Welcome

# Let's build your first webpage

HTML is the markup language that forms the backbone of the internet. In this course, you will learn how to build a clean, stunning webpage using HTML which you can set as your browser's default start page. This is only the first step in your journey, but it will form an important foundation in your journey as a new developer.


## What is HTML?

HTML stands for **H**yper **T**ext **M**arkup **L**anguage. HTML is not a programming language. It is simply a way to describe the structure of your website. Your web browser reads the HTML document and displays it in the window.

## Where does your website begin?

When someone enters your web address, the web standards will automatically look for a file called index.html and display it in your browser. Most people call this your home page.

## Step 1: Hosting your webpage

It isn't enough to simply create a webpage on GitHub. You must deploy your webpage to a web host that is connected to the internet. For this course we will use GitHub Pages, but you could deploy a web page to a simple host, or as your web pages become more dynamic, you can use services like Heroku.

## :keyboard: Activity: Turn on GitHub Pages

1. Under your repository name, click [**Settings**](https://github.com/btholt/intro-html/settings).
1. In the **GitHub Pages** section, use the **Select source** drop-down menu to select `master` as your GitHub Pages publishing source.
1. Click **Save**.

> _I may take up to a minute to respond as I wait for GitHub Pages to create a deployment of your repository_.

> _For more information, see [Configuring a publishing source for GitHub Pages](https://help.github.com/articles/configuring-a-publishing-source-for-github-pages/) in the GitHub Help._

Return to this issue for next steps