.

Design Power

  • Flexibility without Overwhelm: Elementor strikes a balance between giving you precise control and keeping the interface approachable without overwhelming you.
  • Streamlined Workflow: No more jumping between your HTML/CSS code and the front end to see how changes look. Elementor’s real-time editor lets you experiment and preview spacing adjustments instantly.

Performance & Speed

  • Elementor Hosting’s Optimization: Elementor Hosting is built on the Google Cloud Platform and includes features like Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, server-level caching, and automatic image optimization. This ensures your site, with its carefully crafted spacing, loads lightning-fast for visitors.
  • Clean code: Elementor is known for generating relatively clean and efficient code, helping maintain fast page load times even with complex layouts.

Conclusion

Whitespace, once seen as an emptiness to be filled, is now understood as an essential design element. By mastering the strategic use of space within your web pages, you wield a powerful tool to guide the eye, create a visual hierarchy, and enhance the overall user experience. Whether you meticulously tweak HTML code or unleash the visual power of Elementor website builder, remember that spacing is never just an afterthought – it’s integral to the very fabric of your website’s design.

With Elementor and its optimized hosting platform, you gain unparalleled control over spacing, paired with the speed and efficiency to make those pixel-perfect adjustments a reality.  This powerful combination allows you to create websites that not only look beautiful but also perform exceptionally well.

Embrace the art of spacing and let it elevate your web presence to new heights. With the knowledge you’ve gained, you’re ready to design websites that are as visually captivating as they are functional.