HTML and CSS form the backbone of the web. While HTML is responsible for the functionality of a website, CSS is responsible for the way that functionality is presented.
Opting for premium web development services is your best bet if you want to build websites with excellent functionality. However, if it is some low-load work, then you can do it on your own with a little understanding of CSS and HTML.
If you have been long considering learning HTML and CSS but putting it down thinking that these web technologies are difficult to learn, then you might have been misled.
You don’t need to spend a lot of time taking online courses and doing practice tests to gain some of the benefits offered by these core web technologies.
Learning even a little HTML, such as creating web elements like buttons, images, and text, combined with some knowledge of CSS, for adjusting the way the aforementioned web elements appear, could serve a lot of purposes and save you money and time in your future endeavors.
Learning CSS and HTML can greatly improve your career prospects too. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated and powerful content management systems become, HTML and CSS will always remain the core building block of the web.
Before discussing five convincing reasons for learning CSS and HTML, let’s first build a brief understanding of these two important web technologies.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language of the web. It is used for designing documents that are to be displayed in a web browser. HTML is typically accompanied by CSS and web scripting languages, like JS, for designing powerful and efficient web pages.
There are three main versions of HTML, namely HTML, HTML5, and XHTML. Understanding the difference between HTML, HTML5, and XHTML is an important step in designing excellent, to-the-point websites. Also, you need to choose one of these, as per your requirements and budget.
CSS
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It is a style sheet language that is meant for determining the presentation of some web document written in a markup language, typically HTML. Along with JavaScript and HTML, CSS forms the backbone of the World Wide Web.
While working with CSS, you need to be wary of choosing the right version. CSS, CSS2, and CSS3 are the main versions of CSS, each with its own advantages and setbacks. Check out this detailed summary of CSS and comparison between CSS, CSS2, and CSS3 to make the right choice.
So now that we’ve covered a brief summary of HTML and CSS, it’s time to move forward. In the following section, we have compiled a list enumerating the top five reasons to learn HTML and CSS in detail:
#1 Building your Very Own Landing Pages the Very Way you want it
For those involved with the web for promoting some product(s) or service(s), there is a need for creating custom landing pages. This is made easier by a greater degree if you know CSS and HTML.
A custom landing page lets you welcome incoming traffic with specific messaging. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using Facebook, Google AdWords, or some other means to drive traffic, you will definitely need a custom landing page.
When promoting your product(s) and/or service(s) using a custom landing page it is important to fill it up with relevant call-to-action buttons, images, text, and video. Knowing HTML and CSS lets you do exactly this.
A prudently crafted custom landing page allows you to speak directly to a variety of potential customers and assure them that you know exactly their requirements, and thus offer a best-fit product or service to meet their needs successfully.
Most digital marketing endeavors require custom landing pages. Also, there is the option to do so even though you don’t know about coding. However, there are typically additional expenses involved in doing so.
Knowing HTML and CSS will save you money while accomplishing the task with success. In fact, you only need to know about adding buttons, images, text, etc. and you’re ready to design your own custom landing pages. Check out this HTML Cheat Sheet for creating top-quality web pages.
Moreover, a good understanding of CSS and HTML also allows you to set up some A/B testing service to check for the quality of your custom landing pages. As soon as you become confident about coding in CSS and HTML, all sorts of possibilities become clear and viable.
#2 Easy to Learn, Powerful to Have
CSS and HTML are among the easiest to learn programming languages. Plus, you don’t need a degree in computer science or any other degree to get started. Unlike other popular programming languages, such as JS, CSS and HTML are comparatively easier to learn.
To start with, you need to spend a few days picking up the basics of CSS and HTML. You can easily assess your learning by creating a simplistic web page.
Obviously, your very first web page won’t be that appealing but it will be something that will boost your confidence and motivate you to learn more about the standard markup language and the most widely used style sheet language of the web.
In the beginning, you might get frustrated about what you’re not able to do but with practice and persistence, you will be able to do it sometime later. The best HTML and CSS certifications will help you prove your learned CSS and HTML skills when exploring a job avenue.
#3 Fine Tuning a Website’s Theme and Layout on your Own
Most websites rely on a content management system like WordPress to add and/or edit website content. This a great option for non-programmers. It helps in keeping the content separate from the website theme and the concerning code.
The separation of the content from the code makes life easier for both content creators/editors and programmers. If it is the content that needs to be added, changed, or modified, there is no need to interfere with the code.
Similarly, it is possible to only change the theme without disturbing the content in any way. But everything has two aspects, good and bad. This applies to the content management systems too.
There might be some scenarios where a content writer/editor/administrator might wish they had known a little CSS and HTML. For example, if there is a requirement to add a page with more than one column of content, asking a programmer might not be a good option here.
This is because there is very little, and very basic, code that needs to be added. The trade-off for time and effort with the requirement is not practical in such a case.
If you take the example of WordPress then it offers two tabs, a visual tab, and a text tab. On the visual tab you can simply edit the content but on the text tab you can also edit the layout using CSS and HTML code.
Even learning basic CSS and HTML code can help you accomplish a lot of useful tasks, such as putting a border around a particular image, change the font of the website, and inserting a Buy button and then connecting it to PayPal.
Changes that demand a high level of CSS and HTML prowess are few. Hence, it is very rewarding for understanding at least the basics of CSS and HTML.
Check out this free educational course by Jimmy Jones and TemplateMonster detailing how to create templates for sale.
#4 Gaining the Ability to Analyze the Presentation and Working of Other Websites
It is possible to right-click on a web page and select the ‘View Source’ option to get a look at the underlying code. However, you can only make sense out of it if you understand HTML and CSS. For those not acquainted with CSS and HTML, it seems to be just some senseless scribble.
Even after investing only one or two hours in grasping the basics of HTML, you’ll be able to make some sense out of the ‘View Source’ tab. Doing so over and over will make you adept at analyzing websites and checking their source code to know the what, why, and how of them.
You will be able to get answers to questions like: What is this element used here for? How was the layout created? The answers to these questions can vary from source to source.
However, when you start looking here and there for hints, you will soon be able to understand and learn various tricks to enhance the overall appeal of a website as well as make it behave in a certain way.
Other than analyzing websites to learn more about the underlying code, you will also learn to appreciate the effort put into it by web developers. And, who doesn’t like a pat on the back for all their hard work!
#5 Improve your Synergy with Web Designers and Developers
Building proficiency in HTML and CSS will allow you to work closely with the web designers and developers on your team to produce better results. It also allows you to appreciate and understand their effort and way of approaching the task at hand.
In essence, with HTML and CSS knowledge you will be able to work more efficiently with digital designers and developers working with you. If you’re hiring web developers to realize a project or become part of a team at the office, HTML and CSS knowledge will surely help in closing some of the knowledge gaps between you and them.
When you have a clear idea of what you will be getting from the web developers, it allows you to save a lot of time and effort. Also, if you’re the one giving out instructions then you’ll have the opportunity to present a clear picture of what you’re requiring.
Web developers working with you will be able to easily and quickly communicate their ideas and opinions to you. Furthermore, you will be able to build upon these suggestions in a positive direction. Hiring a web developer(s) also becomes easier and more efficient.
With CSS and HTML knowledge, your web development project will become much more efficient and enjoyable to work on. Moreover, the end result will be much better than what had been if you didn’t know CSS and HTML.
Getting Started and Advancing with HTML and CSS
You can always start with YouTube or some best free tutorials for HTML and CSS. HTML and CSS are easy to begin with but might become difficult progressively. However, you can master it with regular practice.
You can also opt for certifications from reputed websites like Udemy, Coursera, etc. to testify skills that you’ve learned thus far. Moreover, you can eventually go for advanced courses to learn specialized uses of CSS and HTML.
Conclusion
That completes our list of the five reasons to learn HTML and CSS. We hope these will motivate you to learn these two core web technologies.
More and more IT-based job profiles involve the web in one way or another. Hence, learning the basics of CSS and HTML will help you not only grasp better career opportunities but also perform better in your web-oriented job profile. All the very best for learning CSS and HTML!