On March 14, 2011, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9 (IE9). The look and feel changed with the information bar moving to the bottom of the browser and the search bar being integrated into the address bar. But overall, the change in user functionality is what affected add-ons the most. This change also created a very different experience for the user in terms of what they have to do to use add-ons after they install them.

IE9 asks for the user’s consent to enable newly installed add-ons, instead of automatically enabling them from the start:

IE9 Asks for User Consent to Enable Add-ons

When the user clicks Enable, they are shown this screen:

User Must Now Enable Add-Ons

This could lessen the chance of the user actually being able to use the add-on that they installed. They may click Don’t enable or they may just X out of the message completely because they don’t understand what it is or they are annoyed by the messaging.

IE9 also gives the user information on what is slowing down their browser and messages them on a regular basis asking them to speed up their browser by disabling add-ons:

Users Asked to Disable Add-Ons to Speed Up Startup

When the user clicks Disable add-ons, they are shown this screen:

Screen Shown to User When They Click Disable Add-ons

If the add-ons the user has installed and enabled total a load time of more than .2 seconds, the add-ons will show up on this list and the user may choose to disable them. This new functionality helps speed up the user’s browser, but it can also cause the user to want to uninstall all add-ons listed whether or not they really contribute to slowing down their browser.

On November 8, 2011, Mozilla released Firefox 8 (FF8).   This new version adds a new confirmation prompt for add-ons.  This prompt is different depending on whether or not the add-on is installed via an XPI or an EXE.

When an add-on is installed via an XPI, FF8 displays a modal dialog box with an Install Now button:

Modal Dialog Box with an Install Now Button

The user has to click Install Now to enable the add-on(s).  If they click cancel, the add-on(s) will not be enabled for use.

When an add-on is installed via an EXE, FF8 opens a new tab with a checkbox confirmation screen:

Add-on Installed via EXE, FF8 Opens Checkbox Confirmation Screen

By default, the checkbox is not checked, so the user has to check the box next to Allow this installation and then click Continue to be able to use the add-on.  If the user doesn’t check the box and clicks Continue, the add-on will not be enabled.

With the changes these new browser versions bring, it seems that the ultimate goal is speed. Each browser wants to be the fastest. These changes can be seen as both positive and negative for users.  As a positive, users may have a faster browser and not have to wait as long for load times.  As a negative, they have to take additional steps to “enable” add-ons that they have already agreed to install and in some cases, they have agreed multiple times through certain processes that confirm the user is installing what they want to install.

These changes can also be seen as both negative and somewhat positive for add-on developers. As a negative, these changes make it harder for an add-on developer because users have to take additional steps to be able to actually interact with their add-ons.  As a positive, with survival becoming harder and harder for add-ons, it encourages developers to make sure their add-on has a fast load time and it creates enough value so the user will want to take the necessary steps to enable the add-on for use.  However, even with those changes, it doesn’t ensure that the user will “enable” their add-on.  Another alternative for add-on developers might be exploring the options of building out a desktop version of the add-on so the application isn’t affected by any of these changes.

Overall, sometimes change is good and sometimes it’s not so good.  As things change though, we have to roll with those changes and allow ourselves to make the best of them.  We will just have to wait and see what comes next! Do you have any tactics to deal with browser changes?  If so, add them to the comments.

Nicole Virnig, Account Development Manager, W3i, LLC
Nicole focuses on growing W3i business relationships, making sure the  client has what they need to make them successful. If they aren’t  happy, she isn’t happy.

Know the Market

It used to be that Internet Explorer was by far the dominant web browser, but these days several other browsers such as Firefox and Chrome have increased market share significantly. Statistics vary and you may find different results depending on your audience, but the top 3 browsers are growing closer in market share, as Internet Explorer continues to lose users to Firefox, Chrome and even Safari. In October, 2011, technology site ars technica recently reported that Internet Explorer dropped below the 50% mark across all operating systems.

Browser Stats According to ars technica

Other sites such as w3schools.com  and Wikipedia give Internet Explorer an even smaller share so it is a good idea to track and monitor which browsers are more common among your users. A low reading with a particular browser can also indicate a problem with your add-on.

Usage is even more splintered when taking browser version into account. Internet Explorer remains split between the last 4 major versions while Firefox is even more spread out.  By contrast, most Chrome users are using the latest version because Chrome updates automatically.

Some of the top browser makers are increasing the frequency of updates. Mozilla announced earlier this year that it will move to a rapid release cycle, with new versions coming every 6 weeks. This is similar to Google’s release cycle for
Chrome. Meanwhile Microsoft appears to be sticking with a longer release cycle for Internet Explorer, with version 10 expected early in 2012.

Recent Browser Changes

Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 8 both introduced new confirmation prompts when add-ons are installed. This change raises a barrier for add-on distributors such as W3i’s InstallIQ. Although users go through the process and consent to install an add-on, they must consent again to accept the add-on the next time they use their browser.

IE9 displays an information bar at the bottom of the screen, and it may not be apparent to the user that it is there. Some users may miss it and after a few times IE will stop showing the bar and simply disable the add-ons. IE9 also added an Add-on Performance Advisor, which alerts the user when add-on load times exceed a certain threshold.

New Add-On Confirmation bar in IE 9

Firefox 8 has two types of add-on confirmation depending on how the add-on is installed. If you install your add-on using the common method of copying files into the Firefox extensions folder, then the confirmation prompt will open in a new tab when the browser is restarted. This prompt includes a checkbox which is unchecked by default, and is easily skipped by the user. Even worse, if multiple add-ons have been installed, Firefox will open multiple tabs, but as soon as one add-on is accepted, Firefox prompts the user to restart. Upon restarting, Firefox loses the other pending add-ons. This is a
significant barrier to installation processes that may install more than one add-on, such as InstallIQ.

New Checkbox Confirmation Tab in Firefox 8

Fortunately there is another method you can use, which should yield a higher rate of add-on enablement. You can package your add-on in an XPI file and install it on the Firefox command line. An XPI file is a Zip file containing the add-on components and an XML manifest. When add-ons are installed using the XPI method, Firefox displays a modal dialog with an “Install Now” button which is much more likely to be accepted by the user. In addition, multiple add-ons can be combined into a single install, with a single prompt to enable all of them.

New Add-on Confirmation in Firefox 8 for Add-Ons Distributed via XPI

InstallIQ now requires add-on partners to package their add-ons in XPI files so we can better manage the installation process. InstallIQ will automatically combine multiple XPI’s and install them by launching Firefox.

Looking Ahead

With browser updates coming at a faster rate and add-on installations becoming increasingly difficult for the user, it is important to keep an eye on forthcoming changes and be prepared to adjust your products.  Mozilla makes future Firefox releases available as they are being developed. They have a Beta channel for the next scheduled release, and the Aurora channel for changes that are further out.

Similarly, Google has multiple release channels which you can install for various platforms.

Meanwhile Microsoft is providing a preview of Internet Explorer 10. Microsoft has said that the Metro version of IE10 will not allow any add-ons, although the desktop version will.

Regardless of the nature of your add-on, it is more important than ever to streamline your development process and be ready to quickly make changes to adapt to the ever-changing browser platform.

Bill Zitomer, Software
Development Team Lead, W3i, LLC

Bill uses his over twenty years’ experience to build W3i’s core desktop products as well as back-end technologies.

A great opportunity for add-on partners is to ensure compatibility on all browsers/browser versions. In addition to providing new opportunities, expanding into all browsers presents new challenges.  Being proactive about browser releases and ensuring compatibility is essential for remaining competitive in the browser add-on marketplace.  This is no easy task when looking at the release schedule for the leading browsers:

Chrome-
Automatically releases updates every 6 weeks.

Firefox-
Increased releases to every 4-6 weeks, now Firefox 8 is believed to automatically upgrade the user to this latest version once the user opens their (more…)

How Do You Compare to the Top 10 Publishers in W3i’s Application Network?  Most often, application publishers only compare themselves to close competition, but what about the others?

The following is a list of the key characteristics the top 10 application publishers possess within W3i’s Application Network:

• Variety of content- Four applications on average
• Ability to purchase traffic in multiple countries
• Back-end monetization strategies
• Diversified traffic portfolio
• High demand applications in high demand verticals such as utilities, music, and video
• Quality content- SEM, SEO, and product optimization for improved user experience and conversion
• Avid performance monitoring with a strategic outlook

These characteristics have proven to be effective for app marketing success in and out of the W3i network.  They are just some of the many thnings that can be of significant value when trying to maximize your application and grow your business.

W3i works with multiple publishers across all verticals and has more than 10 years of experience helping publishers market and monetize their applications.  If you have an interesting application and you would like to learn more about how W3i can help you, email W3i at info@w3i.com.

Nicole Virnig, Account Development Manager, W3i, LLC
Nicole focuses on growing W3i business relationships, making sure the client has what they need to help them be successful. If they aren’t happy, she isn’t happy.

Cookie viewers in browsers

Most websites uses cookies to store some kind of information on a user’s machine. For developers, it is important to see what their cookie looks like while testing a web application. There are various things that they need to look at. Cookie expiry date for one as it is not a good practice to leave you cookies hanging around on the user’s machine forever. Here’s a look at popular browsers.

Firefox (3.6.12)

Cookie Dialog

Need to go through one dialog window before you can see the Cookie dialog. The dialog has a search box on top, Cookie list in the middle and Cookie detail panel at the bottom. The controls are intuitive. One could start using all features immediately. The window is resizable so you can see larger cookie contents and there is a separate area below the Cookie list which shows details of the cookie selected.

Features

Cookies are updated real-time as you visit new sites if you have the Cookie dialog up. The window automatically refreshes and you can be certain if the cookie you were looking for was set or not.

The search box on top searches as you type, so no need to hit return for every search. That reduces keystrokes and speeds up searching considerably, especially if you are not exactly sure what the cookie is called.

Different options of removing cookies are available.

• One click removal of any cookie
• One click removal of all cookies for a domain
• One click removal of all cookies for the browser

Comments

The first time you try to go to cookies, it can be confusing. Set it to Custom and it shows the Cookies button. Going forward, it remembers that you like to have Custom Settings.

Chrome (7.0.517.44)

Cookie Dialog

Need to go through two dialog windows before you can see the Cookie dialog. The Cookie dialog itself is similar to Firefox. Controls are logically laid out in a simple style. Although It could be more readable if the font was black in Cookie details. It is dark grey text on light grey background.

Features

Unlike Firefox, Cookies are not updated real-time. If you have the dialog up, every time a cookie gets set, you’ll need to close the dialog, go back and start it again. Alternatively, you can go to the search box and type the name of the domain that just set the cookie. This will refresh the Cookie list and you will see any new Cookies.

The search feature is the same as Firefox too; searches instantly as you type.

Different options of removing cookies are available.

• One click removal of any cookie
• One click removal of all cookies for a domain
• One click removal of all cookies for the browser

Comments

Don’t understand the need to show a “Cookies” folder under each domain.  May be it has something to do with the way Chrome stores cookies, but still, you don’t have to “show” it to me. It is only eating up display area. All cookies for that domain listed right under the domain makes most sense.

Safari (5.0.3 (7533.19.4))

Cookie Dialog

Need to go through one dialog window before you can see the Cookie dialog with a similar look and feel to Firefox. Windows however are not resizable to see larger cookie contents. The problem is that there is no separate viewing area. The cookie and all its details are shown in one line in a fixed size window. You can resize the column widths to see some more of the contents.

Features

Like Chrome, Cookies are not updated real-time. If you have the Cookie dialog up, every time a cookie gets set, you’ll need to restart. Alternatively, you can go to the search box and type the name of the domain that just set the cookie. This will refresh the Cookie list and you will see the new Cookies, if any.

The search feature is the same as Chrome too; searches instantly as you type.

Different options of removing cookies are available.

• One click removal of selected cookie
• One click removal of all cookies for a domain is not available as Safari does not group Cookies by domain
• One click removal of all cookies for the browser

Comments

Deleting cookies seems to be a buggy operation. Admittedly I don’t use safari much but once I clicked on Delete All to test for this blog, Safari crashed.

IE (8.0.7600.16385)

Cookie Dialog

There is no Cookie Dialog. Need to go through one window before you can see the Delete Browsing History dialog, which can be used to delete all Cookies. Check the “Cookies” box on this dialog and click Delete. You can also delete other browsing history if you want from this window.

Features

IE8 added Developer Tools to the browser which can be brought up with keyboard shortcut “F12” when you have IE8 window in focus. On the window that pops up, go to Cache menu and you can see options to View Cookie Information, Clear Session Cookies and Clear Cookies for Domain. View Cookies option shows all cookies on a new tab in the IE8 browser. So you cannot select one cookie and remove it.

Comments

If you want, you can go to the location where IE8 stores Cookies (Tools -> Internal Options -> General Tab -> Browsing History Settings -> View Files) and delete the “right” files as it stores other temporary files in there too. Good luck with that.

This is part two of a three part series unpacking data from inside the W3i network, offering insights on browser use, browsing habits and engagement factors. In Part one, we identified state by state browser usage between Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Default Browser Use

Internet Explorer has the default browser world pretty locked up. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering IE is the default on Windows machines. W3i data shows that of Firefox browser users, 81.60% have Firefox set as their default browsers and Chrome retains about 75.84% as default compared to Internet Explorer active users where about 65.62% maintain IE as a default

Locking in the default browser setting is key to winning and retaining the crown in the browser war.

Changing Tide?

While it may seem intuitive that IE would hold the title of Default Browser King, Firefox continues to show its viability. In mid-summer 2010, IBM mandated it’s nearly 400,000 employees have Firefox as their default browser. Bob Sutor, Vice President of Open Source and Linux at IBM’s Software group said in a blog post about the mandate that “While other browsers have come and gone, Firefox is now the gold standard for what an open, secure, and standards-compliant browser should be.” It would follow, that there is an indication that Firefox continues to gain ground. The IBM announcement came around the time that IE reversed a year-long slide in usage also indicating the fickleness of the market.

Meanwhile, in the world of tech

There is one market segment that seems to be a black sheep in the browser family. Business Insider released numbers that indicate in the tech set, Google Chrome has surpassed Firefox now owning 34% market share of a tech savvy niche market(note* this is active use, not default browser settings). That eclipse happened this fall and also serves as an indicator that consumers’ browsing habits are a rich world of variation.

Final Thoughts

What the data shows is a rich world of browser preference based on market segment. For broad use, Internet Explorer still reigns supreme. However, both Firefox and Chrome are proving their ability to move the needle and that they are worth a review when developing add-ons, applications and toolbars. Both Firefox and Chrome retain high default usage among their active browser users.

In our final installment of The Browser Wars series we’ll take a look at user retention and engagement through add-ons, toolbars and applications based on browser use and identify which browser has highly engaged users when it comes to using enhanced features.

All this week we’ll be digging into the W3i data mine providing research pertaining to browser use and browsing habits of users based on browser and how all this data plays into increasing market awareness for brands looking to utilize desktop tool bars or add-ons. We’ll end the week unpacking user engagement trends on two top browsers, Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Not shockingly, Internet Explorer continues to hold a strong market share across the United States. What is interesting is the statistical differences in outliers like Minnesota where IE’s share is only 50%. What the data indicates are weak spots in the IE market that Firefox can work to erode increasing their own share there. In southern states, IE holds a slight, yet consistently higher market share than in coastal states.

For Firefox to gain ground it looks like their best bet is to tap into the markets that provide outliers and expand strategy from there to neighboring states and regions.

These numbers aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Internet Explorer is the most used browser, but data shows an interesting trend in default browser settings, and even more interesting, the browsing habits of consumers using the two.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the Default Browser Setting battle in The Browser Wars, Part two.

For now, what do you feel are contributing factors to browser selection and use, sound off below on that question or anything else brought up in Part 1.

This article was written for app developers seeking distribution, however, if you have a website and would like to promote W3i’s applications, go to W3i’s affiliate sign-up form.

Pay Per Install Programs for All Platforms

Every market leading platform, including iPhone, Facebook, Windows, and even Internet Explorer toolbars, has at least one vendor who will sell a consumer app developer installs on a pay per install or pay per download basis.

Cross Promotion Typically the Method Powering Pay Per Install Programs

Most of the pay per install networks utilize some method of cross promotion to drive additional installs while users are installing or interacting with another app.

What Other Distribution Channels Don’t Want You to Know About Pay Per Install Programs

So, how do these pay per install networks, like W3i’s Application Network for Windows apps, iOS apps and browser add-ons, compare in cost to other channels for app distribution such as search, display, affiliate, and OEM?

To answer this question, I had W3i’s Media Buyers examine past campaign performance across these difference channels and tallied up our effective cost per install by channel. The following bar graph is based upon the actual campaign performance which was achieved.

Pay Per Install Programs the Lowest Cost Alternative

As you can see from W3i’s campaign results, pay per install programs can create a meaningful distribution channel while lowering an app developers costs by often as much as one third the cost of other alternatives!

Many app developers have tried search and affiliate programs to promote their app because they are more widely recognized tactics, but have failed to launch and optimize their apps for low cost pay per install networks.

Ask About Compliance & Review the User Experience

Make sure you ask your pay per install program how they adhere to industry best practices, and what care they take in establishing a valued user experience. The engine that powers W3i’s Application Network, InstallIQ, has received the Truste Trusted Download certification and is white listed by Truste.

Get your App on a Pay Per Install Program

Whether you have an iPhone app, a Facebook game, a Windows application, or a browser toolbar, contact W3i to learn how you can launch and optimize your app using W3i’s pay per install network.

Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over ten, profitable years evolving W3i in the consumer application industry.

The Web has caused the adoption of software plug-ins to proliferate like never before. Millions of users have installed plug-ins and are now getting an experience different than the one contemplated by the original authoring software company. The following are a few examples of popular plug-ins that are leading this change:  

Browser Toolbars: Since coming into the scene, toolbars have taken the Internet world by storm. It was recently reported that over 50% of the web surfing world now has a browser toolbar installed. And boy, are toolbars impactful! According to ComScore, 11% of US searches are generated via toolbar searches. Everyone in the search business understands the impact of the browser toolbar; with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, and Ask all having meaningful entries into the market. The most popular toolbars are the general interest toolbars provided by these companies, which makes sense given the limited amount of real estate on the browser chrome itself.

Layer Applications: This is a newer phenomenon that your average interactive marketing professional hasn’t yet heard of, but this technology solves a real current user problem. Users are running out of space on their browser chrome due to the heavy marketing by the aforementioned browser toolbar players. A layer application is a browser add-on that creates virtual layers that can be edited to create the appearance of having made changes to the underlying website. The functionality is dependent on the website you visited and the layer application that you installed, and therefore doesn’t have to be present on each and every website a user visits. One good example of such an application comes from StumbleUpon, which modifies Google search results page with StumbleUpon’s discover shortcut, user ratings, etc. The key with StumbleUpon’s application is that it provides these additional features in addition to those available to all users who might be running web search with Google that didn’t have the plug-in installed. Another layer application, from a widely recognized communication player, was cited as generating over 5% of this company’s sales, from a credible source I recently spoke with. Based on the size of this communication company, the impact based on my estimate of the layer app, was in the multiple millions annually. These types of applications are no doubt going to have a very high impact for the software and internet media firms who take advantage of their capabilities.

Media Player Plug-ins: Lastly, I wanted to touch on some interesting other plug-ins, as plug-ins don’t simply have to be for the web browser. Several innovative firms have adapted plug-ins for the most common media players. Among my favorites are Soundcrank, which features hi-res album artwork, lyrics, and sharing features for its users. Another favorite is SoundSpectrum, which provides its users with advanced music visuals for iTunes and other popular music software. And the last media player plug-in I wanted to point out is iLike, which has more of a social networking flair. iLike provides concert information, music, and videos from your favorite artists.

If you haven’t considered how software plug-ins can support your software or interactive media strategy, please contact someone at W3i via info@W3i.com and we’d be happy to consult with you.Rob Weber, Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Rob is an Internet marketing pioneer with over eight, profitable years evolving W3i (owner of Freeze.com) in the Integrated Interactive Media industry.