We made it a decade! It’s our tenth birthday! 🎉 This is an extra-special one, as we hit those double digits. Each year on July 4th we mark the occasion with a post. In that tradition, allow me to ramble on a bit about the past and present.
The very first post ever on this site was literally a CSS trick. It’s a classic, too. “Header Text Image Replacement”:
.headerReplacement {
text-indent: -9999px;
width: 600px;
height: 100px;
background: url(/path/to/your/image.jpg) #cccccc no-repeat;
}
Funny, I just used that trick a couple of days ago.
The post is interesting to me for a number of reasons. For one, I certainly didn’t come up with that technique. At the time, I was just learning CSS myself and writing down interesting stuff I’d come across and used in my own work. I think I felt like I learned it a little more deeply by writing it out as an explanation like that.
For another, at the time, I was entirely unaware of where a trick like that fit into CSS history and larger discussions about CSS and semantics and accessibility and all that. A year later, I started getting interested in stuff like that and did stuff like rounded up many possible techniques for image replacement. Ultimately, even making a “museum” for it.
Before I go too much further here, I gotta mention the fact that we just re-opened the shop in honor of this anniversary. We made up some nerdy web related T-Shirts, and would love it if you would pick one up to help support the site:

CSS-Tricks was a WordPress site running on PHP and MySQL back then. Today, it’s… a WordPress site running on PHP and MySQL. Although WordPress was 2.0.1 back then and 4.8 now. PHP was 5.2 then and 7.1 now. MySQL 5.0 then and 5.7 now. All those seem fairly small version bumps for a 10-year span, but really they are quite significant technological advances.
Back then we made sites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These days, sites are… HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
I try to keep a design history the best I can. Let’s do a little blast-to-the-past of header styles:















This one isn’t to be underestimated: it takes serious work to keep a website running. There is always something that needs to be done.
- There is always some bit of software that needs to be updated.
- There is always some weird bug that needs attention.
- There is always some business opportunity that needs work to get going.
- There is always some part of the design that really needs a look.
- There is always some SSL certificate to worry about.
- There is always some server or DevOps thing to think about.
I have a whole section of my TODO’s called “Site Work” that is full of things I need to get done around here. For example, right this second, I know there are some assets that are loading in a way I don’t want them to and I need to look at it for performance reasons. I’d like to do some stuff with embedded Pens to make them a bit wider by default, but need to be careful not to screw up any layout. I know markdown is behaving weird in the forums for the 692nd time, and that a private forum is showing publicly in a place I don’t want. That’s like 5% of the list!
I shudder to think what would happen if all this work wasn’t done constantly. The site would fall to pieces.
And that doesn’t include what you might actually think is the hard work involved in running a website:
- Writing new content
- Editing submitted content
- Updating old content
- Managing the publishing schedule and planning future content
- Community management
- Promoting and marketing the site
- Finding sponsors
- Make sure sponsors are happy
- Social media
If you do all that work, on both lists, the hope is that you just keep to keep on keeping on. Everyone gets paid for their effort. This is not a hockey-stick growth kind of site. It’s a modest publication.
Speaking of slow growth, that’s the deal:

That’s not representative of just doing the same ol’ same ol’ year in and year out. That’s representative of more and more people working on the site and more and more money being invested back into the site.
One interesting aspect of this is how the bulk of that traffic is generated by search. Of course, I have no problem with that. I’m very happy that this site shows up in search results and can be useful to people that way. At the same time, having an active readership is a very valuable thing. Not just people who show up in search, but people who read the site regularly like they do the news. Definitely a balance there. That’s why we do things like invest in the newsletter, to make sure we have ways to read CSS-Tricks that come to you and are worth your time.
On a personal note, I’m still living in Milwaukee, back here after a 7-month stint in Miami. My fiance Miranda got a job down there at FIU and we took the opportunity to move down, skip the Wisconsin winter, and be close to our Florida friends. I don’t post publicly all that much about personal life stuff, but this will be a huge year for me. The Miami move to and back was big! Miranda and I are getting married this summer! We’re also expecting a baby in the fall! And we’re also planning to move to Oregon in late summer! Crazy times. There almost couldn’t possibly be more going on, especially factoring in all this running multiple businesses stuff and a fairly aggressive speaking schedule this year.
My main focus is CodePen, which has had a tremendous last year. After taking funding, hiring an amazing team, and releasing lots of big stuff, we’ve got ourselves to that wonderful spot all businesses desire: profitability. The roadmap of ideas on CodePen is absolutely never ending. I’ve never felt like we have more work in front of us as strongly as I do right now.
I’d like to give special thanks to all the sponsors that make the site possible. I can’t thank every single one, but I will give a special shout out to Media Temple, who has been a long time sponsor and supporter of CSS-Tricks.
And of course the heartiest of thanks to all you readers, without whom there would be no reason to have a site at all. The discourse that happens here is top notch and I couldn’t be happier to facilitate it. And lastly, as you likely know, this site is by front-end developers for front-end developers, so if you have something to say, feel free to reach out.
See the Pen Conways Fireworks by Ben Matthews (@tsuhre) on CodePen.
congrats on 10 years, lots of growth in that time period.
keep up the good work, and look forward to many more
posts over the upcoming years
Al
Feliz cumpleaños CSS-Tricks!
Congrats. I discovered CSS-Tricks last year when I started to close the gap between knowing about web 1.0 design and mastering modern day front-end development. Your blog is on top of my favorite blogs in that category. Good luck with everything.
10 years is damn impressive.
Just one more thing to add to your list of milestones is the fact your teaching seriously brought me to a point where I could build websites. I’m self-taught, but I found CSS-Tricks 8 years ago and went through your screencasts.
Now I work for myself as a front-end developer and am able to 100% support my family and a healthy lifestyle.
You don’t always find stuff like that in Google Analytics, but it’s important you understand the real impact your work has had.
Same story here man. Owe a lot to this website and Chris.
Congrats Chris n’ gang!
Chris, congratulations on all your accomplishments so far and all the best for what’s to come in the future, both professionally and personally!
Huge congratulations!! CSS Tricks has been instrumental in my work as a web developer.
Thanks to you and your incredible team for all of the hard work, Chris.
All the best for the next ten years!
Thank you for your work Chris, and looking forward for the next 10 years. All the best from Germany
Feliz aniversario CSS-Tricks!!!
Hi Chris,
10 years of inspiring CSS-Tricks (Real_CSS_Tricks are worldwide) and wonderful personal perspectives: congratulations & cheers!
Congrats!
Here’s to the next 10 years.
Real Congrats for some unbelievable 10 years!!
Was around not so long after the beginning and I’m glad we both still are :-)
Happy Birthday 10th
I’ve followed CSS-Tricks for almost 6 years. I’ve learned a lot from you guys.
Thank you for your articles, tutorials, snippets, etc.
Again, congrats and all the best from Vietnam.
Happy birthday and thank you so much, you’ve helped me a lot in these years!
Thanks for keeping us up to date with the trends and techniques. And also for sharing the knowledge.
Thanks, Chirs and Team.
Hi,
CSS Tricks had helped me every time with awesome solutions and tips & tricks. You guys rock. Hope to see you tricking difficulties,many more years.
Bhin budin ya bhintuna… (this is from Nepal Bhasa, Great wishes on Birthday)
CSS-Tricks 十周年快乐!
Chris! I’ve been your fan for long, you made me a good developer i am today :) love from Pakistan. keep doing the good work.
Is this better for SEO and screen readers than just using an alt attribute on an img element inside of an h1?
This is my go-to resource. So thanks for providing massive help & inspiration for so many years.
I recognize most of those header designs — I’ve been reading for 7 years or so, often coming to site as I would a news source. The tricks and thinking on this site have shaped my very career. Indebted to and thankful for you, Chris & CSS-Tricks!
Thanks a lot for all these tips and article ! Cheers from France
Only just started with web development in the past year and since then I’ve visited this site daily. Thanks for all the helpful and interesting content that convinced me to work in this awesome field!
Thank you for all of your hard work in running CSS-Tricks. It’s an invaluable resource that has helped me throughout many years in this tumultuous and ever-changing landscape of front end development.
I think I speak for most of the front end community when I say that I wouldn’t be half the developer I am now without this site’s guidance over the years. Thank you.
It’s been an essential resource to include in any front-end developer’s bookmarks. I’d like to congratulate Chris and CSS-tricks.com for the great work of long ten years.
CSS Tricks is my favorite resource for front end info!!! Looking forward to 100 more years of CSS Tricks hopefully.
Congrats on 10 years…Learning about the web would be much more difficult without the amazing resource that is CSS-Tricks. Thank you to you and your team for sharing your knowledge with the world…Here’s to another 10 successful years!
Where to start Chris? I found CSS Tricks about 9 years ago, and on that day your site helped me out hugely, I was tearing my hair out trying to fix a layout bug that was live on the audible.co.uk site. Your site had the answer, and has done many times since.
It’s my go-to resource for all things CSS and long may it continue to be so.
Many thanks to you and the team, happy 10th!
Congratulations Chris (and Miranda) on the upcoming arrival and of course on 10 years of super awesome CSS-Tricks! Here is to the next 10 Mr Coyier!
Congratuations Chris and the entire CSS-Tricks team!
This site has been the best resource for me.
I share it with every web person I know.
Keep, keeping all of us, up to date on the latest and greatest.
10 years…. How scary is that!
I see people saying it all the time and you must get sick of it but css dash tricks definitely played a huge role in getting me where I am today.
Congratulations on getting married (when that happens)… And the baby! Having recently had a baby (now 6-months old! Goes so fast)… If you think you’re busy now, just wait!
Looking forward to the next 10-years :)
Tanti Auguri CSS-Tricks
Page views graph – what happened in the end of 2014? :)
Thanks Chris and CSS-Tricks Team for all the hard work troughout all the years! I wish you all the best for your future!
Hip Hip, hurray ;)
Great work.. and love this site i have learned lots of stuff from your posts.. keep it up.. And congratulations !!
Chris, you were the first person I followed on Twitter back in March 2008 because I read this blog all the time back then – and still do :)
Thanks for all the amazing content, everything I learned here and all the time you invested in this website. You’re awesome!
Also (and way more important than some bites on the internet!), congrats on getting married AND a father. Exciting times ahead :) I’ll take that first step and will get married this summer, too :)
Thank you for being the SO of CSS for 10 years.
Congrats on 10 years, thanks for all the hard work.
And congrats on your marriage and soon to be fatherhood.
The site has been there for me since I stumble upon it during my first job in and around 2008, it’s been my resource ever since then.
Cheers Chris!
Chris, I have been following you since like your 2nd month of posting on CSS-tricks. It has been fun being a part of the journey and watching the community build up on this site. I always look forward to these 4th of July posts. Thanks for all the work!
Congrats, Chris! Been following you since I was 14 back in the day!
PS: Are the fireworks in your codepen conway’s game of life patterns? Looks like it
Maraming Salamat CSS Tricks!
Congratulations Chris on the huge milestone! I’ve used CSS-Tricks on countless occasions and is definitely a major resource in developer content that I visit regularly. Maybe a bit too soon, but here’s to another 10 years!
Congrats Chris! I am following CSS-Tricks since when I fall in love with Web!
I Just want to say, IT WAS, IT IS and IT WILL BE!!.
All I can say is thank you, here’s to the next ten years :)
CSS Tricks has been a huge motivation to me. From when I started writing code to now, I look to CSS Tricks for new ideas and also good vibes. ~THANK YOU!
Dear Sir,
Congrats and Thanks for all the beautiful tricks :)
A site which has always inspired me. An honor to have also been a small-time contributor. Working with Chris is a learning experience. Looking forward to the next 10!
Congrats for the personal stuff :-)
I’ve enjoyed and benefited from this site for years. Thanks and congrats on the decade!
I’m late to the party, but congrats Chris! Your website is truly amongst the best in the entire web.