There are hundreds of web browsers in use around the world, each making use of W3C document standards in a slightly different way. As a result, web designers fight with making their websites work properly in the various browsers.
Of course, it is impossible to make your web page design work properly in all the different browsers because they all implement W3C document standards differently. But it’s a good idea to make your web design work properly in the top browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera.
Each browser implements JavaScript, HTML, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) slightly differently. Some of the differences are just cosmetic but other difference can actually break the page so that it does not load.
So what can you do in your web design process to make your site most accessible on the most number of browsers. Of course, you can’t be 100% compatible but it is possible for you to design your site so it works properly on the top browsers that we already mentioned. Conforming is a real challenge and will stop you from using some of the neater functionality and effects. Take advantage of online code validators to validate your HTML code, CSS, and also your links. It will check your code based on your web page doctype.
There are some problems with compatibility unless you actually hand code your HTML. The best choice is Dreamweaver for the highest compatibility; however, you won’t be able to use layers. FrontPage earns the distinction of being the worst choice because it uses Microsoft so it codes to Internet Explorer.
Many web designers find the combination of tables and style sheets works best to ensure web pages look good in the most number of browsers. It’s a good idea to always test your web pages in the most popular browsers before you go live. After all, you want the largest number of visitors to be able to view your site in the manner your web design was meant to view it.