Best Resources To learn HTML And CSS As A Beginner

Resources For Learning HTML And CSS 

Achieving success doesn’t come by chance or by luck. Most successful people followed one key principle and they were able to achieve their dreams and targets. This key principle I’m talking about is planning. In everything that we do there must be some plan of action to direct us to our expected end.

I’m yet to read or hear about someone who managed to build a successful business or website without having any plan in place. We should develop the habit of planning our goals before executing any action. One benefit planning is we are able to meet our anticipated result if we follow our layout plan accordingly. Learning a new skill or subject also involves planning. The materials or resources you are going to read, time to study, how you are going to practice what you have learnt should be part of your study plan.

My main objective of writing this article is tackle the best materials or resources for learning HTML and CSS as a beginner. There are numerous HTML and CSS books and online resource out there but picking the right choice can be a bit tedious. There some books out that claim to teach beginners HTML and CSS but only mislead them when they are almost done with the book. It’s best to spend most of time and resources on learning materials or resource that will teach you what you want to do (building websites).

Before I begin listing the top resources for learning HTML and CSS, I want to give you a brief explanation of what HTML and CSS are and the various roles they play in web development. Please note, the resource I will be listing are both books and online learning websites.

HTML – Hypertext Markup Language

This first thing web developers and front-end developer do is to code the HTML of their webpages. HTML is made up of markups or tags that are used to construct the basic structure of a website. Note that HTML is not a complete programming language. Think of HTML as the foundation of every website and webpages you see. When building a house, bricks and wood are used to setup the structure of the building we want. HTML also does the same thing over here, it help us to insert headings, paragraphs, images, links and tables to form the structure a webpage. The latest version being HTML5 even allows developers to add audio and videos files to their websites without writing any complex codes.

CSS – Cascading Style Sheet

That colourful and elegantly positioned website you see was done with the help of CSS. Just like HTML, CSS is also not a programming language. CSS is made up of a block of style declaration containing properties and values. The introduction the CSS has eased the difficulties web developers and designers faced in the past. With the help of CSS designers are able to change the appearance of text, apply background colors, add images to webpages, apply borders and shadows to page element and even create some really cool animations on your pages (this is done with the latest version CSS3).

1. Head First HTML and CSS second edition by Elisabeth Robson and Eric Freeman

This is an awesome books. The first time I read this I immediately fell in love with it. Head First HTML and CSS teach you amazing things about HTML and CSS in a fun and exciting way. The authors of Head First HTML and CSS lead you in the world of web designing in simple and concise way. Right from the start you will start with an introduction to HTML and later move on CSS. You will learn all the ups and downs of CSS and also have some web coding practice with this same book.

2. HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett

If you ever wished you could learn HTML and CSS without struggling so much then you have no option but to grab this book. This book does a remarkable job by teaching you the most important aspects of HTML and CSS. Written in a clear and simple way this book offers you the best approach on how to learn and tackle HTML and CSS. Aside learning you also get your hands dirty with some coding practice. Each chapter comes with a summary page which helps you to recall what you have learnt already.

3. A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS: Learn it faster. Remember it longer by Mark Myers

A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS: Learn it faster is also another book I will recommend to anyone who wishes to become a great web developer. This book’s primary focus is the beginner and uses simple and non-technical terms to explain all details about HTML and CSS. As learn you learn how to build websites with this book you also get the chance to practice with some coding examples. This book does so much and I think you shouldn’t miss it.

4. Learn to Code HTML and CSS: Develop and Style Websites by Shay Howe

A lot of beginners are benefiting from this incredible book. If want to learn how to build a standard and professional website using HTML and CSS then this is the book I will recommend to you. Right from beginning you will learn the basics of HTML and CSS and later learn how to add audio and videos, background gradients and many more to your websites. Another great thing the author does is to teach the best way to write build your websites like a pro.

5. Beginning HTML and CSS by Rob Larsen

Beginning HTML and CSS is one of the bestselling books on website development. Purchasing this book will be a great investment to you because you will be learning a lot of wonderful things about HTML and CSS. Aside learning the HTML and CSS, this book also gives a basic introduction to JavaScript and jQuery. This is a marvellous masterpiece.

Some Online HTML and CSS Learning Resources For beginners.

1. W3Schools

W3Schools is one of the largest online websites that teaches newbies like you how build websites from scratch for free. This website teaches you how to build website with HTML5 and CSS3. W3Schools also comes with online text editor which allows you try out what you’ve learnt online.

2. Codecademy

Codecademy is also one of my favourite online resource. I have used it before it is a great place to learn. Codecademy has help millions of beginners to become seasoned web designers. You too can be a part of them. Codecademy offers online step-by-step tutorial to teach you the basics of HTML and CSS. The website also has an online text editor to help you code as you learn. Though Codecademy offers you free tutorial lessons, you can also subscribe for the pro membership where you enjoy some tutorial lessons on how to build advanced stuffs with HTML and CSS.

3. CodeSchool

CodeSchool is a great place to learn everything you need to be a guru in HTML and CSS. With as low as $29/month you can an online course in HTML and CSS.  Aside learning HTML and CSS, you also get access to learn the popular CSS framework Bootstrap and SASS a CSS preprocessor.

4 Learn to Code HTML and CSS

I never taught there was an online resource that provides beginners and thorough understanding of HTML and CSS, this online website does it all. I will recommend this website to anyone who wants to learn and really wants to understand HTML and CSS in details. There is a Written Book for Learn to Code HTML and CSS which you can order online on Amazon. By using this resource you get a clear and simple understanding of how HTML and CSS works and get try your hands on advanced topics like animations, transitions background gradient and so many more. All this for free.

5. Udemy

Udemy is an online learning platform which provides you access to HTML and CSS tutorial videos. Once you have subscribed to their membership plan you get access to all videos both free and paid. HTML and CSS course offers beginners a thorough understanding and how to build their own websites.

Conclusion

Oops I hate to end this way but I got no option at the moment. Don’t get intimidated by the size of these books. It’s worth learning them because you are going to learn a new skill to build the website you’ve also dreamt of. I have don’t it before, many people have also done it and you can also make it. If you experience some difficulties, take a break and continue later. Its better learn it once and properly. I wish you the best of luck as you begin to HTML and CSS.