Why you should check your web pages using both IE and Netscape

By Candice Pardue
Posted Saturday, August 14, 2004

I had to learn the hard way! When I finished designing my site, I discovered then that 85 to 90 percent of all Internet users view the Web using either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. I used Netscape Composer to design my entire website, as well as to view and check my web pages online for accuracy.

Little did I know that my website looked great on Netscape, but terrible on Microsoft Internet Explorer (MIE). I had both browsers on my computer system, but never thought of viewing my website using both. I read a discussion group posting about the subject and realized that I needed to view my website using
MIE also.

So, I pulled up my homepage using the MIE browser, and it was a disaster. My web page was quite a bit distorted. The text overlapped the navigation side bar, and I couldn't read a word of it. Also, my headlines looked really weird.

Luckily, I discovered this error before doing any major site promotions. But, I had already designed most of my site (approximately 50 to 60 web pages). The problem was solved easily by simply resizing one table. But I had to resize that table on every web page of my site. This task was very time consuming. If I would have checked the first page outline using both browsers, I could have fixed the problem before designing the entire website.

If you do not currently have access to both browsers on your system, I highly recommend that you get both to check your web pages. Or, find a friend that has the browser you don't have and check your web pages with his/her browser.

Checking your site using both browsers will save you time and prevent you from losing valuable web business. Keep in mind that the majority of Internet users view the web using either MIE or Netscape. If you design your site to be friendly only to one of these browsers, you're missing out. This fatal mistake can result in complaints, lost visitors and business, as well as a bad reputation online. Online users expect your site to be professional and easy to navigate and
read. If it's not, most will simply click out of your site, and some may even make an example out of your site as bad web design, ruining your reputation on the Web.

Please consider using both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator to view and check your web pages. No matter which program you use to design your site, try to make your website friendly to all Web surfers to maximize your website success.

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