Useful online tools

We've listed below some useful resources that we've found on the web. Although some of the best resources are US websites, we've also tried to include some top UK sites for each category.

About search tools and how to use them

Search Engine Watch - Danny Sullivan is the leading expert on search engines and his website has developed into a huge resource of up-to-date information plus an archive of background information. Much of the site is free but there is additional information for subscribers, including a fortnightly newsletter summarising the latest developments.

Web Search from About.com - part of the About.com directory, this section provides a valuable collection of information on using search tools and links to search engines. A good resource for beginners and experienced users alike.

Free Pint - this UK site, edited by William Hann, is designed for business information professionals but carries a wide range of articles about finding information on the web. It has a large archive of material and updates new articles by e-mail each month.

Finding Information on the Internet - this website is produced by the staff of the Teaching Library at the University of California at Berkeley as a tutorial for students. It offers an excellent overview to the Internet and how to find information using the most appropriate search tools.

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A background to the Internet

The history of the Internet - this page from the Internet Society's website compiles a collection of links to articles on the history of the Internet and the World Wide Web, from in-depth features to more general summaries.

Tim Berners-Lee - the home page of the Englishman credited with designing HTML and the World Wide Web (w3). His page contains links to the background history, some FAQs, and some more advanced papers on web architecture and possible future developments.

BBC Webwise - an excellent collection of help and advice about the web and how to get the most out of it. Despite parts of the site being hard to read because of the dark background, this is still a valuable site for beginners wanting to know about the web and includes a useful 'net-know-how' section.

How Stuff Works - for a clear explanation of how different aspects of the Internet work, this site is a good starting point and covers everything from e-mail to cookies, and webcams to MP3.

Internet.com - with a prime URL as a starting point, Internet.com is a portal site linking through to 14 different 'channels' covering most technical aspects of the Internet. Many links take you through to separate affiliated websites containing more detailed information, but as a central resource, Internet.com is an essential site to bookmark.

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Guides to HTML and website design

A Beginner's Guide to HTML - as described, this is a good introduction to HTML coding, produced by the NCSA in the US.

Pagetutor.com - there are plenty of HTML guides available on the web but this is a good starting point for beginners. It contains an excellent colour chart to help choose and use the wide range of colours available on the web.

1234 Web Site Designers Directory - a directory of web developers, graphic designers, site development tools, hosting companies and e-commerce consultants. Another good UK source of web design companies is the UKWDA, which includes over 6,000 web design firms and internet marketing agencies, including the web search workshop.

Builder.com - a website providing an all-round resource for web developers, including tips and tricks plus the latest developments and 'how-to' articles.

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Web marketing resources

Web Marketing Today - this regular e-mail newsletter is one part of Dr Ralph S. Wilson's excellent US site on web marketing and e-commerce. Providing tips for web marketers since 1995, the archive is a valuable source of reference material on tried and tested techniques.

Netimperative - a source of Internet business and marketing news stories and sector reports, plus a newsletter service for registered users.

Marketing Today - another source of news combined with expert tips and hints.

SEO Today - provides search engine optimisation articles, resources and company information from SEO professionals around the world.

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Discussion groups on search engines and web marketing

There are a number of specialised forums providing discussions on search engine optimisation and marketing issues, with contributions from many leading experts in the field. In particular, Search Engine Forums, Webmaster World and the Free Search Engine Discussion Forums offer some good quality moderated debate.

Usenet discussions on DejaNews - a good way to access discussions from the Usenet system. Now part of Google, you can use the search function to find the lists related to search engines or web marketing, however as an unmoderated list, the quality of discussions can be variable!

Web marketing forum - high quality discussion lists on marketing issues are hard to find, but this feature on the Wilson Marketing website does contain some valuable material, sorted by marketing subject.

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