Semantic HTML

Meaningful elements, accessibility, SEO, and document structure.

Overview

Semantic HTML uses elements that describe their meaning, improving accessibility and SEO.

Key Concepts

Semantic Elements — <header>, <nav>, <main>, <article>, <section>, <footer>
Accessibility — Screen readers understand page structure
SEO — Search engines parse content better
Document Outline — Clear heading hierarchy
ARIA — Additional accessibility attributes

Code Examples

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Semantic HTML Example</title>
</head>
<body>
  <header>
    <nav aria-label="Main navigation">
      <ul>
        <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
        <li><a href="/contact">Contact</a></li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
  </header>

  <main>
    <article>
      <h1>Article Title</h1>
      <section>
        <h2>Section 1</h2>
        <p>Content here...</p>
      </section>
      <section>
        <h2>Section 2</h2>
        <p>More content...</p>
      </section>
    </article>

    <aside>
      <h2>Related Links</h2>
      <ul>
        <li><a href="#">Link 1</a></li>
      </ul>
    </aside>
  </main>

  <footer>
    <p>&copy; 2024 My Website</p>
  </footer>
</body>
</html>

Practice

Convert a div-based page to semantic HTML and test with a screen reader.