Understanding the total spectrum of HTML tags is useful for extra than simply increasing your technical information—it’s foundational for guaranteeing an excellent person expertise, enhancing accessibility, and reaching constructive website positioning outcomes.
By the top of this text, you’ll have a radical understanding of HTML tags that you need to use throughout your web site.
However let’s first cowl the fundamentals.
What Are HTML Tags?
HTML tags are the basic constructing blocks of webpages that inform net browsers the best way to show and format content material.
For instance, the tag beneath tells the browser to incorporate a hyperlink to an article explaining website positioning and place it over the textual content “SEO (website positioning).”
Right here’s what that hyperlink appears like on a dwell weblog put up:

On this instance:
HTML tags all the time have a component. They will have a number of attributes. Some, resembling parts, have content material.
Most Frequent and Helpful HTML Tags
Earlier than diving into our final HTML tags listing, let’s get to know them alongside a couple of use instances.
The graphic beneath reveals the commonest and helpful HTML tags as they will seem on three completely different web page sorts:
- Homepage: Centered primarily on navigation and spotlight key components of the enterprise
- Weblog put up: Centered on presenting a weblog put up in a transparent, logical manner
- Touchdown web page: Centered on conveying advantages and changing customers
You’ll see some tags which are used throughout all three however for various functions (talked about in parentheses). And also you’ll see some tags which are particular to every web page kind.
So, the following time you’re about to publish a homepage, weblog put up, or touchdown web page, evaluation to see that every one necessary tags are current in your web page.

Semantic HTML Tags for Conveying Construction
The next desk incorporates a set of semantic tags that describe the which means of the content material they enclose.
Use this semantic markup to enhance accessibility and supply extra context for search engines like google and yahoo.
Tag |
Description |
Consider this tag as a container for a standalone piece of content material (e.g. weblog put up or information story) that is sensible even when it is separated from the remainder of the web page |
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Signifies content material that’s tangentially associated to the content material round it and is usually displayed as a sidebar |
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Represents a caption or legend describing the content material of a |
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Denotes self-contained content material that’s referenced in the principle a part of the doc. This may very well be a picture, illustration, diagram, code snippet, and many others. |
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Designates the footer, which generally incorporates details about the writer, copyright, authorized notices, and associated hyperlinks |
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Signifies introductory content material for a web page or a bit. It sometimes incorporates a brand, heading, and doubtlessly navigation. |
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Represents the dominant content material. There needs to be just one |
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Incorporates navigation hyperlinks. It’s supposed for main navigational sections. |
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Represents a thematic group of content material, sometimes with a heading. It is a generic sectioning ingredient that needs to be used when no extra particular semantic ingredient is acceptable. |
Primary Construction Tags for Establishing General Development
The next primary construction tags are important for establishing the basic framework of any HTML doc.
Tag |
Description |
Declares the doc kind (for instance HTML5) to make sure that fashionable net browsers render (i.e., show) the web page as supposed |
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Specifies the bottom URL for all relative URLs throughout the HTML doc. This tag is helpful when many hyperlinks on a web page share a standard path. |
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Incorporates all of the seen content material within the HTML doc. That features textual content, photos, hyperlinks, and all different parts that customers will see. |
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Represents the basis ingredient of an HTML doc. It encapsulates all different HTML content material on the web page. |
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Incorporates metadata in regards to the HTML doc. This contains the doc’s title, character set, hyperlinks to stylesheets, and different metadata utilized by browsers and search engines like google and yahoo |
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Establishes a relationship between the present HTML doc and an exterior useful resource. It’s mostly used to hyperlink to exterior CSS stylesheets that management the visible presentation. |
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Offers structured metadata in regards to the HTML doc, resembling a short abstract of the web page’s content material which may be utilized by search engines like google and yahoo in search outcomes snippets |
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Defines content material to be displayed if customers’ browsers don’t help scripting or if scripting is disabled. This ensures customers with out JavaScript rendering can nonetheless entry primary content material. |
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Incorporates CSS guidelines which are utilized on to the HTML doc. Linking to exterior stylesheets is usually most popular for bigger tasks and higher group. |
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Used to embed or reference executable scripts like JavaScript. Which provides interactivity and dynamic conduct to webpages. |
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Defines the title of the HTML doc. This title seems within the browser tab and may present on search engine outcomes pages (SERPs). It’s a rating issue for Google Search. |
Content material and Textual content Formatting Tags for Defining General Look
These content material and textual content formatting tags set up the content material’s major construction and magnificence to make it simple to learn and have interaction with.
Tag |
Description |
Creates a hyperlink to different webpages, information, places throughout the identical web page, or e mail addresses. The “href” attribute specifies the hyperlink’s vacation spot. |
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Inserts a single line break |
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Defines a division or part. It’s usually used as a container to group different HTML parts for styling with CSS. |
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Represents emphasised textual content, sometimes displayed in italics |
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Outline headings, with |
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Represents a thematic break in content material, usually displayed as a horizontal line |
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Embeds a picture into the doc. The “src” attribute specifies the trail to the picture, and the “alt” attribute offers various textual content that briefly describes the picture. |
Represents a paragraph of textual content. It’s used to separate blocks of textual content to enhance readability. |
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An inline container used to mark up a part of an HTML doc. It’s usually used to type particular parts of textual content with CSS. |
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Creates strongly emphasised textual content, sometimes displayed in daring |
Picture and Multimedia Tags for Incorporating Visible Parts
Use the picture and multimedia tags within the following desk to embed and handle visible and auditory content material inside a webpage.
Tag |
Description |
Defines a clickable space inside a picture map |
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Used to embed sound content material in an HTML doc. It will possibly embrace attributes for controls (play, pause, quantity, and many others.), autoplay, and looping. |
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Embeds a picture into the HTML doc. The “src” attribute specifies the trail to the picture, and the “alt” attribute offers a short description of the picture. |
Defines a picture map, which is a picture with clickable areas |
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Offers a container for a number of |
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Specifies a number of media sources for |
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Specifies timed textual content tracks (subtitles, captions, descriptions, chapters, or metadata) for |
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Embeds a video participant to show video content material. Attributes can management playback, dimensions, and extra. |
Listing Tags for Organizing Content material
Listing tags are used to current data in a structured method, which makes it simpler for customers to learn and perceive content material.
Tag |
Description |
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Describes a time period inside an outline listing (
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Creates an outline listing, which is a listing of phrases and their corresponding descriptions |
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Defines a time period inside an outline listing (
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Represents a listing merchandise inside an ordered (
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Creates an ordered (numbered) listing |
Creates an unordered (bulleted) listing |
Desk Tags for Presenting Information
Desk tags can be utilized to construction and show information in a tabular format with rows and columns.
Tag |
Description |
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Defines a title or caption for the desk |
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Defines properties for every desk column inside a |
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Specifies a bunch of a number of columns in a desk for formatting. For instance, setting a particular background coloration for all of the cells in a selected column of a desk utilizing |
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Type Tags for Enabling Consumer InterplayType tags are used to create interactive kinds that enable customers to enter and submit information.
Different Vital HTML TagsThis desk contains extra HTML tags that serve numerous functions in net improvement and content material structuring.
How one can Audit Your Pages’ HTML TagsRight here’s a step-by-step information on the best way to verify HTML tags utilizing Google Chrome (the method may be very related in different standard browsers):
![]() This technique is useful if what you’re in search of. When you’re newer to HTML tags or simply wish to streamline your audit, strive utilizing Semrush’s Website Audit device to ensure your primary HTML tags and attributes are arrange accurately. Comply with the prompts to arrange your venture, after which open it to go to the “Overview” report. ![]() Now, click on on the “Points” tab and sort “tag”into the search field ![]() You’ll then be capable of see whether or not there are necessary HTML tags and attributes that have to be addressed in your website. Click on “Why and the best way to repair it” subsequent to any concern reveals extra about it and offers recommendation on the best way to deal with it. ![]() Attempt Website Audit at no cost in the present day. Connor Lahey is a content material strategist with over a decade of expertise in content material and website positioning roles for each native companies and huge firms. He focuses on content material technique, search intent evaluation, on-page website positioning, native website positioning, and SaaS website positioning. |