HTML for Beginners: Build a Semantic Course Landing Page
Web Development Learning Series — Part 1 of 10 · Beginner
HTML gives a webpage its structure. In this lesson, you will build a course landing page that answers three questions: what will I learn, what do I need, and where should I begin? You do not need a framework or a build tool to complete the first version.
Our example is a small course called Web Foundations. Replace the sample content with your own topic, but keep the structure clear. A successful first page is useful before you add animations or a complex design.
Plan the content before writing tags
Write a one-sentence course promise, three learning outcomes, and a short prerequisite list. Avoid a vague promise such as “learn everything about computers.” For this example, the promise is “Build and explain a three-page website using HTML and CSS.” That gives the reader a concrete outcome.
Create a folder named web-foundations and save a plain text file as index.html. Make sure your editor has not silently added .txt to the filename. Open it in a browser after saving each change.
A complete starting page
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Web Foundations Course</title>
</head>
<body>
<header>
<p>IT Courses</p>
<nav aria-label="Main"><a href="#lessons">View lessons</a></nav>
</header>
<main>
<h1>Web Foundations</h1>
<p>Build and explain a three-page website using HTML and CSS.</p>
<section aria-labelledby="outcomes">
<h2 id="outcomes">What you will learn</h2>
<ul>
<li>Structure an article with headings.</li>
<li>Create links between pages.</li>
<li>Make a layout work on a phone.</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section aria-labelledby="lessons">
<h2 id="lessons">Start learning</h2>
<p>You need a browser and a text editor.</p>
<a href="lesson-1.html">Read lesson one: page structure</a>
</section>
</main>
<footer><p>Created for learning and practice.</p></footer>
</body>
</html>Understand the decisions
The title identifies the page in browser tabs. The main heading states the course name. The two sections group separate questions, and their headings explain those groups. The lesson link describes its destination rather than saying “click here.” Create lesson-1.html before sharing the page, so the link leads somewhere useful.
Use a link for navigation and a button for an action, such as opening a menu. If you add a meaningful screenshot, give it alternative text that explains what a learner needs to know. A decorative flourish can use an empty alt attribute. Do not use a photograph to replace the course title or essential instructions.
Check your first page
- Open it with CSS disabled or before any styling exists. Does the reading order still make sense?
- Press Tab. Can you reach each link and see where focus is?
- Activate the lesson link. Does the destination exist?
- Zoom the browser. Is the content still readable?
- Inspect the file paths if an image or linked page fails to load.
Practice and common mistakes
Add a third section called “How to study.” Give it three steps: read, build, and explain. Ask a classmate to find the prerequisites without help. If they cannot, revise the wording or structure instead of adding more decoration.
Common beginner mistakes include choosing headings only for their visual size, forgetting closing tags, and copying a full HTML document into a Blogger post. This example is for a standalone file. Inside Blogger, use the article content rather than a second head or body element.
Where multimedia fits
Once the text page works, add a short demonstration using our HTML audio and video project. The recording should demonstrate a step that benefits from motion or sound, with written instructions available too.
Continue your learning
Explore our web development series and the HTML multimedia project.
Reference: Official documentation for this lesson. Examples are learning exercises; adapt and test them for your own application.
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