Do you check to make sure your website looks good in all browsers?

by pepper81 Banned
21 replies
So I just finished building a website and it looks great in every browser except when viewed IE. There seems to be some minor details that don't look the same as when viewed in Chrome. It's nothing major but being the perfectionist that I am, it does annoy me.

Do you think this is a big issue? Should I try and fix it so it looks the same in all the different browsers or should I not worry too much about it?

Thanks.
#browsers #check #good #make #website
  • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
    I'd most definately would worry about it.

    Despite less and less people using IE a huge amount still do. In one of my niches it counts for over 80% of the visitors.

    I tend to use paid themes that are compatible with all browsers, I have 2 custom made sites that are also compatible.

    I'm not sure what you need to do to fix this but I would definately make it so it's visible on all browsers. When you get traffic to the site and you're tracking it, you'll most likely find a pretty significant chunk being viewed on IE still.
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    • Profile picture of the author pepper81
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

      I'd most definately would worry about it.

      Despite less and less people using IE a huge amount still do. In one of my niches it counts for over 80% of the visitors.

      I tend to use paid themes that are compatible with all browsers, I have 2 custom made sites that are also compatible.

      I'm not sure what you need to do to fix this but I would definately make it so it's visible on all browsers. When you get traffic to the site and you're tracking it, you'll most likely find a pretty significant chunk being viewed on IE still.
      The overall site site looks the same, it's just a minor detail that is annoying me. I'm using a social plugin that displays sharing buttons and the text inside the Tweet button looks over-sized and doesn't fit properly. I really like the plugin and don't want to change it. I guess I could try and find a programmer who might be able to fix the problem so it works properly in IE.
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  • Profile picture of the author vCr8
    I do check my site in all browsers, even in mobile, though with IE it is something you would like to fix since there are still a whole lot of visitors using it.
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  • Profile picture of the author wlasikiewicz
    Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

    So I just finished building a website and it looks great in every browser except when viewed IE. There seems to be some minor details that don't look the same as when viewed in Chrome. It's nothing major but being the perfectionist that I am, it does annoy me.

    Do you think this is a big issue? Should I try and fix it so it looks the same in all the different browsers or should I not worry too much about it?

    Thanks.
    I only check Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer (for me) is a waste of time.
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    • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
      Originally Posted by wlasikiewicz View Post

      I only check Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer (for me) is a waste of time.
      Was your website built for you, or site visitors whom may be using IE? Better check that silly attitude and see what your site looks like in IE. First impressions are everything--and that does count for websites too.

      BP
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      You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
        Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

        The overall site site looks the same, it's just a minor detail that is annoying me. I'm using a social plugin that displays sharing buttons and the text inside the Tweet button looks over-sized and doesn't fit properly. I really like the plugin and don't want to change it. I guess I could try and find a programmer who might be able to fix the problem so it works properly in IE.
        Oh I see, sorry. So long as they can read what's on the page and order, sign up or whatever you want them to do then I take that back. I thought it wasn't compatible at all and the page was a waste of time on IE.

        The main thing is, if you leave it, the site still functions the same on IE.

        Originally Posted by wlasikiewicz View Post

        I only check Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer (for me) is a waste of time.
        So you don't get any visitors using IE? I'd want to check my analytics was still working correctly if no one used it. If there are visitors using it, how did you decide they were a waste of time?

        I'm just interested why someone using a certain browser makes them a waste of time.
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    • Profile picture of the author EMaria
      Originally Posted by wlasikiewicz View Post

      I only check Firefox and Chrome, Internet Explorer (for me) is a waste of time.
      You can check your sites in any browser you want to, but if your page does not display correctly to the people that count (as in your potential customers), you should be concerned. It could be a deal breaker if someone is thinking of buying something from you but changes their mind because your page looks crappy.
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelplies
    personally i use ff, but I see lots of traffic coming in from IE. you should be making sure your sites work in ie, otherwise might loose conversions
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  • Profile picture of the author Trevor
    From an SEO point of view, you should make sure your content is viewable without having to scroll down with 800x600 resolution.
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  • Profile picture of the author AceOfShirts
    These days you also need to make sure your sites look good on ipads and other tablets.

    A friend of mine built a site with an embedded flash version of a magazine that you can flip the pages. Of course the site owner viewed the site on an ipad that doesn't have flash.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrDougJay
    Yest, it is. I can relate. I've just launched a new site and it's having problems in IE. I'm still trying to find a way to fix the problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author lollobrigida
    An awesome source for finding out more than a single person can ever test
    is the cross browser test page Check Browser Compatibility, Cross Platform Browser Test - Browsershots
    The free option needs some monitoring...but works great... even for really
    exotic browser/OS combinations.
    And: the thing takes downloadable screenshots.
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  • Profile picture of the author Davidstarz
    It is for the best that you fix the issues with IE or you might lose conversions like the others have said. Do not also forget to view your website in IE6 as this browser is a major problem for web designers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Davidstarz
    It is for the best that you fix the issues with IE or you might lose conversions like the others have said. Do not also forget to view your website in IE6 as this browser is a major problem for web designers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marakatapolis
    Cross-browser compliance is still an issue today unfortunately. It was much worse 12 years ago though.

    IE has always been the rogue browser, they do not follow some of the web standards and so Microsoft's browser displays things differently than FF/Chrome/Opera/etc.

    Often, you will have to do a CSS "hack" to get your site fixed in IE.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert M Gouge
    Originally Posted by pepper81 View Post

    So I just finished building a website and it looks great in every browser except when viewed IE. There seems to be some minor details that don't look the same as when viewed in Chrome. It's nothing major but being the perfectionist that I am, it does annoy me.

    Do you think this is a big issue? Should I try and fix it so it looks the same in all the different browsers or should I not worry too much about it?

    Thanks.
    Went through the same issue with my site, Prosperity Clicks.

    Spent a lot more time than I wanted to fixing the site to display properly in IE.

    If IE users didn't make up a 3rd of my traffic, I wouldn't bother, but they do.

    But, the top 3 browsers are as far as I got, for now. Firefox, Chrome, IE. Next on the list is mobile.

    Configuring a site to display correctly across all these different things is a pain, but necessary.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan Grossman
    If you write valid markup and CSS, absent some minor things like rounded borders and shadows, your site should look identical in IE7, 8, 9, 10, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

    I test everything in all browsers, then head down to Best Buy and test it on the iPads and Android tablets.

    Haven't had to make a change to fix any specific browser in a long time.

    Not testing for Internet Explorer would just be throwing away money. It's still the most used browser!

    http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
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    Improvely: Built to track, test and optimize your marketing.

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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I check all the time. In the past, my sites showed up incorrectly in non-mainstream browsers, but they show up perfectly in IE and Firefox.
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  • Profile picture of the author Socialbakers
    Well, firstly, I would check the Analytics to see the stats about how many people are visiting your site via Internet Explorer. If it will be a really negligible number, I would personally leave it as it is, because it will be, as you say, a waste of time.

    However, if there will be a significant number of visitors, I would make sure it looks the same in all browsers. I know that IE can be really a pain in the *back part of your body* in terms of coding, but there are still millions of people using it and thus, we have to work with that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony Humble
    Banned
    I used to do that a lot, but recently browsers have gotten better and usually it works across most sites. I tend to check with Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. All other browsers have practically no users, so I don't bother.
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  • Profile picture of the author uniquecontent
    Yes, this is basic rule to check your website in all browser specially IE. Sometimes their versions also give different effects.
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