Bossman dropped off the latest issue of "Maximum PC" at my desk early last week (the October 2007 issue or Volume 12 Number 10 for those of you keeping track at home). Between he and I, we manage to put in our fair share of reading in a single month... at least in terms of search marketing, general marketing, web design, graphic design, Internet, and technology related blogs, magazines, and books.

In this issue I came across a tiny clipping titled "Firefox Closes in on IE". I've always had an interest in the "browser wars", as it's commonly referred to as, and have often wondered if Firefox would be the browser that would ultimately knock IE off its throne... or at least give it a run for its money (and we're talking Bill Gate's Microsoft IE so you know that's going to be a hell of a jog). The clipping stated:

In the short amount of time that Firefox has been available for free download; it's been able to do what no other browser has been able to do... compete head-to head and toe-to-toe with the Microsoft's IE. Think about that for a second. Firefox owns 30% to 40% of the European browser market... what a truly remarkable feet. I'm not exactly sure what Firefox's current share is in the US market, but I'd imagine those numbers have also risen in recent months.

So... what does this mean to you website owners, designers, and marketers? Well as Firefox's popularity and overall public usage continues to grow, you'll all be responsible for ensuring that your work remains in perspective with your Internet audience... even if that means developing and optimizing websites with the Firefox browser in mind.

Just for kicks, I gave my website's stats a once over and found some pretty interesting details about my visitors and their choice of browsers. Near 45% of my website's visitors use Firefox. Granted, I blog in a technology-based industry where using Firefox is widely more accepted and common, but I still think that's a good representation of the kind of numbers we can expect to see in coming years from Firefox and other industries.

Is your website optimized for the Firefox browser? What percentage of visitors / readers / leads / clients / customers are you loosing on the account that its not?