Key Takeaways
- Why you should learn HTML despite tools that generate HTML code
- Benefits of crafting your own HTML
- What is HTML and how to easily learn HTML
Why Learn HTML?
HTML is the building block of the web. It is a markup language that is used to create web pages. By learning HTML, businesses can create their own websites and web applications. This can help them reach a wider audience and improve their online presence.
Here are some of the benefits of learning HTML for businesses:
- It can help businesses to save money on web development costs.
- It can help businesses to have more control over their website content.
- It can help businesses to create a more user-friendly website.
- It can help businesses to improve their search engine ranking.
- It can help businesses to create a more responsive website.
If you are a business owner who wants to create a digital presence, then learning HTML is a great place to start. It is a relatively easy language to learn, and it can be used to create a variety of different types of websites.
But Tools Will Generate HTML
While there are indeed many tools available for creating digital platforms without any coding knowledge, there are several reasons why a business that wants a digital presence should still consider learning HTML:
Customization
While modern tools provide great templates and options, there might be specific features or designs you want to implement that aren’t available in these platforms. Knowing HTML can allow for more precise control over the look and feel of your website.
Understanding of Web Technology
Learning HTML provides a deeper understanding of how the web works. This knowledge can be valuable in many ways, from troubleshooting issues to making more informed decisions about digital strategy.
Cost-Efficient
Being able to make changes to your website without hiring a developer can be more cost-efficient. Even if you still hire developers, understanding HTML can help you communicate more effectively with them.
SEO Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for the visibility of a website. While many tools offer SEO features, a solid understanding of HTML can help you optimize your site even more effectively.
Future Proofing
The tools you use today might not be available or relevant tomorrow, but HTML has been a constant in web development for a long time and will likely remain so. By learning HTML, you’re equipping yourself with a skill that isn’t dependent on specific tools or platforms
Integration and Embedding
You might want to embed certain types of content or integrate with other platforms. Often, this requires adding some HTML code to your site.
Load Speed and Performance
Websites built with simple HTML often load faster than those built with complex website builders. This can provide a better user experience and is also beneficial for SEO.
In short, while it’s absolutely possible to have a digital presence without knowing HTML, learning it can provide additional flexibility, understanding, and options for customization.
What is HTML
HTML is a markup language that is used to create web pages. It stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML is a set of tags that are used to define the structure and content of a web page. For example, the <h1> tag is used to create a heading, the <p> tag is used to create a paragraph, and the <img> tag is used to insert an image. HTML is the foundation of the World Wide Web, and it is used by billions of people every day.
HTML uses various tags and attributes to define the structure of the content. For example, the <p> tag is used to define a paragraph, the <h1> to <h6> tags are used to define headings, the <a> tag is used for hyperlinks, and the <img> tag is used to insert images, among others.
A simple HTML document structure includes:
- <!DOCTYPE html>: This declaration defines the document to be HTML5.
- <html>: This is the root element of an HTML page.
- <head>: The head element contains meta-information about the HTML document, including its title and links to scripts or stylesheets.
- <title>: This tag specifies a title for the HTML document (displayed in the browser’s title bar or tab).
- <body>: This tag contains the main content of the HTML document, or the part of the HTML document that will be visible in the web browser.
A fundamental understanding of HTML is important for anyone involved in web development or design, SEO, or any work related to websites, because it allows for a deeper understanding of and control over the structure and presentation of web content. It’s often used in conjunction with other languages like CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to style the content and JavaScript to add interactivity.
Creating Your First Webpage
Creating a basic webpage involves understanding some fundamental HTML tags and how they’re used. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to creating your first HTML page:
1. Structure of an HTML Document
Every HTML document begins and ends with <html> tags. The document is split into two main sections: the <head> and the <body>.
<!DOCTYPE html> <html>
<head> </head>
<body> </body>
</html>
2. Head Section
The <head> section typically contains the title of the webpage (displayed in the browser’s tab) and any link to CSS stylesheets. The title is set using the <title> tag.
3. Body Section
<head>
<title>My First Webpage</title>
</head>
The <body> section is where you’ll put the main content that will be visible on the webpage.
4. Headings
HTML offers six levels of headings, from <h1> (the most important) to <h6> (the least important). Typically, the <h1> tag is used for the main title of the page, with other heading tags used for subheadings.
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My First Webpage</h1>
</body>
5. Paragraphs
You can create paragraphs using the <p> tag.
<p>This is a paragraph on my first webpage!</p>
6. Links
You can create clickable links using the <a> tag. The href attribute within the <a> tag defines the destination of the link.
<a href=”https://www.example.com”>This is a link to Example.com</a>
7. Images
You can insert images using the <img> tag. The src attribute specifies the path to the image file. The alt attribute provides an alternative text for the image if it cannot be displayed.
<img src=”image.jpg” alt=”Description of Image”>
8. Lists
You can create unordered (bulleted) lists using the <ul> tag and ordered (numbered) lists using the <ol> tag. Each item in the list is wrapped in a <li> (list item) tag.
<ul>
<li>First item in unordered list</li>
<li>Second item in unordered list</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>First item in ordered list</li>
<li>Second item in ordered list</li>
</ol>
Here’s how a complete basic HTML document could look:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html>
<head>
<title>My First Webpage</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My First Webpage</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph on my first webpage!</p> <ahref=”https://www.example.com”>This is a link to Example.com</a>
<img src=”image.jpg”alt=”Description of Image”>
<ul>
<li>First item in unordered list</li>
<li>Second item in unordered list</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
After you’ve created your HTML file, save it with a .html extension (like my_first_webpage.html), and you can open it in any web browser to see your first webpage!
Remember, this is just the beginning. HTML has many more tags and attributes to explore, which will allow you to create complex and interactive webpages. As you progress, you’ll also want to learn CSS for styling your webpage and JavaScript for adding interactivity.
Summary of Useful HTML
Here’s a table that lists some of the basic HTML tags that beginning students should know:
| Tag | Description | Example Usage |
| <!DOCTYPE> | Defines the document type (HTML5) | <!DOCTYPE html> |
| <html> | Defines an HTML document | <html></html> |
| <head> | Contains metadata/information for the document | <head></head> |
| <title> | Defines a title for the document | <title>Page Title</title> |
| <body> | Contains the visible page content | <body></body> |
| <h1> to <h6> | Define headings (h1 is the largest, h6 is the smallest) | <h1>Heading</h1> |
| <p> | Defines a paragraph | <p>Paragraph text</p> |
| <br> | Inserts a line break | Line1<br>Line2 |
| <a> | Defines a hyperlink | <a href=”url”>Link</a> |
| <img> | Defines an image | <img src=”image.jpg”> |
| <ul> | Defines an unordered list | <ul><li>Item1</li></ul> |
| <ol> | Defines an ordered list | <ol><li>Item1</li></ol> |
| <li> | Defines a list item | <li>List item</li> |
| <div> | Defines a section in a document | <div></div> |
| <span> | Defines a section in a line | <span>Some text</span> |
| <table> | Defines a table | <table></table> |
| <tr> | Defines a row in a table | <tr><td>Data</td></tr> |
| <td> | Defines a cell in a table | <td>Cell data</td> |
This table covers only a small subset of HTML tags. HTML is a very rich language with numerous other elements to learn as you progress, like form elements, semantic elements, and more advanced tags for media and interactivity.
