12 Alternatives to the div HTML Tag

In this tutorial, you will learn 12 alternatives to the <div> HTML Tag. While the initial steps of learning how to structure an HTML document. it’s not unusual to end up with what any developers call “div soup”. Require a content section on your homepage? Enclose in a div! Building a sidebar? So, now avoid using more <div> into your HTML document for better results.
Read Also: 12 Alternatives to the div HTML Tag.

There isn’t anything functional inside of composing HTML this way. Browsers will still be able to perform your HTML markup and present your content to users. The main issue with the massive use of tags is that they lack semantic objects. Composing Semantic HTML gives your markup meaning to web browsers and screen readers and can help with SEO, making it easier to debug code and more.

Well, so now what are these? “more appropriate elements” that the W3C mentions? When HTML5 was published in 2014, it included some new sections and grouping elements that web developers could use to improve the semantic meaning of their markup.

Let’s now explore the 12 alternatives of the <div> Tag.

12 Alternatives to the div HTML Tag.

The <main> Element:

The <main> element display the main section of the body of a document or application. The main content section consists of content that is immediately related to or starts upon the central topic of a document or the central functionality of an application.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<main role="main">
<h1> Alternatives </h1>
  <p> 12 Alternatives to the <div> HTML Tag</p>
</main>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <nav> Element:

The <nav> HTML element presents a part of a page whose mission is to provide navigation links to your web page, both within the current document or to other documents. Current examples of navigation sections are menus, tables of contents, indexes, etc.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<nav>
  <a href="/Home/">Home</a> 
  <a href="/Services/">Services</a> 
  <a href="/Portfolio/">Portfolio</a> 
  <a href="/Contact Us/">Contact Us</a>
</nav>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <article> Tag:

The <article> HTML element describes a self-contained form in a document, page, application, or site, which is signified to be freely distributable or reusable. Examples include a forum post, a magazine or newspaper article, or a blog entry.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<article>
<h2>Soft CodeOn</h2>
<p>Soft Codeon is the place where you to learn all programming languages easily and deeply.</p>
</article>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <header> Element:

The <header> HTML element signifies initial content, typically a group of initial or navigational aids. It may contain some heading elements but also a logo, a search form, an author name, and other elements.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<header>
    <h1>A heading here</h1>
    <p>Posted by Muhammad Ali</p>
    <p>Some additional information write here</p>
  </header>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <section> Tag:

The <section> HTML element describes a standalone section that doesn’t have a more special semantic element to represent it, included within an HTML document. Typically, but not always, sections have a heading.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<section>
<h2>Soft CodeOn</h2>
<p>Soft Codeon is the place where you to learn all programming languages easily and deeply.</p>
</section>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <figure> Element:

The <figure> element provides a unit of content, optionally with a caption, that is self-contained, that is typically referenced as a single unit from the main flow of the document, and that can be moved away from the main flow of the document without affecting the document’s meaning.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<figure>
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="image" style="width:100%">
  <figcaption>Fig.1 - Image, image1, image2.</figcaption>
</figure>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <aside> Element:

The <aside> element describes a section of a page that consists of content that is tangentially associated with the content around the aside element, and which could be analyzed separately from that content. Such sections are often described as sidebars in printed typography.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<aside>
<h4>softcodeon</h4>
<p>Soft Codeon is the place where you to learn all programming languages easily and deeply.</p>
</aside>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <cite> Tag:

<cite> is an HTML5 element that is used to indicate a citation or reference to a source within a webpage. It can be used to provide additional information about a quote or to indicate the author or source of a piece of information.

Here’s an example of how to use the <cite> element:

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<blockquote>
  <p>Knowledge is power.</p>
  <cite>Francis Bacon</cite>
</blockquote>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <blockquote> Tag:

The <blockquote> HTML tag is used to represent long quotations, like quotations that hold multiple lines. It should contain only block-level elements within it and not just plain text.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<blockquote>This is a simple blockquote</blockquote>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <mark> Tag:

The <mark> HTML Mark Text element () describes text which is marked or highlighted for reference or notation objects, due to the marked passage’s relevance or importance in the enclosing context.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<p>Do not forget to Offer <mark>Prayer</mark> today.</p>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <time> Element:

The <time> is an HTML5 element that is used to represent a specific date and/or time on a webpage. It can be used to provide machine-readable information about a date and/or time that can be easily understood by search engines, browsers, and other programs.

Here’s an example of how to use the <time> element:

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<p>The movie starts at <time datetime="2023-03-16T19:00">7:00 PM on March 16, 2023</time>.</p>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

The <footer> Element:

The <footer> element is a basic element used to classify the footer of a page, document, article, or section. A typically holds copyright and authorship information or navigational elements concerning the contents of the parent element.

<!-- Soft CodeOn -->
<footer>
  <p>Copyright © 2020</p>
  <p><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p>
</footer>
<!-- Soft CodeOn -->

Well, now that we know about many semantically optimized alternatives to the <div> element, tell me in the comment section how do we know when to use each of them? I hope now you will avoid using the <div> element too much in your markup. Also, tell us in the comment how this article was helpful. Good Luck.