What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It's not a programming language — it's a markup language, which means it describes the structure of a web page rather than telling the computer to calculate or make decisions.
Every website you've ever visited — Google, YouTube, Instagram — is built on top of HTML. It's the skeleton that holds headings, paragraphs, images, links and buttons in place before any styling or interactivity is added.
- ✓HTML defines the structure and content of a web page using elements called tags.
- ✓Browsers read HTML files and render them visually — that's literally what a browser's job is.
- ✓HTML works alongside CSS (styling) and JavaScript (behavior) — you'll meet both later in this course.
Setting Up Your Environment
Before writing any code, you need two things: a place to write HTML, and a place to view it. Follow these steps once, and you're set for the rest of the course.
- Install a code editor. We recommend Visual Studio Code (VS Code) — it's free, fast, and works on Windows, Mac and Linux. Download it from code.visualstudio.com.
- Install a modern browser. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox both work great and come with built-in developer tools you'll use later in this course.
- Create a project folder. Make a folder on your desktop called html-course — every lesson's file will live here.
- (Optional) Install "Live Server." In VS Code, go to Extensions and install Live Server — it auto-refreshes your browser every time you save a file.
Writing Your First HTML Page
Open VS Code, create a new file inside your html-course folder, and save it as index.html. Then type the following exactly as shown:
<!-- index.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 very first HTML page.</p> </body> </html>
Save the file, then open it in your browser (or right-click → "Open with Live Server") to see it rendered.
Breaking Down What You Just Wrote
Every line in that file has a job. Here's what each part is actually doing.
<!DOCTYPE html>Tells the browser this file uses modern HTML5. It always goes on the very first line.
<html lang="en"></html>The root element. Every other tag in the page lives inside this one, and lang tells browsers and screen readers the page's language.
<head></head>Holds information about the page that isn't shown directly on it — like the character set and the page title.
<title></title>Sets the text shown in the browser tab.
<body></body>Holds everything the visitor actually sees: headings, text, images, and more.
Try It Yourself
Change the text inside the <h1> tag to your own name, add a second <p> tag introducing yourself in one sentence, and save the file. Refresh your browser to see the update.
Build Your "About Me" Starter Page
A page just for you
Using only what you learned today, create a new file called about.html inside your html-course folder.
- Start with the DOCTYPE, html, head, and body structure.
- Give the page a title of your choice, shown in the browser tab.
- Add one <h1> with your name.
- Add two <p> paragraphs: one about a hobby, one about why you're taking this course.
- Save the file and open it in your browser to check it renders correctly.
Recap
A markup language used to structure and label content on a web page.
Tags label content; an opening tag, content, and closing tag together form an element.
Extra information added inside an opening tag, written as name="value".
Every HTML page starts with DOCTYPE, html, head, and body.
Key Takeaways
- HTML is a markup language that structures content — not a programming language.
- Every HTML file needs a <!DOCTYPE html> declaration, an <html> root, a <head>, and a <body>.
- Your editor (VS Code) is where you write code; your browser is where you view the result.
- You've written and viewed your first web page — every website starts exactly this way.