HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the markup language browsers read to understand the structure of a web page. It uses tags to label headings, paragraphs, links, images, tables and forms.
Why it matters
HTML is the foundation every page is built on. Well-structured HTML helps browsers render content quickly, helps screen readers navigate, and helps search engines understand what a page is about. CSS controls how it looks and JavaScript adds behavior, but without HTML there is nothing to style or script.
Validating your markup and testing with a keyboard and a screen reader catches many problems that visual checks miss.
Example
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head><title>Hello</title></head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome</h1>
<p>Read the <a href="/about">about page</a>.</p>
</body>
</html>Common mistakes
- Skipping the
langattribute and a descriptivetitle, which hurts accessibility and search snippets. - Using headings for size rather than structure, producing a confusing outline.
- Leaving unclosed or badly nested tags and relying on browsers to guess.
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