The latest statistics on browser preference have arrived.

According to w3schools.com, Google Chrome has earned the healthiest market share between December 2012 and December 2013. In fact, it has been gaining popularity since 2011, when it ran virtually neck-and-neck with Firefox. Internet Explorer (IE), Safari and Opera are still being used, but Safari and Opera fall well behind the top three — Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Chrome was first launched in 2008, so it has come a long way in just five years. Back in 2002, IE led the pack with 83.4 percent usage. Now, the numbers for 2013 show Chrome out in the lead with 55.8 percent usage, and Firefox following with 26.8 percent. Internet Explorer, which now looks like it might vanish entirely, only attracts 9 percent of users (quite a significant drop from 83.4 percent in 2002).

What does this data mean for your law firm? It tells your marketing team which browsers are used most often to access your website, useful information when designing something new or making any changes.

While the world is shifting away from Internet Explorer to Chrome, visitors on law firm websites are more slowly adapting. Most law firms are seeing a split of 25% FireFox and 25% Chrome with 40% viewing the site with Internet Explorer and the remainder using Opera, Safari, or an unknown browser. Internet Explorer represents less than half of most visitors but people searching for a lawyer represent IE usage far greater than the internet population as a whole.

Of course that is an average based on all lawyer websites within SEO | Law Firm's portfolio and your individual browser statistics may vary. Keep track of what happens on your website. Watch for trends. Your analytics show you who is accessing your site and which browsers which is helpful when considering more advance design elements.