What is HTML?
HTML = HyperText Markup Language
It is not a programming language — it's a markup language.
It tells the browser:
- what content exists on the page
- how the content is structured
- what meaning the content has
The most important HTML tags (2025–2026 edition)
| Tag | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
<!DOCTYPE html> |
Tells browser: this is modern HTML | must be first line |
<html lang="en"> |
Root element + language | very important for accessibility |
<head> |
Metadata (not visible) | title, charset, viewport, css... |
<meta charset="UTF-8"> |
Correct characters (emoji, accents...) | almost always needed |
<title> |
Page title (browser tab) | very important for SEO |
<h1> – <h6> |
Headings (h1 is most important) | only one <h1> per page (best practice) |
<p> |
Paragraph | normal text blocks |
<a href="..."> |
Hyperlink | the soul of the web |
<img src="" alt=""> |
Image | always write alt text |
<!-- comment --> |
Comment (not visible) | very useful when learning |
Minimal valid HTML5 document
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>My First Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello World!</h1>
<p>This is my very first webpage.</p>
</body>
</html>
Quick Tips (2026 edition)
- Always include
<meta charset="UTF-8"> - Always include
<meta name="viewport" ...>for mobile - Use semantic tags when possible:
<header>,<main>,<footer>,<nav>,<article>... - Write
alttext on every image - Use lowercase for tag names (convention)
Made with ❤️ and pure HTML + a tiny bit of CSS — February 2026