When we are developing websites for our clients we are not just creating a site that looks and feels great. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure the site can be viewed no matter if it’s Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox or Opera. Here are 3 helpful steps to take to make sure your site will work in all browsers.

1. Validate the Page

The first thing you should always do when you create a new site is put in the DOCTYPE validator into the top of any page. What this does is tells the browser what kind of markup to render the page in. Most newer browsers can guess how to show the site if the Doctype validator is mistyped or non-existent. Although,  those browsers on devices with limited memory like phones  will not display as well without a correct validator.

To get a list of different DOCTYPE validators go to www.w3.org. If you are developing the website in Dreamweaver it will insert the following code automatically every time you start a new blank HTML page.

2. Test it in all Browsers

I make sure to test the site in all the most popular browsers before I make the site go live – just to make sure it displays correctly. Every browser has it’s nuances with how it formats different code types. With all these different browsers come different versions, and the headaches begin! There are many sites like Browsercam.com; that allow you see how your site will look in different browsers on different operating systems.

It’s also useful to know which browser versions people are using. To find the most up to date statistics on browser usage see: www.w3schools.com.

Don’t forget about Flash! When I am creating a new Flash Video FLV file it gives me the option to select which versions of Flash I want the FLV to work in. Having it compatible for older versions of Flash will allow more people to see it but will limit the functions that newer versions can format. For example to make the FLV viewable in full screen mode needs at least version 9.0 to work. Those without that version or newer will not allow that video to be viewed in that mode.

3. Make the corrections

Once you find an offending piece of code you will want to search the Internet for tutorials and forums that will help you solve your problems. You can find useful help on common problems with cross browser compatibility at westciv.com.