We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Technology

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Are HTML Headers?

By Angela Farrer
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 5,250
Share

Hypertext markup language (HTML) headers are the sections of HTML code reserved for the title and any metadata included in an HTML document. HTML headers follow the same structural rules as other page elements when it comes to creating tags. A header normally has the opening tag

and the closing tag . One of the fundamental rules of working with HTML documents concerns the difference between HTML headers and body text. While an

HTML editor

can help automate this process, learning HTML manually with a simple text editor is often considered a better way to understand its overall syntax.

Writing HTML code is a basic skill for website design, and many seasoned professionals believe it is more important than the use of editing software programs that allow push-button website creation without the need to learn any coding. Creating an HTML header is usually one of the first lessons for newcomers to this website design language. The opening header tag appears on the second line after the opening tag at the top of a new HTML document. Unlike other data outside of the header tags, information enclosed in the header tags does not appear when the finished HTML document is rendered in a web browser.

The title entered in HTML headers is the web page title that usually appears in the top left corner of the web browser window. Most HTML coders add metadata in the next line after this title. This information can include the name of the website author, the designated copyright year, and any keywords the author wishes to include. Adding keywords in metadata tags is one established method of making a new website easy for major search engines to find. Although metadata does not appear in a web browser, each tag still needs to follow correct syntax rules for HTML headers.

A metadata tag included in an HTML header lists the type of metadata tag followed by its content. HTML headers that include the website author's name would be written , for instance. After the author enters all desired metadata information, the HTML header is then closed with the tag. The body text is then entered within its corresponding tags. A frequent beginning mistake is to enter the opening

tag before the tag, and this oversight will normally cause an error when the author attempts to render the document in a browser.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-are-html-headers.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.