Welcome to our beginner-friendly web development course. In this guide, you’ll learn how to build your very first webpage using HTML5 and CSS3—the foundational technologies behind every website on the internet. Whether you’re a student, a career switcher, or just curious about how websites work, this step-by-step tutorial will teach you the essentials in a clear, practical way. No prior experience is required. By the end, you’ll not only understand the difference between HTML and CSS but also create a personal profile page and have access to a downloadable cheat sheet for future reference.

What HTML (the Structure) Is vs. CSS (the Style)

At the heart of every webpage are two core technologies: HTML and CSS. Think of them as the skeleton and the skin of a website. HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, defines the structure and content of a webpage. It tells the browser what elements are on the page—like headings, paragraphs, images, links, and buttons. CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, controls how those elements look—such as their colors, fonts, spacing, layout, and animations.

HTML uses tags enclosed in angle brackets (like

for paragraph) to define content. These tags create a document tree, also known as the DOM (Document Object Model), which browsers use to render the page. Without HTML, there would be no content to display.

CSS, on the other hand, is all about presentation. It allows you to change the appearance of HTML elements without altering their structure. For example, you can make all paragraphs blue, center-align a heading, or add a border around an image—all using CSS rules.

One of the biggest advantages of separating structure (HTML) from style (CSS) is maintainability. You can update the look of an entire website by changing a single CSS file, without touching the HTML. This makes large websites easier to manage and improves performance.

HTML5, the latest version of HTML, introduced new semantic elements like