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Browsers

Browser Wars: Which Browser Should You Use?

colorful Internet browserby Lino Perna,Technician

Since its public release in 2008, Google Chrome has been taking its place in people’s hearts and minds, replacing the commonly used Internet Explorer.

Ever since then, these two browsers have been at constant war. The public loved the fresh, simplistic, elegance of Chrome which left Internet Explorer in its dust.

Now, after all these updates and changes, which of the two has made the most positive progress? Which browser is better?

Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer was the most widely used browser up until 2008. It had the internet navigation world in the palm of its hands, and because of its massive success Microsoft decided not to change anything.

Internet Explorer came standard with every new Microsoft computer, so to the general public, that was the only option. Yes there were other web navigators, but this was the best.

In its current state, Internet Explorer 11 is faster and more efficient than any other previous versions. The security and privacy features are phenomenal and coveted by other browsers.

In a general sense, the interface is usable, but may be too complicated for some users. While it doesn’t have site prediction or voice search, it is still faster and better than ever for everyday tasks.

Chrome
When Chrome was first released, it had low usage percentage because it was an unknown browser, but at that point, Firefox had become prominent and had passed up Internet Explorer.

Slowly but surely, Chrome became more widely known and used. It took until 2011, but finally overcame the competition and became the most used browser in the world.

Today, Chrome reigns over the other browsers. Its usage surpasses any of the other browsers, but the question is: Why? The reasoning for the era of Chrome is its design.

It’s easy enough for an individual of any age to use. It simultaneously possesses the ability to give you luxuries such as: a drop-down box with thumbnails to easily access your favorite websites or the integration of Gmail and Youtube.

The simplicity of it contributes to the unparalleled speed that it possesses. Speed, efficiency and quality are the necessary staples of success.

Google Chrome possesses all three of these essential attributes that helped it achieve and sustain dominance over its predecessors.

The built in flash player and PDF support put Chrome ahead of the competition because both tools are used quite frequently in both a business and scholastic setting.

Wrapping Up
It all comes down to this: When it comes to efficiency, speed, and quality, Chrome takes the cake.

Its facile interface, outstanding quality, and unmatched speed rocket it past Internet Explorer, and any other browser at that.

Though Internet Explorer may be easier to access, if you want a browser that can do all you ever needed and more, while also being considerably faster than its competition, Google Chrome is the browser for you.

(Image Source: iCLIPART)

Secrets About your Customers Hidden In your Company’s Website Reports

No matter who hosts your website, it’s almost certain that you have website traffic reporting. These reports can tell you a LOT about your customer and who is visiting your web site IF you know how to read them. Here’s a quick less on how to decipher them…

Hits V. Unique Visitors
Its’ been said that “hits” is short for “How Idiots Track Sales.” That’s because “Total Hits” is a deceptive number: it counts every single graphics file, style sheet, and script a visitor pulls for each page. A single visitor on a single page could easily pull a dozen files or more.

The only number you should watch is “unique visitors” or “unique referrers.” This is your best indicator of how many individual people are actually visiting your site.

If your number of unique visitors is extremely low, you’re probably not marketing your website properly; but it could also be a sign of a technical issue. Occasionally a site is so far off the beaten path that it’s never been indexed by the search engines. Sites built in Flash or that use images instead of text are also difficult for search engines to index and, therefore, will get very low rankings and traffic.

Browsers
Your reports should give you a list of web browsers your clients are using when coming to your site. Most people use a recent version of Internet Explorer, but you may also see Firefox, Safari, or older versions of IE. Bottom line, you need to make sure your site works in all the browsers being used by your visitors.

Exit Page
Have you ever heard the term “website conversion?” It’s a measure of whether a visitor has done what you wanted them to do on your site. A conversion can be a purchase, an enrollment to your company’s e-zine, or a completed “contact us” form.

If the most popular exit pages correspond to your conversion pages, congratulations! If not, take a closer look. Why are people leaving? There may be a technical issue, a bad headline (or no headline), no offer, slow-loading graphics, or confusing copy. Something on this page is making your visitors leave abruptly.

Maybe it’s not clear where they should go next, or how to find out what they need to know. A few departures are expected, but if there’s a trend, you must address it. Experiment with various headlines, offers and designs until you find something more successful.

Keywords and Keyword Phrases
Keywords and keyword phrases are a list of words people type into search engines to find you.

This is very important information to have because it will allow you to further optimize your website to attract customers AND help you when using pay-per-click search engine marketing.

Browse this list regularly. If the words and phrases are not ones aligned with what you sell or whom you sell to, try changing the content on your site to be more targeted and specific.

Errors
Check out the error list from time to time to make sure you aren’t experiencing any technical issues. The most frequent error you’ll find is a “404” code, which means “document not found”—also known as broken links.

Broken links are caused by deleted pages, new page names, or links to other sites that may no longer exist. These errors should be corrected to keep your site current.

Another good tip is to have a custom “404” page that shows up instead of the stock standard “file not found” page that contains your company name, phone number, and a way to report the problem. Your web master can set this up for you.