HTML uses tags and elements to define the structure and content of a web page. Tags tell the browser what type of content is being displayed.
Understanding tags and elements is the most important part of learning HTML. Every webpage is built using HTML elements.
What Is an HTML Tag
An HTML tag is a keyword enclosed within angle brackets. Tags are used to mark the beginning and end of an HTML element.
Most HTML tags come in pairs:
- Opening tag
- Closing tag
In the above example:
- <p> is the opening tag
- </p> is the closing tag
- The text between them is the content
Together, these form an HTML element.
What Is an HTML Element
An HTML element consists of:
- Opening tag
- Content
- Closing tag
Elements define how content appears and behaves on a webpage.
In this example:
- h1 is the tag name
- The content is the heading text
- The entire line is one HTML element
HTML provides different tags for different purposes, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links.
Self-Closing HTML Tags
Some HTML tags do not have a closing tag. These are called self-closing or void elements.
Examples include line breaks and images.
Important Things to Remember
- Tags are written inside angle brackets
- Most tags have opening and closing pairs
- Elements include tags and content
- HTML tags are not case-sensitive, but lowercase is recommended
Why Tags and Elements Matter for Developers
Professional developers must write clean and well-structured HTML. Correct use of tags and elements improves readability, accessibility, and SEO.
Understanding this concept is essential before learning HTML attributes, forms, and semantic HTML.
What You Will Learn Next
In the next lesson, you will learn about HTML attributes and how they add extra information to HTML elements.