Introduction to HTML

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the language every web page is built from. It describes the structure and content of a page — headings, paragraphs, images, links — which browsers then render visually.

What HTML Actually Does

HTML is a markup language, not a programming language — it has no logic, loops, or calculations. Instead, it wraps content in tags that tell the browser what each piece of content is: a heading, a list, a link, an image. The browser reads this markup and renders it as a visual page.

Every website you visit, no matter how it was built, ultimately sends HTML to your browser. Frameworks and content management systems all generate HTML behind the scenes — which is why understanding it is the essential first step in web development.

Your First HTML Page

An HTML document always follows the same basic skeleton. The <!DOCTYPE html> declaration tells the browser to use modern HTML5 rules, and everything else is nested inside <html>.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>My First Page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
  <p>This is my first HTML page.</p>
</body>
</html>

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting the <!DOCTYPE html> declaration, which can cause the browser to render the page in a legacy compatibility mode.
• Leaving a tag unclosed — e.g. <p> without a matching </p> — which can cause unexpected nesting.
• Confusing HTML (structure) with CSS (styling) or JavaScript (behaviour) — HTML only describes content and meaning.
• Editing a page and expecting to see changes without saving the file or refreshing the browser.