Success in web publishing requires at least basic knowledge of HTML in addition of the use use of a clean HTML editor

No matter how good your blog software - without at least basic knowledge of HTML there is no success possible. You need to know the key elements of a clean and validated HTML page, you need sometimes to find bugs or HTML code-errors a HTML error has created, hence in some extreme cases only your direct knowledge of HTML code can solve a problem.

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How could you blindly trust a HTML editor without knowing how clean valid HTML code needs to look alike! The HTML validator may tell you errors - you still may need to know correct code or how to clean up errors with the HTML editor of your choice.

More difficult even is the task if you chose an entire web site builder - some may create nice looking pages but terrible and nearly impossible to solve HTML code errors unless you have solid knowledge of HTML code and an HTML editor with built in code validator to solve step by step all errors until you have clean pages.

The reason or need for clean HTML code are manifold - the benefit of clean validated HTML code is that all search engine crawlers can correctly read all pages, all page content from top to bottom to properly index your site and create correct SERPS ( Search Engine Ranking Positions ). The other major benefit of clean validated code is a clean display in all browsers, specially also in the small browsers of mobile devices, PDA, smart phones, PDA-phones, etc. While large browsers may have some error tolerance built in - smaller browsers of mobile devices widely depend on cleanest code. The traffic of mobile devices on average sites like mine usually will be in the 2-digit % range and certainly growing over the years for some sites with interesting mobile content or content of general interest. Too large a traffic to neglect!!

My preferred HTML editor is Quanta Plus - a HTML editor that is capable of both WYSIWYG design and hand-coding - hence from beginner's level page creation to professional level error fixing all is possible including built in link-checker and code validator for HTML and XHTML code and many other professional features. Quanta Plus is free and Open Source and standard with SuSE/Novell Linux DVD Software package.

Basic HTML structure can be learned in online tutorials such as W3Schools.com - the tutorials are excellent, except that some of the codes are INVALID code !! much of the basics are correct and highly useful.

Success always starts by learning the basics - without real work and solid efforts NO success! The more you invest in learning the basics and maintaining high quality standards for your site and its entire content, the easier it will be to turn your web publishing into a success with manifold rewards.

God bless

hans