Lesson 28 / 28

Common Beginner Mistakes

Q: Which is a common beginner HTML mistake?

Wrapping every element in generic tags. Overusing generic tags instead of semantic elements is a classic beginner habit that hurts accessibility and SEO.

Pitfalls to watch for as you write more HTML.

Unclosed tags & div soup

Forgetting a closing tag can silently break layout. Wrapping everything in <div> instead of semantic tags loses meaning for no visual gain.

Invalid nesting

A block element like <div> cannot legally sit inside an inline element like <span> or <a> in some contexts — check the spec if a layout looks broken for no reason.

Quick check: Which is a common beginner HTML mistake?

Using semantic tags like <nav>
Wrapping every element in generic <div> tags
Adding alt text to images

Answer

Wrapping every element in generic <div> tags — Overusing generic <div> tags instead of semantic elements is a classic beginner habit that hurts accessibility and SEO.