# Web Development HTML Basics [Alexander Jimenez](/content/author/alexander-jimenez/index.html) — Development Updated: 11/20/25 Posted: 3/13/23 HTML is a powerful and popular tool for creating websites and web apps. It's the foundation of the internet, as it understandably holds a lot of info on web products. This article will explore the website's basic concepts and structure of HTML. ## What is HTML? HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and it's used to create and structure websites. It uses a system of elements and codes that define the website's content, layout, and design. With [HTML](/content/blog/html-basics-evolution-future/index.html), you can personalize a website by adding media content and basic visuals. At its most basic level, HTML sets up a series of tags around pieces of content. These tags allow web browsers to interpret content coherently. The tags are the ones that tell the browser how to display content on the page. The overall distribution is headings, paragraphs, images, tables, and more. ## HTML Basic Concepts #### HTML Tags A tag in HTML is a code used to define a particular element in a web page. Tags appear between less-than (<) and greater-than (>) symbols. Yet, they may also hold self-closing tags (e.g., ``). Tags have the element's name and any customization attribute. These can also nest with each other, building complex structures relatively easily. This a content tag #### HTML Declarations The declaration is a statement that defines the markup. HTML documents start with it to tell the browser the document's version. It allows for backward compatibility and ensures the proper interpretation of the page. HTML uses `!DOCTYPE` followed by HTML to indicate that you're using HTML 5, the current version. ### HTML Elements An element is an integral part of an HTML document that provides structure and content to a webpage. They form the basic structure and organize the content logically. Some elements include ```` which states the title, and `

``

`, used for inserting paragraphs. Yet, some elements don't need a second closing tag, like `
`, which indicates a horizontal line. Another example is `
`, which leaves space after a paragraph. ### HTML Attributes An attribute is a modifier that provides extra information about an element. You have to put it before an equal sign and then the attribute's value to add it. For example, an `

` element can have the style attribute with a value of "text-align=center." So, the alignment of the text changes within the paragraph. They're usually inside the opening tag, with a space between them and the rest of the content. ID = specifies an id width = specifies the width height = sets the height form = names the form to which the element belongs draggable = determines if an element is draggable or not name = specifies the attribute’s name #### HTML href An href is an attribute value that defines a hyperlink that will redirect the user to another web page. It stands for Hypertext Reference and uses the `` element (anchor) to create links on a webpage. To create an href link in HTML, you'd use the syntax `Site`. It'll generate a hyperlink that users can click to open a target URL in a browser. Additionally, you can use HTML hrefs to link to other elements within your webpage. To do this, add an id attribute to the element you connect to and then use href. When clicked, you'll generate a link that takes the user directly to the element. For example, with ` Go to Section 1`. `hrefs` are essential to websites. You can create interesting in-app interactions with them. They also allow you to create links that generate a new window when clicked. To do this, use the target attribute with the `_blank` value. So, it will open the link in a new tab or window, depending on user settings. An example can be `` **`Capicua`**``. Also, `hrefs` can also hold links to downloadable files such as PDFs or images. The download attribute with a value that is the document's file name, like `Download PDF`. As you can see, there are many in which `href attributes` can enhance the experience within your site! Next time, try to target more interactivity by using them. #### HTML Image An **image** is an element that adds visuals, like photos, diagrams, GIFs, and illustrations, to a page. The code for adding an image to a webpage is simple. It consists of the following structure ``. You can also add attributes like alt and title to give info about the picture, like width and height. The more simpler example is `logo` #### HTML Video Audio and video files use `