--- title: "Essentials HTML Tags · HTML Tag Collections · zhead" canonical_url: "https://zhead.dev/collection/essential" last_updated: "2026-08-13T08:00:02.558Z" meta: description: "Three declarations worth setting on almost every HTML document: language, UTF-8 encoding, and a responsive viewport." "og:description": "Three declarations worth setting on almost every HTML document: language, UTF-8 encoding, and a responsive viewport." "og:title": "Essentials HTML Tags · HTML Tag Collections · zhead" --- HTML tag collections # Essentials Three declarations worth setting on almost every HTML document: language, UTF-8 encoding, and a responsive viewport. Start here. The language helps assistive technology pronounce the page, UTF-8 keeps text predictable, and the viewport declaration makes responsive layouts match the device width. ## Get started ``` ``` ## Recommendations - 01 Set the document language Put lang on the html element so screen readers can choose the right pronunciation rules. - 02 Declare UTF-8 early Keep the charset declaration within the first 1024 bytes of the document. UTF-8 is the only conforming encoding for new HTML documents. ## Explanation ### lang Declares the document language so browsers and assistive technology can apply the right language rules. ``` ``` Declares English as the document language. ### [charset](https://zhead.dev/meta/charset) charset Declares the character encoding used by the HTML document. In modern HTML, the value must be UTF-8. ``` ``` The required character encoding for modern HTML. ### [viewport](https://zhead.dev/meta/viewport) name Controls the layout viewport on mobile browsers, including its width, initial zoom, and how content uses display cutout areas. ``` ``` The usual responsive default: match the device width and start at a 1:1 scale. ## More collections Start with the closest collection, then trim it to match your page. [

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