HTMLfirst

HTMLfirst is a web development approach that prioritizes semantic HTML as the foundation of a web page, with styling and interactivity layered on top through progressive enhancement. The central premise is that a page should be usable and understandable in its simplest form by default, even with limited client capabilities or for assistive technologies. In practice, HTMLfirst emphasizes proper document structure, meaningful elements (such as header, nav, main, article, section, aside, footer), accessible alt attributes, and descriptive heading hierarchies, ensuring content is understandable without relying on CSS or JavaScript. JavaScript and CSS are applied in ways that enhance or enrich the experience but do not break core functionality if they are unavailable or disabled.

History and usage: The concept aligns with the broader philosophy of progressive enhancement and semantic HTML, which gained traction in the late 2000s and 2010s as concerns about accessibility and search engine indexing grew. Proponents argue HTMLfirst improves accessibility, performance, and maintainability, and can help with SEO, as content is presented in a meaningful, crawlable structure.

Implementation: Developers typically start with a complete HTML prototype that conveys all content and structure, then progressively add CSS for presentation and JavaScript for interactivity, testing at each stage. Criticism centers on potential overemphasis on markup verbosity or challenges in maintaining a strictly separate content layer in complex applications.

See also: Progressive enhancement, Semantic HTML, Accessibility, SEO, Responsive web design.