Browser Insurance: Just Another Web Browser Upgrade...Right?

Web Browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox can change the way your web site looks to others.

October 25, 2006
Found in: Articles : News :

Summary

Many companies invest lots of resources and money into web sites that are designed for then-current web browsers. When these browsers get upgraded, serious errors and flaws can emerge that frustrate users and can turn away business. Enthusiast offers a service to avoid these headaches and keep focus on your business. We offer a free, no-nonsense assessment to help you keep your web site in business.

Give us a call at 866-396-GOAL or fill out this simple form for a free assessment.

A Simple Example

Jane visits your website on Friday and finds it useful, educational, and valuable. On Saturday, Microsoft sends out an automatic "critical update" for her computer that makes changes to the Internet Explorer software. She then visits your website again to find out more information and now it appears broken and unusable.

Who does Jane blame for the problem?

Hint: It's not Microsoft.

A Growing Dilemma

I mentioned earlier that the Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers - programs used to surf the Internet and view web sites - were both getting updated in October, the former being a major update from five years of neglect. For some web sites, this is going to have a significant impact on users' experience due to the new way that the web browser displays the layout and design of the site. If any significant testing is done when a web site is created, it is normally done using web browsers widely in use at the time. For example, a site created last year would have been tested on Internet Explorer 6.1 and hopefully the then current versions of Firefox and Safari too.

Since all three of the major web browsers are independently maintained and updated, there is no telling when an update like this might appear - much to the chagrin of unaware marketers and web site owners.

Even we are not immune to these changes. You can see below a sequence of our own home page on the current Internet Explorer browser and the new version. There will always be subtle differences between web browsers as they choose their own way to follow common guidelines. However, more obvious and harmful changes like this example on the right will need timely intervention to remedy- and the remedy is not always a simple task.

Given the complexities of Internet technologies and diversity of methods used to create web sites, these compatibility updates could cost site owners significantly in time and money for each instance. The costs could be even higher if the fix renders the site unusable and developer time to remedy is unavailable. This could wreak havoc on the most generous marketing budget - even though it can be avoided.

The Enthusiast Advantage: Browser Insurance

To alleviate the headache and frustration of dealing with this, Enthusiast offers a service called Browser Insurance that covers web site owners in the event that a web browser update changes the look or behavior of their web site. Browser Insurance adds a level of confidence and peace of mind to a web site investment as proactive testing, communication, and necessary fixes are included in the minimal Browser Insurance premium. This offers a fixed cost alternative to the stressful back and forth negotiations required to fix these sort of problems under duress.

What Clients Say

John Manning, Marketing Director for Enthusiast client MAP recommends Browser Insurance:

"Presenting a dynamic web site for visitors and current clients is a key marketing strategy for MAP. Global web browser changes to Internet Explorer and Firefox can cause major issues for our web site. We cannot afford to manage this challenge internally due to lack of resources and expertise. Enthusiast has done a great job for MAP managing this activity for us as covered through their Browser Insurance service. We now feel confident that our website will always reflect the look and feel we originally created."

For more information on how you can gain confidence and peace of mind for your web site investment, contact us for a free assessment.

Description

Browser Insurance is a service to research, solve, and fix display problems that arise from changes vendors make in software browsers used to view websites. The browsers included in this service are detailed in the table below.

Browser Insurance Diagram