By setting the DOCTYPE, you can ensure that your web pages will be rendered in a similar format because this instructs the browser exactly how to handle the elements it finds in the document. Here is a list of DOCTYPEs that you can use if you want to set your document type to that of HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0.

HTML 4.01

[Strict DTD] [Transitional] [Frameset DTD]

XHTML 1.0

[Strict DTD] [Transitional] [Frameset DTD] After the DOCTYPE, the HTML element follows and contains the HEAD and BODY. The HEAD contains information about the document, such as its title and keywords, while the BODY contains the actual content of the document, made up of block-level elements and inline elements. A basic HTML 4 document takes on the following form: If you follow some simple tips such as adding a DOCTYPE, making sure that all of your tags are properly closed, and your tags are in lower case, you’ll find that your users using modern browsers will have a similar experience. If you are new at HTML coding, it is recommended that you follow stricter XHTML coding standards.