HTML Good Practice

Rule 1

You webpages must be constructed from the Standard Structure as shown in 02 - The Basics of HTML - always include the header at the top of every page

Rule 2

Use <BR> sparingly - use CSS or tables or <P> or something more appropriate to layout than to just add a load of <BR> tags

Rule 3

Use <STRONG> or CSS, not <B> - the <B> tag is no longer used in HTML 4.01 - use the more up to date versions of tags

Rule 4

Use <EM> or CSS, not <I> - the <I> tag is no longer used in HTML 4.01 - use the more up to date versions of tags

Rule 5

Do not underline text unless it is a hyperlink - use something else like layout or colour to emphasise something important

Rule 6

Combination tags must be closed correctly - tags <A><B><C> must be closed in the last in, last out order </C></B></A>

Rule 7

Use fonts changes sparingly and carefully - overusage of fonts in a webpage makes the page difficult to follow, use font changes only to signify or seperate important information, and keep the total number of fonts to a minimum - remember, not everyone has the fonts you have.

Rule 8

Font sizes should be proportional, not fixed - using proportional font sizes puts the user in control of the browsing experience - a user that feels in control is much more likely to use your webpages longer and more productively.

Rule 9

ALT text on all images - you should ensure your images have ALT attributes so that any browsers that are not rendering the images of the page have a description of what the image should be. This is also critical for screen reading software.

Rule 10

Speech marks around attribute values - HTML 4.01 specifies that all values of attributes should be enclosed with speech marks. The only possible exceptions are where the values are integers (whole numbers) without any symbols or letters.

Rule 11

All HTML code must be correctly indented - Indentation helps both the original author with maintenance, and any potential authors that might edit the pages in the future.

Rule 12

Use CSS effectively - CSS should be used correctly and effectively - don't include a single CSS command in an external style sheet and then only use it once on one page - this is inefficient.