Web browsers can be defined in two ways:

1) Web browsers provide an avenue for you to display your website to others around the world.

2) Web browsers provide an avenue for end Internet users to view websites. So, whether you’re a designer or an end user, you’ll find that Web browsers are necessary in everyday operations.

How do Web Browsers Work?

When you design your web pages, you’ll use a programming language or special program such as HTML, XTML, PHP, FLASH, MYSQL, or some other technique. Web browsers will look at your web page codes and translate them into readable, pleasant-looking pages for the end user. Instead of “jibberish” your visitors should see a well-designed web page. If all they see is the code, you can forget selling anything or getting your point across!

Example:If you type the HTML code into your web page for the word “HELLO” in bold print, the code looks like this (minus the asterisks): **<b>HELLO</b>** Your end user will see this: HELLOThe Web browser took the “bold” HTML code you created and translated into a visible design function. How does it do this? We’ll leave that to the computer techies!

Popular Web Browsers*Internet Explorer (IE): Microsoft’s Web browser - the most popular today. It was released in 1995 and surpassed Netscape in popularity in 1998.*Netscape: This was the first commercial Web browser, released in 1994.

*Firefox: A new browser that was released in place of Netscape following the Netscape 7.2 version. It is based on Mozilla and is the second most popular Web browser on the WWW.

*Opera: A Norwegian Web browser used for small devices such as Palm Pilot computers or cell phones with online access.

Check it Out!

Before you begin promoting your website, check it out on each of the browsers mentioned above to be sure others see your web pages the way you want them to see it. Look for “scroll” across bars at the bottom of your web pages to be sure the page size is not too large. Check your graphics, page loading time and the overall layout of your web pages. One browser might show your website one way while another is total opposite. It’s better to be safe than sorry later. You can lose a lot of business if hundreds or thousands of people are unable to view your website correctly.