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September 2008

Google Chrome and Internet Explorer 8

A lot of people get excited when new internet browsers are launched, and the release of beta versions of Google Chrome and Internet Explorer has been no exception. Both Google and Microsoft have high hopes of improving the 'user experience' (albeit it following two very different approaches).

Google's Chrome is a real attempt to break away from the standard browser features 'arms race' and hand more power to the user. Some people have dubbed it the 'operating system in a window': a clever approach from someone as keen to deliver applications over the internet as Google are. And who is the application market currently 'owned' by? Microsoft, of course: so it will be interesting to see how the battle for market share shapes up.

So what difference will it make to a company launching a website? Well, although Google's Chrome has some very nice features, it will take a long time to grow market share and unless it can grab a huge share of the market, we can't see the point of developing your website specifically to take advantage of it. When it comes to browsers your customers are an amazingly conservative bunch; according to www.w3schools.com 24.5% of the market are still using Internet Explorer 6, first launched in August 2001!

And what difference will it make to us? Well, more testing to ensure that your website looks as it should and works effectively for the biggest possible number of internet users - your potential customers.

Financial meltdown? MARKET your website!

The current chaos in finance markets is bound to further put the brakes on both consumer and business spending (whether for valid reasons or not). Now is the time to ensure that your website is properly marketed online. But what does this involve? Some web developers would tell you to write some 'metatags' and pay to submit your website to various search engines on a regular basis; but unfortunately that would be like having a whip-round at the office to see if you could bail out HBOS.

Marketing your website online is a slow and involved process. After thorough planning (including thinking about consumer behaviour and your competitors) it starts with optimising your site to ensure that search engines can make the most of the content contained on it (Search Engine Optimisation), and then progresses to marketing your website on the web through techniques such as link building and Pay Per Click campaigns on the likes of Google AdWords (Search Engine Marketing). You may also want to consider your presence on social networking sites with some Social Media Optimisation (SMO).

Not all stages of the optimisation process are appropriate to all businesses, but if you simply ignore the need to market your website online you could find yourself going the way of Lehman Brothers: another casualty of the current market downturn.