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Browser Tip:
Know Your Visitors' Favorite Browsers
by Larisa Thomason,
Senior Web Analyst,
NetMechanic, Inc.
At some point, just about every Web designer wonders if browser compatibility is really that important. Even if everyone used the same browser, you'd still have to contend with different versions and different operating systems - both of which may cause display problems. You're visitors will have a more pleasant experience at your site if you consider their browsing preferences when you're designing the site.
Global Browser Statistics
Gathering browser information is easier than you think!
A good place to start is the online Web tutorial site W3Schools.com. They've compiled a list of global browser usage statistics from the Web (gathered by TheCounter.com Web site). This list strongly indicates that almost everyone does use some form of Internet Explorer.
It's popular and its dominance appears to be growing. Just compare the April 2002 and April 2003 percentages:
| Browser Version
| Apr 02
| Apr 03
|
| Internet Explorer 6.x |
32% |
57% |
| Internet Explorer 5.x |
55% |
36% |
| Internet Explorer 4.x |
3% |
1% |
| |
|
|
| Netscape 4.x |
4% |
1% |
| Other Netscape compatible |
1% |
1% |
However, the log files from the W3Schools server shows a wider mixture of browsers and browser versions for the same time frame.
| Month
| IE 6
| IE 5
| IE 4
| AOL
| Opera 7
| NN 4
| Mozilla
|
| April 2002 |
39.0% |
48.2% |
0.7% |
3.2% |
0% |
3.8% |
0% |
| April 2003 |
64.5% |
23.5% |
1.2% |
4.4% |
1.2% |
1.0% |
4.4% |
Browser statistics like these help you identify the most popular browsers among the general population, but don't read too much into them.
Study Your Server Logs
Global statistics are just a tool. Your audience may be quite different and you'll have to study their preferences before you can react to them. That means digging into your server logs for information about your visitors' preferences.
Most Web hosting accounts include some kind of Web site traffic reporting tool that takes raw server log data and displays it in a format that's easy to understand and scan quickly. Raw server log data is much less user-friendly - but required if you need in-depth analysis of site traffic patterns, advertising campaigns, etc.
Fortunately, the basic reporting tool will usually give you enough information to make a quick browser comparison. All you need to know is the rough percentage of users who prefer a particular browser version and operating system combination.
Know Your Audience's Preference
But server logs won't help you if you're getting ready to launch a completely new site because, well, you won't have any visitors yet! However, you do have some data you can refer to: the audience analysis you put together before you began designing the site.
Use it to make some basic assumptions about preferred browser and operating system (OS) combinations.
For instance:
- Educational Institutions (especially public schools) are more likely to have older equipment with Netscape 4.7 installed. They're also more likely to use MAC OS or even older Apple systems.
- Younger children and preteens often have older systems that are cast-offs from parents and siblings. They love graphics and animations, but may not have the technology to support multimedia.
- Graphic designers are far more likely to use MAC OS than Windows OS.
- Online gaming and music enthusiasts have the most updated systems with all the latest plug-ins installed - often by necessity because the games require the most updated software.
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If you're designing an online learning and homework help site for younger kids, then it's particularly important to have a site that looks good in older browser versions and operating systems.
Even so, you won't know for sure what your audience prefers until you have some historical data. Until then, make sure all visitors can at least view your pages by viewing them yourself first using Browser Photo. It shows actual screen shots of your page in the most popular browser and operating system combinations!
HTML Code Affects Browser Display
You may be confused about why your page looks different - or doesn't display at all in certain browsers! Several factors affect page display:
- Browser manufacturers who don't support HTML and CSS standards.
- HTML coding errors that cause browsers to ignore the incorrect tags.
- Use of browser-specific HTML tags like <BLINK> and <MARQUEE> that are only supported by particular browser or browser versions.
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Learn more about browser problems in our online browser problem tutorial.
When HTML Toolbox analyzes your Web site, the results section includes a browser compatibility analysis that alerts you to these types of problems. It also calculates what percentage of visitors may be affected by each error/problem based on browser usage statistics.
Here's a snapshot of a compatibility results table:
But remember that everyone's site statistics are different! That's why Toolbox includes a customization feature that lets you enter the browser usage statistics that are unique to your Web site. That helps you evaluate the overall impact of coding problems and set priorities.
Correct HTML code helps you promote your site to human visitors and search engine spiders! Search engine spiders need valid code to properly index and rank your site. A simple HTML coding error could reduce your search engine rank in some engines.
Human visitors who have a pleasant browsing experience are more likely to spend time on the site, return frequently, and recommend it to others. Study your server logs and view your pages in the same browsers and operating systems that your visitors use. You'll be able to find and fix problems before they drive away visitors.
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