By Mohamed Bah · Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar

HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website

A small business's complete website, coded by you and live on mobile

50,000 FCFA · 76 €

  • 12 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

  1. 1Semantic HTML: structuring a website
  2. 2Forms and accessibility
  3. 3CSS: the fundamentals
  4. 4Layout: Flexbox, Grid and responsive design
  5. 5Maintainable CSS, performance and going live

Wave / Orange Money payment, access within 24 business hours

Possible earnings

A beginner HTML and CSS developer can charge 75,000 to 150,000 FCFA (about $125 to $250) for a landing page and 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA (about $250 to $500) for a simple 4 to 5 page business website in Dakar or Abidjan in 2026; entry-level freelance offers start around 150,000 FCFA (about $250), while agencies charge 400,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA (about $670 to $2,500). Websites with payments or an admin back office require the next levels.

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

Do I need to have completed level 1?

It is recommended but not required. If you can already create an HTML file, write headings, paragraphs, links and images, and open your page in the browser, you can start here directly.

Why not use WordPress or a website builder?

Those tools have their place, but they all produce HTML and CSS. Knowing how to write it yourself lets you fix what the tools break, turn a mockup into a pixel-perfect page and prepare for JavaScript and React, which are built on these foundations.

Do we use Bootstrap or Tailwind?

No, not at this level. You write CSS by hand so you understand what those tools do. Tailwind comes in at level 4 (React and Next.js), once you know exactly what it generates.

Will my website really be online?

Yes. Module 5 has you publish your site on Netlify or GitHub Pages for free. You can then connect it to a domain name if you wish (6,300 to 8,600 FCFA, about $10 to $14, a year for a .com; 15,000 to 25,000 FCFA, about $25 to $42, for a .sn, as of September 2026).

How much time should I plan?

About 12 hours: lessons, auto-graded coding exercises and two projects. At 3 or 4 hours a week, allow 3 to 4 weeks.

Can I start offering websites to clients after this level?

You can offer landing pages and simple static business websites. As soon as a client wants a form that saves data, a Wave payment or an admin area, you need the next levels or a developer partner.

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

  • Semantic, accessible HTML5 (structure, forms, basic ARIA attributes)
  • Modern CSS (cascade, box model, relative units, variables)
  • Flexbox and CSS Grid layout
  • Mobile-first responsive development
  • Image optimization and performance on mobile connections
  • Publishing a static website (Netlify, GitHub Pages)

What you will produce

  • A semantic HTML home page that passes the W3C validator
  • An accessible contact and booking form
  • An organized stylesheet with color and typography variables
  • A responsive landing page for a small business, tested on three screen sizes
  • The complete 4-page website of a small business, live online
  • A Lighthouse report for your site, with your fixes
  • A portfolio project sheet with link, screenshots and technical choices

Tools used

  • VS Code
  • Google Chrome and Chrome DevTools
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • W3C Validator
  • Lighthouse
  • Squoosh
  • Netlify
  • GitHub Pages

What you'll learn

  • Structure a multi-page website in semantic HTML (header, nav, main, section, footer)
  • Build accessible, clearly labeled contact and booking forms
  • Master the cascade, specificity, the box model, units and typography in CSS
  • Lay out interfaces with Flexbox and CSS Grid
  • Make a website responsive with a mobile-first approach and media queries
  • Organize maintainable CSS with variables and reusable components
  • Optimize images and publish a website on Netlify or GitHub Pages

Prerequisites

  • Level 1 of the track (Discover code: understand how a website works) recommended, or the ability to write a simple HTML page with headings, links and images
  • A computer with VS Code and Google Chrome installed
  • 3 to 4 hours a week for 3 to 4 weeks

About this course

You can write a simple HTML page, but it is still a practice page. In Dakar and Abidjan, restaurants, clinics and private schools need something else: a multi-page website that loads fast and reads well on a phone. This course shows you how to hand-code that website cleanly and put it online.

You begin by structuring the site in semantic HTML, with accessible forms and metadata ready for Google and WhatsApp previews. Then you master the CSS fundamentals and move on to layout with Flexbox and Grid, starting from the phone. The last module makes your CSS maintainable, slims down your images and publishes the site, checked with Lighthouse.

Plan on 12 hours: 5 modules, 25 lessons, 61 graded exercises and a quiz in every module. You submit 2 projects assessed against clear criteria: a landing page for a Dakar restaurant, then a small business's responsive website. A certificate you can verify online proves what you can do.

You leave with an accessible booking form, a Lighthouse report with your fixes, and a small business's complete 4-page website, live and ready for your portfolio. In 2026, a beginner HTML and CSS developer can charge 75,000 to 150,000 FCFA (about $125 to $250) for a landing page and 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA (about $250 to $500) for a simple 4 to 5 page business website in Dakar or Abidjan. These are market ranges, not a promise: no income is guaranteed.

This is level 2 of the Web Development track. It follows Discover code (level 1) and opens the way to level 3, JavaScript: make a website come alive and interactive, where your site learns to calculate and respond.

Who it is for: Beginners who have written their first HTML tags, students, graphic designers, community managers and future developers in Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako, Cotonou or the diaspora who want to hand-code a clean, responsive business website.

Curriculum

A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.

  1. Module 1· 12 exercises

    Semantic HTML: structuring a website

    You break a website down into pages and semantic areas, and write clean HTML that browsers, Google and screen readers understand.

    • Planning a business website: pages, content and file structureFree preview15 min
    • Semantic tags: header, nav, main, section, article and footerFree preview18 min
    • Links between pages, anchors and main navigationFree preview15 min
    • Images, figures and media: formats, alt text and file sizeFree preview15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)Free preview5 min
    • Quiz: semantic HTMLModule quiz
  2. Module 2· 12 exercises

    Forms and accessibility

    You build the forms a small business needs and check that everyone can use them, by keyboard and with a screen reader.

    • Anatomy of a form: label, input, select and textarea18 min
    • Input types and built-in validation: email, tel, date and required15 min
    • Accessibility: contrast, keyboard navigation and useful ARIA attributes18 min
    • Metadata and basic SEO: title, description and WhatsApp previews15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: forms and accessibilityModule quiz
  3. Module 3· 12 exercises

    CSS: the fundamentals

    You understand why a CSS rule applies or not, and you master boxes, units, colors and typography.

    • Selectors, cascade, inheritance and specificity18 min
    • The box model: margin, border, padding and box-sizing15 min
    • Units and sizing: px, rem, %, vw and max-width15 min
    • Colors, fonts and typography that reads well on a phone15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: CSS fundamentalsModule quiz
    • Landing page for a Dakar restaurantProject to submit
  4. Module 4· 12 exercises

    Layout: Flexbox, Grid and responsive design

    You lay out any mockup with Flexbox and Grid, and make it work from a small Android phone to a large screen.

    • Flexbox: aligning a navigation bar and cards20 min
    • CSS Grid: service grids, galleries and full page layouts20 min
    • Mobile-first and media queries: start from the phone18 min
    • Mobile menu and responsive images without JavaScript15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: Flexbox, Grid and responsive designModule quiz
  5. Module 5· 13 exercises

    Maintainable CSS, performance and going live

    You organize your CSS so it stays clean across several pages, make your site fast on 3G and publish it.

    • CSS variables and reusable components: buttons, cards and sections18 min
    • Lightweight transitions and animations that don't slow the page15 min
    • Performance: image weight, WebP and lazy loading15 min
    • Publishing on Netlify or GitHub Pages and checking with Lighthouse15 min
    • Module handout (PDF)5 min
    • Quiz: Maintainable CSS and going liveModule quiz
    • Final project: a small business's responsive websiteCapstone
  6. 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 Academy

Certificate of skills

Your name

has completed and validated the course

HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website

Skills developed

  • Semantic, accessible HTML5 (structure, forms, basic ARIA attributes)
  • Modern CSS (cascade, box model, relative units, variables)
  • Flexbox and CSS Grid layout
  • Mobile-first responsive development
  • Image optimization and performance on mobile connections
  • Publishing a static website (Netlify, GitHub Pages)

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.

Poster for HTML and CSS: build and lay out a real website

Course poster

Download the poster to print it, send it to your employer or share it with colleagues. The full programme details every module.

This course is part of the track

Développement web

Level 2 of 5 · Practical

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
See the 5 track levels

Next level · 3/5 Advanced

JavaScript: make a website come alive and interactive

A specialty you can bill for

An interactive catalog with a cart and WhatsApp ordering, coded in JavaScript by you

75,000 FCFA 16 h

View the next level

Our commitments

50,000 FCFA · 76 €

Practical