What Is HTML?

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the foundational language used to create the structure of websites. It acts like the blueprint of a house, outlining where everything goes, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links. Just like how a house’s frame determines the layout of rooms, walls, and doors, HTML defines the different sections and elements on a webpage.

HTML is not a programming language; it’s a markup language. This means that it doesn’t perform calculations or actions like a programming language does. Instead, it’s used to describe the structure of content, telling the browser how to display text, images, and multimedia on a webpage.

When you visit a website, you don’t see HTML code itself, but what you do see (like headings, paragraphs, or images) is all put together because of HTML. It’s the basic framework that every webpage relies on.

How Does HTML Work?

  • Tags: HTML uses tags to mark the beginning and end of elements (like headings or paragraphs). For example, p is used to create a paragraph.
  • Elements: These are the building blocks of an HTML page, including text, images, videos, links, and more. They are enclosed in tags, such as h1 for a heading or img for an image.
  • Attributes: Elements can have attributes that provide additional information. For example, an img tag might have a “src” attribute to specify the image source.
  • Hierarchy: HTML elements are nested inside one another, creating a structure, much like rooms inside a house. A webpage typically starts with an html tag and is built out with elements like headers, sections, and footers.

Importance Of Understanding HTML

For web designers, understanding HTML is crucial because it’s the foundation of most websites. Even if designers use more advanced tools or software to build websites, knowing HTML helps them control the structure and fix issues faster. It’s like knowing the basics of how a house is built—you might not need to build the whole house from scratch, but understanding the foundation and framework helps you identify and fix issues quickly when something goes wrong.

Furthermore, knowing HTML helps designers make their websites more accessible and optimized for search engines. This means their designs will work well across different devices and browsers, leading to better user experiences and improved visibility online.

Why We Choose HTML

We rely on HTML because it’s fundamental to the process of web design. Even if I’m using a WordPress builder or a premium template, I still need to understand how HTML works behind the scenes to make sure that everything is structured correctly.

Additionally, many templates and builders allow you to customize certain aspects of a webpage. While the builder handles most of the heavy lifting, there are times when editing the raw HTML allows for more flexibility and precision in design and layout.

HTML Document Code

NOTE: A plain HTML document is displayed unstyled, with only the browser’s default styling being applied (e.g., standard font sizes, colors, and spacing).

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Unstyled HTML Viewed In A Browser

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Frequently Asked Questions

HTML is one of the easiest coding languages to learn because it’s not really “coding” in the traditional sense—it’s more about structuring content. It’s mostly about using tags to tell the browser how to display text, images, links, etc. With some practice, it can become quite intuitive!

It depends on how much time you spend practicing, but you can start creating simple web pages within just a few hours of learning. Mastery takes more time, but the basics are pretty easy to pick up.

Our goal is to keep things simple without overwhelming you, however we recommend you take any available online course and watch YouTube tutorials. A great source to  learn HTML for free is www.w3schools.com.

The best way to get HTML support is through available AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini. They are free support tools and much better than online forums.

No special software is needed! You can write HTML in a simple text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac). However, using a code editor like Notepad++ can make things easier by highlighting your code and helping you spot errors.

No. You can start learning how to make very small and insignificant changes to a simple HTML document and go from there.
No, you don’t need to memorize all the HTML tags! In fact, you only need to understand their basic function, and know a few basic tags to start creating simple web pages. Over time, as you become more comfortable, you can explore more tags as needed. We still use reference pages and HTML tag lists!
It’s possible if you understand what to look for and take necessary steps to backup the original file.
Not necessarily. However knowing basic HTML can be helpful when you want to customize your content or fix formatting issues that might arise.

The moment you feel comfortable editing HTML, you can start providing basic web master service, such as updating content, troubleshooting HTML, etc.

Tools & Resources

These are most of the tools and resources we continuously use to develop HTML websites. For a comprehensive list, visit our resources and tools pages.

Domain Names

Buy all TLDs and save when you buy in bulk. Easy to manage DNS and overall settings.

Web Hosting

You will need a server for publishing your HTML website, and for working on remote files.

HTML Templates

Find great HTML templates for every project. Get creative designs and affordably.

Windows Laptop

A Windows laptop is the best tool for editing HTML files, specially necessary for local files.

WinSCP

WinSCP

This may be one of our most used tools. It allows us to connect remotely and update files.

Google Chrome

There are many free browsers, but we love Google Chrome and its many developer tools.