Welcome! You’ve Found the Easiest Way to Learn HTML and CSS.
Whether you are a novice, hoping to delve into the world of web design or an experienced webmaster keen to improve your skills, we’ve got online tutorials tailored to your web design needs.
Our absolute beginner tutorial will turn you from wannabe to webmaster in just a few hours. Unlike many other HTML tutorials, it’s a step-by-step guide – not a boring long-winded reference.
Our step-by-step guide teaches you the basics of HTML and how to build your first website. That means how to layout an HTML page, how to add text and images, how to add headings and text formatting, and how to use tables.
We’ll get you building your new website in minutes, not hours.
HTML for Absolute Beginners
While many guides on the internet attempt to teach HTML using a lot of mind-boggling theory, this tutorial will instead focus on giving you the practical skills to build your first site.
The aim is to show you ‘how’ to create your first web page without spending the entire tutorial focusing too much on the “why.”
By the end of this tutorial, you will have the know-how to create a basic website and we hope that this will inspire you to delve further into the world of HTML using our follow-on guides.
What is HTML?
Okay, so this is the only bit of mandatory theory. In order to begin to write HTML, it helps if you know what you are writing.
HTML is the language in which most websites are written. HTML is used to create pages and make them functional.
The code used to make them visually appealing is known as CSS and we shall focus on this in a later tutorial. For now, we will focus on teaching you how to build rather than design.
The History of HTML
HTML was first created by Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Cailliau, and others starting in 1989. It stands for Hyper Text Markup Language.
Hypertext means that the document contains links that allow the reader to jump to other places in the document or to another document altogether. The latest version is known as HTML5.
A Markup Language is a way that computers speak to each other to control how text is processed and presented. To do this HTML uses two things: tags and attributes.
What are Tags and Attributes?
Tags and attributes are the basis of HTML.
They work together but perform different functions – it is worth investing 2 minutes in differentiating the two.
What Are HTML Tags?
What are HTML Attributes?
Attributes contain additional pieces of information. Attributes take the form of an opening tag and additional info is placed inside.
An example of an attribute is:
Golden Rules To Remember
- The vast majority of tags must be opened (
) and closed () with the element information such as a title or text resting between the tags. - When using multiple tags, the tags must be closed in the order in which they were opened. For example:
This is really important!
HTML Editors
Now that we’ve gotten the basic theory out of the way. It’s time to learn how to build our first website.
First off, we must ensure that we have the right tools. Most important, we need an HTML editor.
There are many choices on the market. Here are a handful of the most popular:
Sublime Text 3
However, for this tutorial, we will use the Sublime Text 3 as it is free and also offers cross-platform support for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.
Notepad ++
Another common choice for HTML and other language coders is Notepad ++. It is a tiny program to download and perform the functions you need for writing clean code.
Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is one of two editors released by the same label. They offer a simple, open-source editor with a variety of extensions and language support.
It is free to download.
What To Avoid
Do not use Microsoft Word or any other word processor when writing HTML code, only an HTML editor or at the very least, your machine’s built-in notepad, is suitable for the task.
Secondly, ensure that you’ve installed a number of different browsers such as Chrome and Firefox in order to preview your upcoming creation.
Creating Your First HTML Webpage
First off, you need to open your HTML editor, where you will find a clean white page on which to write your code.
From there you need to layout your page with the following tags.
Basic Construction of an HTML Page
These tags should be placed underneath each other at the top of every HTML page that you create.
Further Tags
</dt> <dd>This is where we <strong>insert the page name</strong> as it will appear at the top of the browser window or tab.</dd> <dt></dt> <dd>This is where information <em>about</em> the document is stored: character encoding, name (page context), description.</dd> </dl> <h3>Adding Content</h3> <p>This includes <strong>text, images, tables, forms </strong>and everything else that we see on the internet each day.</p> <h4>How to Add HTML Headings To Your Web Page</h4> <p>In HTML, headings are written in the following elements:</p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h1></code></p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h2></code></p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h3></code></p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h4></code></p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h5></code></p> <ul> <li><code><br /> <h6></code></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Search engine bots use this order</strong> when deciphering which information is most important on a page.</p> <h5>Creating Your Heading</h5> <p>Let’s try it out. On a new line in the HTML editor, type:</p> <p>And hit save. We will save this file as “index.html” in a new folder called “my webpage.”</p> <p>Well let’s not get carried away; we’ve still got loads of great features that we can add to your page.</p> <h4>How To Add Text In HTML</h4> <p>When we write text in HTML, we also have a number of other elements we can use to <strong>control the text or make it appear in a certain way</strong>.</p> <h5>Other Key Elements</h5> <p>They are as follows:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th><strong>Element</strong></th> <th><strong>Meaning</strong></th> <th><strong>Purpose</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><strong><b></strong></td> <td>Bold</td> <td>Highlight important information</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><strong></strong></td> <td>Strong</td> <td>Similarly to bold, to highlight key text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><i></strong></td> <td>Italic</td> <td>To denote text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><em></strong></td> <td>Emphasised Text</td> <td>Usually used as image captions</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><mark></strong></td> <td>Marked Text</td> <td>Highlight the background of the text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><small></strong></td> <td>Small Text</td> <td>To shrink the text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><strike></strong></td> <td>Striked Out Text</td> <td>To place a horizontal line across the text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><u></strong></td> <td>Underlined Text</td> <td>Used for links or text highlights</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><ins></strong></td> <td>Inserted Text</td> <td>Displayed with an underline to show an inserted text</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><sub></strong></td> <td>Subscript Text</td> <td>Typographical stylistic choice</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong><sup></strong></td> <td>Superscript Text</td> <td>Another typographical presentation style</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>These tags <strong>must</strong> be opened and closed around the text in question.</p> <p>Let’s try it out. On a new line in the HTML editor, type the following HTML code:</p> <p>Don’t forget to <strong>hit save and then refresh the page</strong> in your browser to see the results.</p> <h4>How To Add Links In HTML</h4> <p>As you may have noticed, the internet is made up of lots of links.</p> <p>Almost everything you click on while surfing the web is a link <strong>takes you to another page</strong> within the website you are visiting or to an external site.</p> <h5>The Anchor Tag</h5> <p>The <strong>first part</strong> of the attribute <strong>points to the page that will open</strong> once the link is clicked.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the <strong>second part</strong> of the attribute contains the <strong>text which will be displayed</strong> to a visitor in order to entice them to click on that link.</p> <h5>Let’s Create An Anchor Tag</h5> <p>Let’s try it out. Make a duplicate of the code from your current index.html page. Copy / paste it into a new window in your HTML editor.</p> <p>Save this new page as “page2.html” and ensure that it is saved in the same folder as your index.html page.</p> <p>On page2.html add the following code:</p> <p>This will create a link to Google on page 2. Hit save and return to your index.html page.</p> <p>On a new line on index.html add the following code:</p><p style='display:none;color: white;'>Article post on: us.suanoncolosence.com</p><!--note hihi --> <ul class="dtb-ul"> <!-- <ul class="dtb-ul" style="padding: 20px; background: #eaf0ff;"> --></p> <p> <strong>Read more</strong>:</p> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://us.suanoncolosence.com/identify-programs-and-device-drivers-slowing-down-a-fast-start-up-shutdown-1673620384" rel="bookmark" title="Delivering a great startup and shutdown experience">Delivering a great startup and shutdown experience</a> </li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://us.suanoncolosence.com/vpn-error-691-on-windows-1674785304" rel="bookmark" title="Solved: VPN Error 691 on Windows 10, 8.1 and 7">Solved: VPN Error 691 on Windows 10, 8.1 and 7</a> </li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://us.suanoncolosence.com/retrieve-lost-sticky-notes-after-closing-windows-vista-sidebar-notes-gadget-1678487108" rel="bookmark" title="How to Recover Deleted Sticky Notes in Windows 10/8/7">How to Recover Deleted Sticky Notes in Windows 10/8/7</a> </li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://us.suanoncolosence.com/cipher-command-line-tool-windows-1672320124" rel="bookmark" title="[SOLVED] How To Delete Files In Windows With Cipher [MiniTool Tips]">[SOLVED] How To Delete Files In Windows With Cipher [MiniTool Tips]</a> </li> <li><a target="_blank" href="https://us.suanoncolosence.com/easy-context-menu-editor-windows-1679111951" rel="bookmark" title="15 Best Context Menu Editors For Windows 10, 11 in 2023">15 Best Context Menu Editors For Windows 10, 11 in 2023</a> </li> </ul> <p>Ensure the folder path to the file (page2.html) is correct. <strong>Hit save and preview</strong> index.html in your browser.</p> <p>If <strong>everything is correct</strong> then <strong>you will see a link which will take you to your second page</strong>. On the second page, there will be a link that will take you to google.com.</p> <h4>How To Add Images In HTML To Your Website</h4> <p>The attribute <em>features information</em> for your computer regarding the <strong>source</strong>, <strong>height</strong>, <strong>width</strong> and <strong>alt text</strong> of the image.</p> <h5>Styling and Formats</h5> <figure><figcaption class="aligncenter"><em>You can check the file type of an image by right-clicking the item and selecting ‘Properties’.</em></figcaption></figure> <p>You can also define borders and other styles around the image using the class attribute. However, we shall cover this in a later tutorial.</p> <p>The file types generally used for <strong>image files online are</strong>: .jpg, .png, and (less and less) .gif.</p> <p>Alt text is important to <strong>ensure that your site is ranked correctly</strong> on search sites and also for visually impaired visitors to your site.</p> <p>Let’s try it out.</p> <h5>Create Your Own Image With An Alt Text</h5> <p>Save an image (.jpg, .png, .gif format) of your choice in the same folder where you’ve saved index.html and page2.html. Call this image “testpic.jpg.”</p> <p>On a new line in your HTML editor <strong>enter the following code</strong>:</p> <p>Hit <strong>save and preview</strong> the index.html page in your browser.</p> <h4>How To Make an HTML List</h4> <p>In web design, there are <strong>3 different types of lists</strong> which you may wish to add to your site.</p> <h5>Ordered List</h5> <ol> <li>An item</li> <li>Another item</li> <li>Another goes here.</li> </ol> <p>For example:</p> <pre><code><ol> <li>An item </li> <li>Another item </li> <li>Another goes here </li> </ol></code></pre> <h5>Unordered List</h5> <p>An example of this is:</p> <pre><code><ul> <li>This is </li> <li>An Unordered </li> <li>List </li> </ul></code></pre> <h5>Definition List</h5> <dl> <dt>HTML</dt> <dd>Hypertext markup language is a programming language used to create web pages and is rendered by a web browser.</dd> </dl> <p>The code used for the above is as follows:</p> <pre><code><dl> <dt>Item</dt> <dd>The definition goes here</dd> </dl></code></pre> <p>Let’s try it out. Open index.html and on a new line, enter the following HTML:</p> <pre><code><p>This website will have the following benefits for my business:</p> <ul> <li>Increased traffic </li> <li>Global Reach</li> <li>Promotional Opportunities</li> </ul></code></pre> <p>Now <strong>hit save and check out the results</strong> in your browser. If everything worked out then it will display a bullet-pointed table displaying the information above.</p> <h4>How To Add Tables In HTML</h4> <figure><figcaption class="aligncenter"><em>Tables can be styled in various ways – Codepen.io offers live previews to keep track of changes.</em></figcaption></figure> <p>Another way to keep your website looking <strong>neat and orderly</strong> is through the use of a table.</p> <p>This is definitely the most complicated part of this tutorial, however, learning it will certainly pay off in the long-run.</p> <p>With this in mind, tables can still be a <strong>useful way to present content</strong> on your page.</p> <h5>What Does a Table Consist Of?</h5> <p>An example of an HTML table is as follows:</p> <pre><code><table> <tr> <td>Row 1 - Column 1</td> <td>Row 1 - Colunm 2 </td> <td>Row 1 - Column 3 </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Row 2 - Column 1</td> <td>Row 2 - Column 2</td> <td>Row 2 - Column 3</td> </tr> </table></code></pre> <p>This will produce a 2-row table with 3 cells in each row.</p> <p>Tables can get quite complicated, so be sure to check out our special HTML tables tutorial.</p> <h5>Table Tags</h5> <p>However, watch out for these tags so that you can <strong>recognize them and use them</strong> as your skills develop.</p> <p>Here are the tables tags presented in a table – pun totally intended.</p><p style='display:none;color: white;'>Source: us.suanoncolosence.com</p><!--note hihi --> <table> <thead> <tr> <th><strong>Table Tag</strong></th> <th><strong>Meaning</strong></th> <th><strong>Location</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><strong></p> <thead> </strong></td> <td>Table Head</td> <td>Top of the table</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong></p> <tbody></strong></td> <td>Table Body</td> <td>Content of the table</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong></p> <tfoot></strong></td> <td>Table Foot</td> <td>Bottom of the table</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong></p> <colgroup></strong></td> <td>Column Group</td> <td>Within the table</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong></p> <th></strong></td> <td>Table Header</td> <td>Data cell for the table header</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Tables, borders, spacing are usually styled using CSS but we will cover this in a later tutorial.</p> <h5>Let’s Make a Table</h5> <p>Go to a new line on the index.html page within your text editor. Enter the following HTML code:</p> <pre><code><table> <tr> <td>Row 1 - Column 1</td> <td>Row 1 - Column 2 </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Row 2 - Column 1</td> <td>Row 2 - Column 2</td> </tr> </table></code></pre> <p><strong>Hit save and preview it in your browser</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Congratulations: </strong>You did it!</p> <h3>How To Close an HTML Document</h3> <p>You’ve <strong>reached the end of our absolute beginners HTML tutorial</strong>.</p> <pre><code> </code></pre> <p>You’ve also learned to add headings, text, images, links, lists and basic tables to these pages.</p> <h4>What’s Next?</h4> <p>You can now use this knowledge to create your own web pages containing these features and link them together.</p> <p>We suggest that you <strong>further enhance your skills by experimenting</strong> with the code you’ve learned using different variables. You may also wish to learn about how to make your pages beautiful using CSS.</p> <p>The power to create your own website is now in your hands.</p> <h3>Troubleshooting</h3> <p>In case things didn’t work out as intended, simply <strong>check your HTML code </strong>against the examples below<strong>.</strong></p> <p><strong>Index.html troubleshooting code:</strong></p> <pre><code> <title>My First Webpage Welcome to my webpage
Welcome to my brand new website.
This site will be my new home on the web.
Page2This website will have the following benefits for my business:
- Increased traffic
- Global Reach
- Promotional Opportunities
Row 1 - Column 1 Row 1 - Column 2 Row 2 - Column 1 Row 2 - Column 2 page2.html troubleshooting code:
My First Webpage Welcome to my webpage
Welcome to my brand new website.
This site will be my new home on the web.
GoogleOur Other HTML Tutorials
Our HTML tutorials teach you how to create a personal website or site for your business, without forcing you to learn unnecessary theory.
Our most popular beginner’s tutorials include:
HTML tables
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Javascript is often used to add dynamic elements (like this countdown clock) to web pages. HTML5
Video: This 3 minute crash course is a great way to start understanding HTML5.
Semantic Markup
Logical tags
HTML Reference Guides
Each tag reference includes background and examples, which show how to use the tag in question. It’s perfect for when you want to troubleshoot problems while coding HTML.
Below are some of the most common tags — used by nearly every website you encounter:
Button Tag
Buttons can be customized in astonishing ways using CSS and JS. This is Codepen.io – an online editing and code sharing platform. Anchor Tag
Link Tag
Image Manipulation
This is an image code with various attributes. Character Codes
Headings
Paragraph
Italics
Bold
Anchor
Unordered List
List Item
Blockquote
Horizontal Rule
Image
Division
HTML Attributes Reference Guide
The HTML attributes section is designed to allow you to get up close and personal with the HTML attributes that you know and love while introducing you to some advanced attributes along the way.
Our most popular attributes include:
HTML Cheat Sheet
If you are pretty confident in your HTML abilities but sometimes feel like double-checking your work then look no further than our HTML cheat sheet.
This handy guide will show you everything you need to know about HTML in a super-compact, and easy-to-understand format. It provides information on particular tags and specific attributes in an alphabetized format.
You can bookmark the page for easy retrieval. Or you can print out our PDF so you can keep it by your desk.
The HTML.com Blog
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If you’ve already built your website then look no further than the HTML.com guide to web hosting.
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Whether you are searching for a WordPress host, a cheap and cheerful space for your first website, or a dedicated hosting solution, our hosting section has reviews of all the big name hosting providers and a few smaller companies too, including:
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