HTML Basics

Last Updated : 17 May, 2025

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create and structure web pages. It defines the layout of a webpage using elements and tags, allowing for the display of text, images, links, and multimedia content. As the foundation of nearly all websites, HTML is used in over 95% of all web pages today, making it an essential part of modern web development.

In this guide, we learn the basics of HTML, which includes HTML tags ( <h1>, <p>, <img>, etc), attributes, elements, and document structure which collectively form a working web page.

Table of Content

Basic HTML Document and Structure
HTML Headings
HTML Paragraph and Break Elements
HTML Horizontal Line
HTML Images
View HTML Source Code

HTML Basic Document and Structure

Every HTML document begins with a document type declaration, setting the foundation for the webpage. This section introduces basic HTML tags that structure the page, such as <head>, <body>, and <title>. Although this is not mandatory, it is a good convention to start the document with the below-mentioned tag.

Screenshot-(4) — HTML Structure

Below mentioned are the basic HTML tags that divide the whole page into various parts like head, body, etc.

Basic HTML Tags for Document Structure
Tags	Descriptions
<html>	Encloses the entire HTML document, serving as the root element for all HTML content.
<head>	Contains header information about the webpage, including title, meta tags, and linked stylesheets. It is part of the document's structure but is not displayed on the webpage.
<title>	Used within the <head> section to define the title of the HTML document. It appears in the browser tab or window and provides a brief description of the webpage's content.
<body>	Encloses the visible content of the webpage, such as text, images, audio, videos, and links. All elements within this tag are displayed on the actual webpage when viewed in a browser.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" 
          content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>HTML</title>
</head>
<body>
    <!--Contents of the webpage-->
    <p>GeeksforGeeks is a online study platform</p>
</body>
</html>

Code Overview:

This HTML document defines a basic webpage with a responsive design using <meta> tags, ensuring it adjusts well to different devices.
The content includes a paragraph <p> displaying "GeeksforGeeks is an online study platform," and the title "HTML" appears in the browser tab.

HTML Headings

The HTML heading tags are used to create headings for the content of a webpage. These tags are typically placed inside the body tag. HTML offers six heading tags, from <h1> to <h6>, each displaying the heading in a different font size.

Syntax:

<h1></h1>
<h2></h2>
<h3></h3>
<h4></h4>
<h5></h5>
<h6></h6>

HTML

<html>
<body>
      <h1>Heading 1 (h1)</h1>
      <h2>Heading 2 (h2)</h2>
      <h3>Heading 3 (h3)</h3>
      <h4>Heading 4 (h4)</h4>
      <h5>Heading 5 (h5)</h5>
      <h6>Heading 6 (h6)</h6>
</body>
</html>

Code Overview:

This code displays six headings (<h1> to <h6>) on the webpage, with <h1> being the largest and most prominent and <h6> being the smallest.
The headings are used to define text hierarchy and emphasize content based on importance.

HTML Paragraph and Break Elements

HTML <p> tags are used to write paragraph statements on a webpage. They start with the <p> tag and end with </p>. The HTML <br> tag is used to insert a single line break and does not require a closing tag. In HTML, the break tag is written as <br>.

Syntax:

// for Paragraph
<p> Content... </p>
// for Break
<br>

HTML

<html>
<body>
      <p>
            HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.<br>
            It is used to design web pages using a markup
            language.<br>HTML is a combination of Hypertext
            and Markup language.<br>Hypertext defines the
            link between web pages.<br>A markup language
            is used to define the text document within the
            tag which defines the structure of web pages.
      </p>
</body>
</html>

Code Overview:

This HTML code uses a <p> tag to display a paragraph of text, providing an overview of what HTML is and its purpose.
The <br> tags are used to insert line breaks, making the text more readable by separating each sentence onto a new line within the paragraph.

HTML Horizontal Line

The HTML <hr> tag is used to divide a page into sections by creating a horizontal line that spans from the left to the right side of the page. This is an empty tag and does not require a closing tag or any additional attributes.

Syntax:

<hr>

HTML

<html>
<body>
    <p>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
    </p>
    <hr>
    <p>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
    </p>
    <hr>
    <p>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
        A Computer Science portal for geeks<br>
    </p>
    <hr>
</body>
</html>

Code Overview:

<h1> to <h6> tags are used to define headings, with <h1> being the largest and <h6> the smallest.
Each tag displays "Hello World!" in decreasing font sizes, illustrating the hierarchy of headings in HTML.

HTML Images

The <img> tag is used to insert an image into a webpage. The source of the image is specified within the src attribute, like this: <img src="source_of_image">.

Syntax:

<img src="geeks.png">

This HTML code uses the <img> tag to display an image on a webpage.
The src attribute specifies the URL of the image, which is loaded and displayed when the page is rendered in the browser.

View HTML Source Code

While checking a web page, you might want to see the HTML code behind it. Here we will see how you can view HTML source code for the entire page or a specific element.

1. View HTML Source Code of Entire Page

To view the source code of a webpage press ctrl + u on the page, or right-click on the page and select the "view page source" option.
This will open a new tab that shows the HTML source code for that entire page.

2. Inspect an HTML Element on a Page

To check the HTML code for a specific element on a page, right-click on the page and select the "Inspect" option.
This lets you see the HTML and CSS behind that element. You can also try making changes and see the changes.

HTML Comments

C

Chinmoy Lenka

Improve

Article Tags :

Practice Tags :

Misc

Similar Reads

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the standard language used to create and structure content on the web. It tells the web browser how to display text, links, images, and other forms of multimedia on a webpage. HTML sets up the basic structure of a website, and then CSS and JavaScript

HTML Introduction

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the standard language used to create and structure content on the web. It defines the structure of a webpage by using a series of elements, tags, and attributes to organize text, images, links, and other multimedia elements.HTML is a markup language,

An HTML Editor is a software application designed to help users create and modify HTML code. It often includes features like syntax highlighting, tag completion, and error detection, which facilitate the coding process. There are two main types of HTML editors: Text-Based Editors - Allow direct codi

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to create and structure web pages. It defines the layout of a webpage using elements and tags, allowing for the display of text, images, links, and multimedia content. As the foundation of nearly all websites, HTML is used in over

HTML comments are used to add notes or explanations in the HTML code that are not displayed by the browser.They are useful for documenting the code, making it easier to understand and maintain.To add a comment, use the syntax . HTML<!-- This is a comment and will n

An HTML Element consists of a start tag, content, and an end tag, which together define the element's structure and functionality. Elements are the basic building blocks of a webpage and can represent different types of content, such as text, links, images, or headings.For example, the <p> ele

HTML Attributes

HTML Attributes are special words used within the opening tag of an HTML element. They provide additional information about HTML elements. HTML attributes are used to configure and adjust the element's behavior, appearance, or functionality in a variety of ways. Each attribute has a name and a value

HTML headings are used to define the titles and subtitles of sections on a webpage. They help organize the content and create a structure that is easy to navigate.Proper use of headings enhances readability by organizing content into clear sections.Search engines utilize headings to understand page

HTML Paragraphs

A paragraph in HTML is simply a block of text enclosed within the <p> tag. The <p> tag helps divide content into manageable, readable sections. Itâ€™s the go-to element for wrapping text in a web page that is meant to be displayed as a distinct paragraph.Syntax:<p> Content</p>H

HTML Text Formatting

HTML text formatting refers to the use of specific HTML tags to modify the appearance and structure of text on a webpage. It allows you to style text in different ways, such as making it bold, italic, underlined, highlighted, or struck-through. Table of ContentCategories of HTML Text FormattingLogic