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HTML and CSS are relatively ‘old’ coding languages. However, they are still highly relevant for coders in 2022. Knowledge of HTML and CSS not only helps professional programmers, but also helps individuals in a variety of professions by giving them basic web page development knowledge. These languages can be used for creating WordPress pages, writing blogs, optimizing for SEO, and more. In addition to coding and programmers, the languages are widely used by UX/UI Designers and Graphic Designers to create visually stunning and interactive digital products. HTML and CSS are both endorsed as acceptable W3C standards, which define the open web platform standards for web design and application development.
HTML, or Hyper Text Markup Language, is considered the standard markup language for designing web pages. HTML utilizes elements that enable web browsers to read content. Start Tags and End Tags provide directions to the web browser on how to organize and publish the content. A web browser then reads the HTML code in order to display the document correctly on the web page. HTML is free to use and easy to learn to support web pages. Since most web pages are organized with HTML, this languages is an important skill to learn in 2022.
While HTML and CSS often work hand in hand, they have unique jobs within web pages. HTML provides information for the structure and outline of the web page. In contrast, CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, provides the design and style of the web page. CSS is a style language that tells the web page how to format a document. Small changes in CSS code can subtly change the layout of a web page. CSS can improve website speed and is relatively easy to support. Both HTML and CSS have ample online resources, support, and community discussion that users can leverage to advance their skills or solve a problem.
| HTML | CSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Structure & Outline | Design & Style |
| What it does | Instructs Web Browser On Creating the Layout of a Page | Customizes Colors, Fonts, Text Styles |
| Benefits | Easy to Learn, Largely Intuitive Helps improve SEO | Can improve website speed and create a more enriching UX |
| Community/Resources | Extensive | Extensive |
When building websites in WordPress, understanding HTML and CSS is crucial. These can be used to change the layout and themes of a page, make specific changes to one page or post, and provide the user with more control over their WordPress page. Knowing how to write and edit HTML and CSS can help WordPress users better customize their site and level-up the site’s user experience. There are advanced operations, though, where beginners need to be careful not to tweak the HTML or CSS in a way that results in the site crashing. This is a huge reason for anyone operating a web page to learn HTML and CSS basics.
Knowledge of how to effectively write HTML can also benefit the SEO of a web page. Knowledgeable HTML coders can embed SEO keywords in their title tags, H1 and H2 tags, and meta descriptions in ways that can add to search engine success and improve search engine ranking. CSS can also be used to improve a site’s SEO by organizing code in a strategic manner and emphasizing keywords.
Many successful bloggers utilize HTML to enhance the structure of their posts. HTML is used in blog development to create bulleted lists, custom image sizes and locations, add links to other pages, add lines or spaces for breaks in the blog posts, add quotes in blocks that standout from the main text, and more. These structural strategies improve search rankings for blogs and help create a more seamless experience for readers. CSS allows bloggers to make broad changes to the design of their blog or to certain pages or elements.
Emails written with HTML are a step above text-only emails. They can include colors, designs, images, customized style, and more. Essentially, emails written with HTML code allow a web page to be delivered to a recipient’s inbox. Such a format can create a much more enriching experience than just a block of text. Emails with HTML can also provide tracking for analytical purposes and are great for marketing campaigns. While CSS can add style to emails, it is important for the user to understand how CSS is supported in different browsers and email clients.
HTML allows for data entry fields within web pages. This is great for end-users who want data from website visitors or suggestions from clients or followers.
HTML allows images to be “responsive”, which is especially beneficial for mobile applications or devices where image sizes can be adjusted for different sized screens.
HTML allows for text to be customized stylistically. With HTML, users can highlight text, create fine print, change colors of text, and more.
HTML allows for images to be hyperlinked to other web pages or to other places within the same document. This allows for a more interactive experience for the user.
Current HTML practices have revolutionized how users navigate on web pages. With hypertext, users can click links that are embedded in text to navigate to other web pages. HTML is largely responsible for the hyperlinking process that we take for granted – for example, if you click here, you will be directed back to the CodingBootcamps.io homepage. We’re able to embed that link using HTML!
HTML5 is a version of HTML that allows users to store their browser data across sessions. With client-side storage users can set preferences, refer back to previous sessions of browsing history, collect data on usage, and more.
Learn HTML and CSS from coding bootcamps, web development courses or start off with free, online resources! YouTube videos are a great first place to start.
