Foreword
“Semantics!” should be the rallying cry across the nation of web development. Those in the know (like Jens Oliver Meiert—and soon you) use HTML semantics to build an unshakable foundation for their projects.
Practicing the craft of HTML will be your best weapon in combating the delusions of AI, sloppy markup, and output by JavaScript frameworks. There are real people your choices affect, since proper use of HTML semantics and the related system of ARIA can make or break an accessible experience. Avoid “divitis” and learn to choose the right element for the job—or at least the element that balances your application’s concerns with your users’ needs and expectations.
It’s considered “easy” to grasp that <p> wraps paragraph content. But you’ll prove yourself an invaluable asset to your team by understanding what things like landmark elements mean and how to manage heading hierarchy. Challenge yourself to learn default element behavior and when and why you need to modify attributes. Push yourself to use minimal HTML and hand over layout responsibility to CSS, the language more appropriate for that job.
There are ways to improve performance by showing extra care about what you add to your HTML document, and anticipating the content. Going beyond the basics and into the nuances of HTML syntax and semantics is the value you’ll find in these pages, knowledge shared with you by Jens.
Congrats on taking the first step toward caring about making a difference on the Web—by upgrading your HTML!