Web Statistics and Browser Statistics
Ferguson Photography and Design includes a full evaluation of your website needs with our custom design sites, basic / template sites and site updates. So, if the following statistics are confusing or intimidating, you should just ignore them and let us do the worrying! The statistics are presented here for the generally curious and the slightly "geeky".
When designing a site, it is important to determine how your customers will use and view your site. Will your customers be using smaller or older computers with low resolution monitors? If so, using a wide site design will frustrate them as they continually have to scroll left and right while reading. Will your customers be using newer high resolution screens and modern computers? If so, using a narrow site design that only fills a small percentage of their screen may look "unimpressive". Will your customers be visiting your site from work or secure areas where javascript and/or Flash may be block for security reasons? What browsers will your viewers be using? Usage statistics give us the answers.
Here are some statistics on USA and Canadian web use and browsers choice to help you decide how to best use the web and plan your website. These are "general" statistics, averaged from a number of sources for the year 2010. Always take into account what your customers need and want. There is no "one right answer" in the charts and usage statistics below. A client building a site for a medical office serving low income customers should come to very different conclusion than a client offering architecture services in Beverly Hills!
Our studio is located in Simi Valley (northwest Los Angeles). Please contact us at 805-577-6914 or use our .
Monitor Width in Pixels |
Percentage of Web Viewers | |
| 1600 or wider | 16% | |
| 1440 | 10% | |
| 1280 | 44% | |
| 1024 | 24% | |
| 800 | 2% | |
| 640 | 1% | |
| Unknown | 3% |
Screen Resolution Statistics
Everything on the web is measured in pixels, rather than inches. Our site is 970 pixels wide and will be "about" 10.5 inches wide on "most" screens. However, if the viewer chooses to alter their screen resolution (System Preferences on a Mac, Control Panels on a PC) then this site may be 7 inches wide or 14 inches wide. It is the viewer's decision, not the website owner's decision!
The issue with a website's width is the "horizontal scroll bar". If a site has more pixels of width than the viewer's screen, the viewer will not see the full width of your website. The viewer then has to constantly scroll left and right to even read a sentence. Customers get tired and frustrated, then they often leave the website.
The resolution statistics chart shows how general web users have their monitors set. Our site is 970 pixels wide, so its width will fit into the top four sizes (everything 1024 wide and larger). That means that 94% or more of the general web public can use this site without a horizontal scroll bar.
Custom designed websites will be made any width the client would like.
A note for the truly "geeky": We don't build sites exactly as wide as the user's monitor. For example, our site is 970 pixels wide to fit screens 1024 pixels or wider. That is to allow for the space used by the viewer's browser window and vertical scroll bar. Viewers are very accepting of vertical scroll bars (usually seen to the right of a website), it is the horizontal one that annoys viewers (usually seen under a website).
Browser |
Percentage of Web Viewers | |
| Internet Explorer 8.X | 32% | |
| Internet Explorer 7.X | 11% | |
| Internet Explorer 6.X | 5% | |
| FireFox | 27% | |
| Chrome | 12% | |
| Safari | 11% | |
| Opera | 1% | |
| Other/Unknown | 1% |
Browsers Usage Statistics
Web browsers are what your clients use to view websites. The issue while designing a website is that different browsers will read identical page code and display differing results.
Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" is the most popular browser, primarily because it comes free and preloaded with almost all PC computers. Internet Explorer is a PC only browser, there is no current Mac version. Internet Explorer is not the best browser out there (in our opinion) and it has a significant number of idiosyncrasies that do not conform to the W3C's official coding guidelines. However, 48% or more of the general web public uses some version of Microsoft's browsers. It is, obviously, very important to make sure a site works correctly in Internet Explorer.
FireFox is an alternative browser that is quickly gaining in popularity. It is more popular amongst enthusiasts and consumers than in corporate workplaces. It is also available free, but you have to download and install it (unlike Internet Explorer which comes preloaded on most PCs). FireFox is available for both Mac and PC. Because it is far more conforming to the W3C's official coding guidelines, this browser tends to have far fewer idiosyncrasies. With 27% or more of the general web public using the Firefox browser, it is important to test all websites in FireFox. For more info, or to download a free copy of FireFox, visit the FireFox site.
As a matter of interest, in Europe Firefox has an equal share of the market compared to Microsoft. In Germany and Austria Firefox is now the leading browser.
Safari, Opera and Chrome are the three less popular browsers. Safari is a very nice browser and is reasonable conforming to the W3C's official coding guidelines. Safari comes preloaded on all Mac computers, but is also available as a free download for PC users. Opera and Chrome are also Mac and/or PC browsers available for free download. Because 24% or more of the general web public use these browsers, all sites designed or updated by Ferguson Photography and Design are tested in them as well.
Please remember that these are statistics for 2010: we expect Internet Explorer 8, FireFox, Chrome and Safari to increase while Internet Explorer 6&7 decrease during 2010. We will probably see Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 release this year.
Flash Version |
Percentage of Web Viewers | |
| 10.X | 97.5% | |
| 9.X | 0.8% | |
| 8.X | 0.7% | |
| Unable to Play Flash | 1% |
Flash Statistics
Flash is the most popular method of presenting animation, motion and video on the web. Flash files tend to be large, which means they load slowly. If overused, Flash can frustrate the viewer. A small percentage (about 1%) of the computers viewing the web can't display Flash files. Used in moderation, Flash adds a lot of "fun" to a site. Used in moderation, your page will still be usable to those few viewers without Flash. You can see some flash samples here (and also see if your computer is set up to read Flash).
The Flash plugin comes free and preloaded with most browsers and asks permission to update itself (for free) when a new version is available. For those reasons, almost all computers will play a Flash file. Notice that 97.5% of the general web public has the most up to date version available.
Flash is a poor choice for sites that will viewed on cell phones, iPads or mobile devices. Most web enabled cell phones will not display flash. The phones that can display flash will do so quite slowly. Apple iPhones and iPads do not display Flash at all.
Most of the Flash work done at Ferguson Photography and Design is coded to play in Flash version 8 or later. So, 99% of the public are able to view these animation, motion and video files.
The 1% of the computer based web public unable to view Flash fall into two primary categories:
1) Users of slower phone modems. Flash tends to be high bandwidth, so some phone modem users turn it off.
2) High security situations, there is a (mostly unfounded) concern that Flash could transfer viruses.
Javascript |
Percentage of Web Viewers | |
| Enabled | 96% | |
| Unknown or Turned Off | 4% |
Javascript Statistics
Javascript is a programming language that Ferguson Photography and Design uses on most websites to add some interesting functionality. Go to the top of this page and mouse your curser over the "Web Design" navigation link, it will turn dark gray. Javascript is creating a drop down menu of the options for that category (Over View, Planning, Types, Names, Hosting) appearing below the button.
96% or more of the general web public runs javascript on their browsers. But, 4% or less of the public has it turned off. Usually this is due to security concerns. When Ferguson Photography and Design uses javascript we always try and insert coding to allow the non-users a viable option. For example, the non javascript user will still see and be able to use the navigation on this page. However, they will see all of the buttons slighly off-center (to the left). Without javascript the buttons can't self center, but do remain fully functional. Because we use javascript to hide our email address from spammers, our email links also will be replaced.
If you are web browsing with FireFox, it is easy to see what the non javascript users see. Go to Preferences, then Content, then un-check "Enable Javascript", then close the preferences. You will need to reload the current page for the changes to take effect (reload is the circle arrow often just to the side of the address window). Please make sure to turn it back on when you are done exploring!
A note for the truly "geeky": Javascript and Java are two separate programming languages.
Operating System |
Percentage of Web Viewers | |
| Windows 7 | 26.0% | |
| Windows XP | 34.0% | |
| Windows Vista | 22% | |
| Mac OSX | 15% | |
| Linux | 1.2% | |
| Windows 2000 or Older | 1.1% | |
| Other / Unknown | 0.7% |
Operating Systems Statistics
These statistics are more a matter of interest than concern. All sites at Ferguson Photography and Design are tested on both Windows and Mac OSX.
Please remember that these are statistics for all of 2010, during 2010 we would expect Widows 7 and Mac OSX to increase while Windows XP, Vista and 2000 decrease.
