Getting started with HTML: A guide for beginners 2023

As a beginner seeking to grasp the fundamentals of HTML, it's crucial for your success. Whether you're a content creator, web developer, or future coder, knowing HTML is essential. It helps in building attractive and functioning websites and acts as the cornerstone for coding languages like JavaScript and CSS. This guide offers a comprehensive introduction to HTML and its basics.

HTML Definition

The main language used in website building is HTML, which stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It enables developers to specify page elements by using angle-bracketed tag words. When a website is viewed, these tags direct web browsers to show the appropriate content. For example, if you want the text to be bold, use the tag that surrounds the text.

Purpose

HTML's purpose is to aid communication between a website and its users by creating a visual representation that's easily understood by both humans and computers. HTML code is written in plain text, making it effortless to comprehend and alter. It enables authors to quickly create complex websites with dynamic content.

HTML is the key to unlock the full potential of the web. It is the fundamental building block of all websites.

- Eric A. Meyer

The latest version of HTML is HTML5, which was launched in 2014. HTML5 offers a range of new features, such as audio/video elements, forms validation support, offline web app support through application cache, and semantic elements, including sectioning elements, making it easier for developers to create more accessible and structured websites.

Browser Support

HTML is supported by almost all modern browsers, including Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer. Despite its simplicity, HTML has a vast array of features, enabling customization of websites from basic styling (colour) to interactive experiences (animation). MoreoverHTML provides an excellent platform for web development and can be used for any project, from basic static pages to complex dynamic websites incorporating multiple technologies such as JavaScript and CSS3.

HTML Basic Tags

The foundation of a website's structure and content is its basic HTML tags. Through various HTML tags, denoted by angle brackets, they enable separation between content categories, such as headers and paragraphs, identify web page elements, such as links and pictures, and provide styling, such as bold or italic text.

The proper use of HTML tags also improves the accessibility of web pages to search engine robots, assisting indexing. When HTML tags are used correctly, the content structure is defined, allowing crawlers to comprehend the page's subject and determine its primary keywords for search engine ranking.

HTML Attributes

Attributes play a crucial role in HTML and provide extra information about HTML elements. Attributes are added to an HTML element's opening tag in the format "attribute name='value'", and can be utilized to modify a web page's look and functionality. The most commonly used attributes are id, class, style, src, and href.

The id attribute gives a unique identifier to an element on a page, the class attribute assigns elements to classes for CSS styling, the style attribute adds inline styling to elements using CSS properties, the src attribute links to the URL of an external resource such as images or videos, and the href attribute links to other pages or sections of a website.

HTML is a powerful tool for communicating information and creating online experiences. It is the foundation of all web development.

Besides, attributes must be written in lowercase and double-quoted strings are used for values containing spaces or special characters. Some HTML elements require specific attributes to function correctly. Not all HTML5 attributes may be recognized by some browsers, making it best practice to remain cautious.

HTML in 2023

It's challenging to predict the exact appearance of HTML in 2023 as it's constantly evolving. However, some likely advancements in HTML in 2023 include:

So, wider use of semantic elements - Semantic elements like <header>, <nav>, <main>, and <footer> provide meaning to a web page's structure, making it easier for search engines and assistive technologies

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