When I was a stark beginner of Linux, I always wondered where should I place files, and how to compile source code to make sure the corresponding binaries are in the right place. These articles may help people with the same question.

The first one can be found on ArchWiki and may contain some unique details about ArchLinux. But it is a tutorial which is easy to understand:

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard

For a more detailed specification, please refer to

http://proton.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html