HTML Layouts specifies the arrangement of components on an HTML web page. A good layout structure of the webpage is important to provide a user-friendly experience on our website. It takes considerable time to design a website’s layout with a great look and feel.

HTML Layout Elements
The below-listed elements are used to create the HTML layout’s structure:
Elements | Description |
---|---|
header | The header tag is used to add a header section in an HTML web page. All the content inside this tag will be on top of the webpage. |
nav | It represents a section of a page within the webpage, where it has hyperlinks to other pages or parts within the page (just like the menu bar). |
section | It defines a major part of the web page where all the important content will be displayed. |
footer | The footer tag defines the footer section of the webpage. This section contains copyright information and other important details. It will always be at the bottom of the webpage. |
article | It specifies independent self-containing content such as a forum post, magazine, any blog post, and so on. |
aside | It specifies a section of content that is directly or indirectly related to the main content (like a sidebar). |
summary | It specifies a caption for the <details> element. |
details | It specifies a tag for additional information. It requires the <summary> element. |
Visit this chapter to learn about the various elements with examples that are used for creating HTML layouts: HTML Layout Elements
Example of HTML Layouts
Here are some examples that illustrate HTML layout designs. CSS and CSS frameworks are used to design the layout. The above-mentioned elements are used to create layout structure.
Define an HTML Layout
We can achieve HTML layout by simply using tags like <header>, <footer>, and <nav>. The following code shows how to make an HTML layout:
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><style></style></head><body><div class="header">.header { background-color: #b3e0f2; text-align: center; padding: 20px; font-size: 2em; font-weight: bold; } .container { display: flex; } .sidebar { width: 20%; background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 20px; } .content { width: 80%; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: 20px; } .footer { background-color: #b3e0f2; text-align: center; padding: 10px; position: fixed; width: 100%; bottom: 0; }
Title </div><div class="container"><div class="sidebar"><a href="#">Home</a><a href="#">Learn HTML</a><a href="#">About Us</a></div><div class="content"><h1>Home</h1><p>This is a home page.</p></div></div><div class="footer"> Footer </div></body></html></pre>
Define an HTML Layout Using Bootstrap
The CSS Bootstrap library can be used to make layouts in HTML. The following code shows how it's done:
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><!-- Bootstrap CDN Link --><link href= "https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.5.2/css/bootstrap.min.css"</footer></body></html>rel="stylesheet"></head><body><!-- Header --><header class="bg-info text-white text-center py-4"><h1>Title</h1></header><!-- Main Container --><div class="container-fluid"><div class="row"><!-- Sidebar --><nav class="col-md-3 col-lg-2 d-md-block bg-light sidebar"><div class="sidebar-sticky"><ul class="nav flex-column"><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link active" href="#"> Home </a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#"> Learn HTML </a></li><li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#"> About Us </a></li></ul></div></nav><!-- Content --><main role="main" class="col-md-9 ml-sm-auto col-lg-10 px-4"><h2>Home</h2><p>This is a home page.</p></main></div></div><!-- Footer --><footer class="bg-info text-white text-center py-3"> Footer
Different Techniques to Create HTML Layouts
There are four different techniques (ways) to create and design HTML layouts; you can create simple and multicolumn layouts using these techniques:
- CSS Float Property: A classic way to control position and formatting on a webpage.
- CSS Flexbox Property: Used for dynamic layout and to position elements in different screen sizes.
- CSS Grid Property: Create a complex grid-like layout
- CSS frameworks: The framework, likeBootstrap, allows to create dynamic HTML layouts.
To learn how to use CSS for making HTML layouts, visit the chapter Layouts Using CSS
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