What Is HTML? (And Why It’s the First Thing You Should Learn in Coding)

🧱 What Is HTML? (And Why It’s the First Thing You Should Learn in Coding)

If you’ve ever thought about building a website or learning to code, you’ve probably heard the word HTML. But what exactly is it? And why is it such a big deal for beginners?

Don’t worry—this post will explain everything in simple words. No tech jargon, no experience needed. Let’s go!

🌐 What Does HTML Mean?

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.

That sounds fancy, but it just means:

HTML is the code that tells your browser what to show on a webpage.

It’s like the skeleton or blueprint of a webpage. Without it, your site has nothing to display.

🧩 What Does HTML Actually Do?

Imagine a webpage is like a house:

🧱 HTML is the structure (walls, rooms, doors)
🎨 CSS is the paint and decorations
⚙️ JavaScript is the electricity that makes things interactive

So, HTML gives your website the structure:
📄 Text
📷 Images
🔗 Links
📦 Boxes and sections
📜 Headings and paragraphs

🛠 A Super Simple HTML Example

Here’s a basic HTML page:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>My First Page</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    <p>This is my first website. I’m learning HTML!</p>
  </body>
</html>

Let’s break it down:

<html> – The entire webpage
<head> – Info about the page (title, SEO, etc.)
<body> – What shows up on the screen
<h1> – A big heading
<p> – A paragraph of text

That’s it! Just a few tags, and boom—you’ve made a page.

🧠 Why Should You Learn HTML First?

Here’s why HTML is the best first step:

✅ It’s easy to learn – You don’t need to know math or logic.
🌱 It’s the foundation – All websites use HTML, even big ones like YouTube and Google.
🧰 It works with everything else – CSS and JavaScript need HTML to work.

Think of it as learning the alphabet before writing stories.

📚 What’s Next After HTML?

Once you’re comfy with HTML, you can:

🎨 Learn CSS to style your page
⚙️ Learn JavaScript to make things interactive
🧱 Learn React, Vue, or Tailwind to build modern apps
🌍 Host your site online so the world can see it!

🚀 Let’s Wrap It Up

HTML is the structure of every webpage.
It uses simple tags to add text, images, links, and more.
You only need a text editor and a browser to get started!

Want to try it out? Open a new file on your computer, paste in the example above, save it as index.html, and double-click it. You’ve just made your first webpage. 🎉

Let me know in the comments if you'd like a beginner’s guide to CSS next!
Happy coding! 💻✨

What Is HTML? (And Why It’s the First Thing You Should Learn in Coding)