Next level · 2/5 Practical
HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website
A working system in your business
A small business's complete website, coded by you and live on mobile
50,000 FCFA 12 h
View the next levelBy Mohamed Bah · Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar
Discover code: understand how a website works
Your first web page, written by you and live online in under a week
25,000 FCFA · 38 €
- 6 h of training
- Verifiable certificate
- Wave or Orange Money
- Online, at your own pace
I have a question (WhatsApp)
Quick enrolment in 30 s: invoice by email
I'd rather get a call back on WhatsApp
Programme
- 1How the web works
- 2Your first steps in HTML
- 3Style, interaction and going live
Wave / Orange Money payment, access within 24 business hours
Possible earnings
This level is not enough to charge for development work. It gives you the foundations to follow the full track, where a junior developer earns 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA (about $330 to $670) a month in Dakar in 2026 (up to 500,000 FCFA, about $830, in fast-growing start-ups), and to negotiate better when you order a website.
Indicative estimate, depending on your market, pace and work. No income is guaranteed.
Your instructor
Mohamed Bah
Founder of Kolonell, a digital agency and platform based in Dakar. He designs and deploys websites and web applications for SMEs in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and the diaspora, using the tools taught in this track.
See Kolonell’s work →Questions about this course
I have never coded. Is this really for me?
Yes, you are exactly who this course is for. Module 1 has no code for you to write: first you understand how the web works. The code comes in module 2, one tag at a time.
Is a phone enough?
To read the lessons, yes. To write and publish your page, you need a computer, even an old one: VS Code and Chrome run on a machine with 4 GB of RAM. A cybercafé computer or a friend's laptop can do the job for the final project.
Will I be a developer by the end?
No, and we would rather tell you up front. You will know how a website works and you will have written your first page. The job itself takes the next levels of the track, up to level 5, Full-stack JavaScript developer.
How much time should I plan for?
About 6 hours in total, including the exercises and the final project. At 2 or 3 hours a week, you finish in 2 to 3 weeks.
Do I need to pay for hosting to publish my page?
No. GitHub Pages and Netlify publish a static page for free. You only buy a domain name (6,300 to 8,600 FCFA, about $11 to $14, per year for a .com in September 2026) if you want an address in your own name, which is optional here.
What if I only want to order a website, not code it?
This course is useful for you too: you will understand what the domain, hosting, HTML and maintenance really cover, and you will know which questions to ask an agency before you pay.
How do I pay?
Via Wave or Orange Money. After enrolling you receive a pro forma invoice by email with the number to pay. Send the proof on WhatsApp: your access is activated within 24 business hours.
How long do I keep access?
For life, updates included. Learn at your own pace and revisit lessons as often as you need.
How do I get the certificate?
Complete the lessons, pass each module quiz with at least 70% and submit your final project: an instructor reviews and approves it (feedback within 5 working days). The certificate is then generated, with a unique number and a public verification page.
What you will be able to do
- Understanding how the web works (client, server, DNS, HTTP)
- Reading HTML, CSS and JavaScript code on an existing website
- Using the browser's developer tools (Elements, Console, Network)
- Writing a well-structured HTML page
- Publishing a static page online (GitHub Pages or Netlify)
What you will produce
- Your map of the web: an annotated diagram of a page's journey, from your phone to the server
- An inspection sheet for a real Senegalese or Ivorian website, with what you found in it
- Your work environment installed and a clean first project folder
- Your personal page in HTML and CSS, written by hand
- Your page published online with a shareable address
- Your learning plan: the next course and your work pace
Tools used
- Google Chrome and its developer tools
- VS Code
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- GitHub Pages
- Netlify
What you'll learn
- Explain the journey of a web page, from the browser to the server, with the right words (URL, DNS, HTTP, hosting)
- Tell apart the roles of HTML, CSS and JavaScript in a real page
- Inspect any website with Chrome's developer tools
- Set up a simple work environment (VS Code, browser, project folder)
- Write a valid HTML page with headings, paragraphs, links, images and a list
- Publish a page online for free and share it with a link
- Map out the web professions and choose your next learning step
Prerequisites
- No programming experience
- A computer (Windows, macOS or Linux), even an old one; the lessons can be read on a phone
- Knowing how to use a browser and create a folder on your computer
- 2 to 3 hours a week for 2 to 3 weeks
About this course
You use Wave, Jumia or your bank's website every day without knowing what happens when you type an address. You have never coded, and you want to find out whether web development is for you, or simply understand what you are paying for when you order a website. Within days, this course has you writing your first web page and putting it online.
You start by following a page's journey from your phone to the server: URLs, domain names, DNS, HTTP and hosting. Next, you inspect real websites with Chrome's developer tools and write your first HTML page in VS Code. The final module adds CSS, a line of JavaScript that makes a button respond, and free publishing on GitHub Pages or Netlify.
The whole course takes 6 hours: 3 modules, 13 lessons, 32 graded exercises and a quiz at the end of every module. You finish with 1 project, your personal page live online, assessed against clear criteria. Lessons read well on a phone, even on 3G, and a certificate you can verify online confirms your success.
You walk away with an annotated map of the web, an inspection sheet for a real Senegalese or Ivorian website, and your own page live at an address you can share on WhatsApp. To be clear, this level is not enough to charge for development work. It lays the groundwork for the full track, at the end of which a junior developer earns 200,000 to 400,000 FCFA (about $330 to $670) a month in Dakar in 2026. These are market benchmarks, and no income is guaranteed.
This is level 1 of the Web Development track, the front door. It leads into level 2, HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website, where you go from a single page to a small business's complete website.
Who it is for: Curious minds, students, employees, shop owners and project founders in Dakar, Thiès, Abidjan, Bamako or the diaspora who have never coded and want to understand how a website works before starting a career in tech or ordering a site from an agency.
Curriculum
A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.
Module 1· 10 exercises
How the web works
You understand the journey of a page, from your browser to the server, and you can name every step.
- What happens when you type an address: browser, URL and serverFree preview3 exercises15 min
- Domain name, DNS and hosting: who pays for what on a website in DakarFree preview3 exercises15 min
- HTML, CSS and JavaScript: the structure, style and behavior of a pageFree preview4 exercises15 min
- Module handout (PDF)Free preview5 min
- Quiz: how the web worksModule quiz
Module 2· 10 exercises
Your first steps in HTML
You set up your environment and write a well-structured HTML page, one tag after another.
- Install VS Code, create your project folder and open your page in Chrome3 exercises15 min
- Basic tags: headings, paragraphs, lists and links3 exercises18 min
- Images, attributes and file paths without mistakes4 exercises15 min
- Module handout (PDF)5 min
- Quiz: first steps in HTMLModule quiz
Module 3· 12 exercises
Style, interaction and going live
You inspect real websites, add CSS and a touch of JavaScript, then publish your page and choose your next step.
- Inspect a real website with Chrome's developer tools3 exercises15 min
- Add CSS: colors, fonts and margins in a few lines3 exercises18 min
- A touch of JavaScript: a button that responds to a click3 exercises15 min
- Publish your page for free and choose your next step in web careers3 exercises15 min
- Module handout (PDF)5 min
- Quiz: style, interaction and going liveModule quiz
- Final project: your personal page onlineCapstone
Certificate included
Your certificate at the end
A numbered certificate with your validated skills, a public page and a verification QR code. Add it to LinkedIn in one click.
Kolonell Academy
Verified by Kolonell AcademyCertificate of skills
Your name
has completed and validated the course
Discover code: understand how a website works
Skills developed
- Understanding how the web works (client, server, DNS, HTTP)
- Reading HTML, CSS and JavaScript code on an existing website
- Using the browser's developer tools (Elements, Console, Network)
- Writing a well-structured HTML page
- Publishing a static page online (GitHub Pages or Netlify)
Number KOL-CERT-2026-XXXXX
Mohamed Bah
Founder, Kolonell Academy
After the course
What you get once the course is complete
A verifiable certificate
Each certificate has a number anyone can verify online, and you can add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click.
Your CV reviewed and improved
Upload your CV from your profile: our team reviews it and helps you make it clearer and more convincing.
Access to the talent pool
Learners who complete the course can join the Kolonell talent pool. Entry is earned: course completed, exercises submitted. Kolonell also draws on it for its own hiring.
Optional services, free for learners. This is not a promise of employment.
Course poster
Download the poster to print it, send it to your employer or share it with colleagues. The full programme details every module.
Our commitments
- Lifetime access, updates included
- Publicly verifiable certificate
- Wave / Orange Money payment, activation within 24 business hours
- Ask an instructor from any lesson, answer within 2 working days