What is a Web Browser?
A website browser, or browser for short, is your window to the World Wide Web. Browsers are a tool used to search for websites, and they display the website you see in the window. There are several website browsers available, Google Chrome, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari to name a few.
Why does this matter to my business?
Web browsers are the window to your website and online marketing, and it is how people see your business online. Each web browser will display websites a little different from one another. Some browsers display websites faster than others, and text and images can look different based on which browser you use to view a website. So, it is important to make sure that your website displays correctly in all browsers for potential customers who find your business online using different browsers.
What are the benefits of each browser?
There are several benefits for each browser, so we will look at the three most popular web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
Google Chrome
- The fastest load time for websites
- Uses the latest World Wide Web Standards for displaying websites
- Supports newer technology and newer web coding standards
- Incorporates archiving/bookmarking of website URLs
- Easy integrates with Gmail and other Google products
- Can easily incorporate extentions
- Best developer tools for troubleshooting broken websites
Mozilla Firefox
- Uses the latest World Wide Web Standards for rendering
- Supports newer technology and newer coding standards
- Incorporates archiving/bookmarking of website URLs
- Can easily incorporate extensions
- Good developer tools for troubleshooting broken websites
Internet Explorer
- Incorporates archiving/bookmarking of website URLs
- Average developer tools for troubleshooting broken websites
- Comes pre-installed on most Windows machines
Which one is the best overall?
Comparing browsers head to head, Chrome comes out on top. It loads websites faster than any other browser, it is extensible, integrates with Gmail and other Google products easily, and has the best developer tools. Firefox comes in a close second place, losing out only to rendering speed, and Internet Explorer comes in last due to not supporting newer technology and a slow load time.
