Your web home for how to's for web beginners. A jargon-free zone dedicated to helping your web knowledge grow.

Help For Web Beginners

Website Tips For New WebMasters

There are probably millions of websites that offer tutorials on HTML and CSS on the Internet. The goal of HelpForWebBeginners.com is not to duplicate the others, but offer highly detailed, easy to understand and complete tutorials for new webmasters on a limited number of topics.

The tutorials will assume that you have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS.

CSS & HTML Tutorials


Meta Tags

Definition Lists
Learn how to create definition lists and style them and see how they can be used to create Sitemaps.
HTML Meta Tags
Part I of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Introduction and the Content Type, Description and Author Meta Tags.
Robot Exclusion Standard
Part II of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Using the Robot Exclusion Standard to Communicate with the Search Engines.
Keyword Meta
Part III of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Learn the HTML code and some tips on using this often abused meta tag.
Meta Tag FAQ
Follow-up to our three-part series on Meta Tags - Help For Web Beginners answers your questions about meta tags and the robot exclusion standard.

Text Formatting & Appearance

Deprecated
Learn what it means when an HTML tag or attribute has been deprecated.
Font Size and Family
Part I of a two-part series; Using CSS to style text with the font-size and font-family attributes.
Font Style, Variant and Weight
Part II of a two-part series; Using CSS to style text with the font-style, font-variant, and font-weight attributes.
How To use HTML and CSS to Change the Appearance of Link Text
Learn how to use HTML and CSS to create color changes and rollover type effects on links; no Java and all links remain text for better SEO. Also learn how to create seperate link styles for different sections of a webpage.
CSS & Centering
Learn how to use HTML and CSS to center text and images. This three-part series covers several different techniques on centering and how to create several different looks.
Centering Text
Learn how to use HTML and CSS to center text. This article is the third in a three-part series and focusses on centering text with full justification.
Fancy Letters
The fist in a series of how to add fancy letters to webpages, blog entries, social media sites and forums using HTML and ASCII code.

CSS for Images & Backgrounds

Centering Images with CSS
Learn how to use HTML and CSS to center images. This article is the second in a three-part series on centering text and images on webpages.
CSS Backgrounds
Learn how to use CSS to create page and element backgrounds.
Drop Caps
Learn how to use CSS and a small image to add drop caps to your webpages.

Misc. HTML & CSS Techniques

CSS Defined
Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets and their usage.
Fixed Navigation Menu
Learn how to create a two-column page layout with fixed left navigation that mimics the look of frames.
Marquee Code
Learn how to create marquees for your personal webpages or MySpace profile pages.
Marquee Text
Learn how to stylize the text of your marquee and use images in your marquee.
HTML Code to Open Link in New Window
Learn how to make your links open in a new window.
CSS and Printing
Learn how to create an external stylesheet that will allow your visitors to print your page without content being truncated on the right side, using an excessive amount of their ink cartridges, and using a layout you create. Do all this without the need for a separate "printer version" of the webpage.

Search Engine Optimization Topics & Tutorials

WWW or non-WWW
Learn how www.somedomain.com and somedomain.com are not the same thing and why the one you use is important.
3 Commonly Overlooked SEO Tricks
Using the alt, title, and summary attributes for search engine optimization.
Directory Submissions
12 Top Techniques to increase your website pagerank and search engine placement - FOR FREE
HTML Meta Tags
Part I of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Introduction and the Content Type, Description and Author Meta Tags.
Robot Exclusion Standard
Part II of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Using the Robot Exclusion Standard to Communicate with the Search Engines.
Keyword Meta
Part III of a three-part series on Meta Tags - Learn the HTML code and some tips on using this often abused meta tag.

Layout, Design, and Usability Tutorials

Random Images for Gallery 2 Photo Pages
Learn how to customize your Gallery 2 photo pages with this little bit of code that allows for random advertisements or other random page elements. Basic concept and code construction will also work with for other CMS-driven websites.
Web Tutorials: Templates
One in a new series of articles on customizing pre-made templates, this tutorial talks about editing background images to make a common template look unique.
Learn why you should have a sitemap
Learn how sitemaps can help your site for search engine optimization and make the pages of your site more usable for your site's visitors.
Grammar & Punctuation for Bullet Lists
Learn how to present information in a bullet list. Suggestions on combining good grammar and what looks good when creating online lists.
When to use an Ordered List
A few quick examples on when to use an ordered list to present information. Could be subtitled Ordered lists and how not to insult or confuse your readers.
Additional Articles on Usability
A series of generic articles on website usability including a discussion of what usability means in terms of websites.