It should come as no surprise that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is the most-used browser on the Internet, and the statistics bear out the perception. In fact, a recent study by Janco Associates, Inc. found that nearly 70% of the browsers out there are IE.

Browsers Matter

Still, other browsers exist, including Netscape, Opera, Mozilla and others. How do you make sure your site is viewed comfortably from all of them? Here are some tips garnered from AmericanEagle.com, a builder and hoster of sites for small and medium-sized businesses.

1. Test your site across all Browsers Matter versions. This isn’t easy, especially with the proliferation of browser versions (IE 5, IE 6 and so on) out there. Still, it’s the best way to ensure that all visitors to your site are viewing your content as intended.

2. Compare your site logs. This is a quick way to find out the percentage of IE browsers vs. other types visiting your site. If 95% of your traffic is IE, then catering to that browser makes sense as you develop your site.

3. Standardize your screen resolution. Resolution Browsers Matter affects how far a Web site stretches vertically and horizontally on the monitor and how large or small the text appears. Say your computer screen is an 8-in. x 12-in. horizontal frame. If the graphics are designed for 800 x 600 pixel resolution, the picture will fill up the entire space. If, however, your resolution is set to 1024 x 768, the picture you see will fill up about 75% of the space.

A good rule of thumb is that the newer the computer, Browsers Matter the higher resolution it can accommodate. In the past, the preferred screen resolution was 640 x 480 pixels. Today, however, the standard is 800 x 600, although 1024 x 768 is gaining ground. Still, designing your graphics for 800 x 600 pixel resolution is the current safe bet.