HowTo Sites & Search Engine - Comprehensive List

The Value of 'HowTo' Guides

‘HowTo’ guides, regardless of their naming convention – HowTos, HowTo's, or otherwise – are remarkably effective at resolving problems. They deliver concise, easily understood, and manageable solutions to challenges encountered in everyday life.

These resources are particularly popular, especially when offered without cost, whether presented as detailed step-by-step instructions or brief video demonstrations.

A Wealth of Free Resources

Fortunately, a substantial number of freely accessible, user-generated ‘HowTo’ guides are available online. The range of topics is extensive, catering to diverse interests.

You’ll find instructions for both recreational activities, such as crafting an invisible bookshelf or simulating gunshot wounds, and more practical skills, like salary negotiation or tie-tying. These guides are typically categorized, reviewed, and rated by fellow users.

Below is a compilation of ‘HowTo’ services, all free to access, logically categorized, and presented with an attempt at objective ranking. A bonus ‘HowTo’ search engine is included at the end for added convenience.

Written HowTo Guides

eHow boasts a collection of over 35,000 ‘HowTo’ articles.

WikiHow provides access to more than 20,000 articles.

Instructables features approximately 4,500 articles.

HowToDoThings currently contains around 2,500 ‘HowTo’ articles.

Koonji offers a varying number of ‘HowTo’ articles.

Video HowTo Guides

VideoJug provides roughly 2,500 video ‘HowTo’ guides, with the option to download videos directly to your iPod.

Note: ExpertVillage is no longer operational, despite previously hosting approximately 28,000 videos with a monthly growth of 4,000.

SuTree contains approximately 5,500 videos.

Sclipo features around 1,000 videos.

TrickLife offers approximately 600 videos.

Note: 5min is no longer functioning, despite formerly providing around 500 videos.

ViewDo includes approximately 350 videos.

HelpfulVideo has around 150 videos; however, some content requires a paid subscription.

YouTube offers a category dedicated to ‘Howto & DIY’ content.

Metacafe features a category focused on ‘Video tips and Guides’.

Topic-Specific Resources

NewBaby provides guidance on parenting, newborn care, breastfeeding, and all aspects of baby-related topics.

TeacherTube offers instructional guides for educational courses in subjects like Math and Literature.

Helpero specializes in Computers, Networking, Mobile devices, Games, and Internet-related assistance.

Work focuses on resources for Entrepreneurs and Small-Business owners.

ShowMeDo provides tutorials on Computing, Internet technologies, Python, Java, Linux, Ruby, Blender, Graphics, and Screencasting.

Video-Tabs offers over 200 video ‘HowTo’ guides specifically for Guitar instruction.

Bonus Resource

Google Coop - 'HowTo & DIY' Search: To simplify your search process, a dedicated ‘HowTo and DIY (Do It Yourself)’ search engine has been created using Google Co-op. This custom search engine simultaneously searches all the previously mentioned ‘HowTo’ websites. It has been tested and proven effective.