Browser Compatability – Not Just A Techie Issue

One of the common questions I’m asked is, “do I have to worry about Firefox?” My standard answer is, yes, you do need to consider other browsers including Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, etc. because there are over 16 million people who use browsers other than Internet Explorer. An article in today’s MediaPost says that the numbers of Firefox users rose to 8% of all internet users last month and is expected to continue rising.

Now if you think that browser compatability is just a techie issue, you need to reconsider. Browser compatability is also a brand and sales issue. Imagine this scenario…. Your customer (a Firefox user) finds your listing on Google and clicks through. Only, instead of arriving at your site, he arrives at a improperly rendered page or one that reads, “Download IE to view this page.” I had this experience just this week. My first thought was, “you’ve got to be kidding!” My next action was to click back to Google and find another site, where I completed my purchase. The first site lost credibility and the sale because of something that is very easy to check and remedy. Have you checked your site in Firefox?