Six most important guidelines for writing better markup
Share this post

Six most essential guidelines for writing better markup.

  • Keep it simple. Keep your markup as simple as possible, which is often simpler than you may think at first.
  • No layout tables. This is obvious to anyone who has not lived in a cave for several years. Unfortunately, the caves seem full of Web developers. Tables are meant for marking up tabular data, not creating layouts. Use CSS instead.
  • Avoid classitis. Does every element you want to style with CSS have an attributeclass? They almost certainly do not need to. Use descendant selectors instead.
  • Structure and meaning first, presentation later. Focus on semantics and document structure while you are writing markup. Save the presentational thinking for when you are writing your CSS.
  • Know all HTML elements and attributes. Go through the Index of Elements and the Index of Attributes in the HTML 4.01 Specification. You will probably make some new acquaintances. Please read up on them and learn when to use them.
  • Validate, validate, validate. The markup validator is your friend, not your enemy. Anybody can make typos or mistakes. The validator will help you catch them and improve your markup.

What would your most important guidelines for writing better markup be?

Article by

Alla Levin

Seattle-based lifestyle and marketing content creator. I build content funnels that guide your audience from scroll to action, blending storytelling, UGC, and smart strategy—so every piece of content has a purpose.

About Author

Explorialla

Hi, I’m Alla! Seattle-based lifestyle and marketing content creator. I help businesses and bloggers turn chaos into strategy, avoid wasted budgets, and secure future with a constant flow of clients — through paid and free marketing options and engaging, creative UGC content. Inspired by art, beauty, books, and adventures!

movies for entrepreneurs

Luxury Brands Marketing: They Don’t Sell Products—They Sell Dreams..

Trending Posts

I Recommend

All the information you need to understand the business world, your career, and marketing. All the information you need to understand the business world, your career, and marketing.

My favorite tools for creators

My favorite Tools for Content Creation

Courses
I recommend

Be Informed, Be Inspired - Join Today

Email

I do the research to understand your customer's journey, pain points, and what moves them to act

I create content funnels rooted in a deep understanding of where readers are in their journey—meeting them with the right message at the right time

I build content journeys that turn curiosity into conversion through storytelling, UGC, and smart funnels

I constantly run CustDev interviews and test what converts best—so every piece of content is backed by real audience insight