Understanding HTML Elements and Tags – A Beginner’s Guide


 

If you’ve followed our beginner’s guide to HTML, you now know how to create a simple webpage. But to build something more useful, you need to understand HTML elements and tags—the basic building blocks of any webpage.

Don’t worry! We’ll keep it super simple so even a total beginner can follow along.

What Are HTML Tags and Elements?

Imagine HTML as a recipe for a webpage. Just like a recipe has ingredients, HTML uses tags to structure content.

💡 A tag is a keyword wrapped in angle brackets (< >). It tells the browser what type of content is inside.

For example:

<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
  • <p> is the opening tag (starts the paragraph).
  • </p> is the closing tag (ends the paragraph).
  • Everything inside is content.

✅ An HTML element = Opening tag + Content + Closing tag.

Common HTML Elements You’ll Use Every Day

Let’s look at some essential elements that every webpage needs.

1. Headings (<h1> to <h6>)

Headings make your text stand out.

<h1>Main Heading</h1>
<h2>Subheading</h2>
<h3>Smaller heading</h3>

📝 Tip: Use <h1> for the most important title and <h6> for the smallest heading.

2. Paragraphs (<p>)

For writing text content.

<p>This is a paragraph of text.</p>

3. Links (<a>)

For creating clickable links.

<a href="https://www.example.com">Click here to visit Example</a>

🔗 Tip: The href="URL" tells the browser where the link should go.

4. Images (<img>)

For displaying pictures.

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of the image">

🖼️ Tip: The alt text helps describe the image if it doesn’t load.

5. Lists (<ul> and <ol>)

To create lists:

✅ Unordered List (Bullets)

<ul>
    <li>Apples</li>
    <li>Oranges</li>
    <li>Bananas</li>
</ul>

🔢 Ordered List (Numbers)

<ol>
    <li>Step One</li>
    <li>Step Two</li>
    <li>Step Three</li>
</ol>

6. Tables (<table>)

For displaying data neatly.

<table border="1">
    <tr>
        <th>Name</th>
        <th>Age</th>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>John</td>
        <td>25</td>
    </tr>
</table>

📝 Tip: <tr> is a table row, <th> is a header, and <td> is a data cell.

7. Forms (<form>)

For user input, like login forms.

<form>
    <label>Name:</label>
    <input type="text">
    <button>Submit</button>
</form>

📝 Tip: Forms allow users to enter information on your website.

Putting It All Together

Here’s a simple webpage using all these elements:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My First Structured Webpage</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
    <p>This is a basic webpage with headings, text, images, and links.</p>

    <h2>My Favorite Fruits</h2>
    <ul>
        <li>Apple</li>
        <li>Banana</li>
        <li>Orange</li>
    </ul>

    <h2>Visit My Blog</h2>
    <a href="https://www.example.com">Click here</a>

    <h2>Contact Me</h2>
    <form>
        <label>Name:</label>
        <input type="text">
        <button>Submit</button>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

Conclusion

HTML elements are super easy once you start using them! Now you know how to:
✅ Use headings, paragraphs, and lists.
✅ Add links and images.
✅ Create tables and forms.

What’s Next?

In the next post, we’ll learn about HTML attributes—how to customize elements with colors, links, and more!

💬 Got questions? Drop them in the comments! 🚀

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