Your browser isn’t as fast as it could be, and you want your web browsing experience to run smoother than it has been running. Fortunately, you can improve your internet experience by optimizing your browser function. This means optimizing more than just the browser itself.
Shop Around for the Best Browser for You, and Keep it Updated
The web browser that your computer came installed with may not be the browser out there that best suits your needs. You can shop around for different browsers (all of the popular ones are free), test them out and choose whichever browser you like best. The most common browsers around today are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safari and Opera Software’s Opera. So far, you have less choice in which browser you can use on mobile devices, but that will change. Once you’ve chosen your favorite browser, it will run best if you always keep it updated to the latest version. You might one to keep multiple browsers on your computer if you’re unsure which is your favorite yet, or just in case one them gets buggy.
Optimize Your Computer to Optimize Your Browser
If your browser is still slow or otherwise unsatisfactory, you’ll be able to improve performance further by optimizing background elements that might be slowing things down. Your browser runs on your computer’s operating system, or OS, so you want to keep your OS constantly updated just as you keep your browser updated. You’re using your browser to browse the internet, so your internet connection speed is another important factor in the performance of your browser. Speed up your internet by upgrading to a better connection or by avoiding doing too much downloading or uploading all at once. Further in the background, both your browser and your OS are running on the computer itself. Keep your computer hardware well-maintained and upgraded and replaced when necessary to provide the best background environment for a smoothly running web browser.
Defend Your Browser Against Malicious Software
Your browser is also vulnerable to attacks from malicious software, like viruses, malware and spyware. Spyware is particularly pernicious to smooth browser operation because it runs stealthily in the background of your computer’s operations, collecting your personal information and slowing down your browser and the rest of your computer without your knowledge. Other examples of security threats to your web browsing include web bugs that violate your online privacy, adware that delivers you ads whether you want them or not and trojans that wrest control over your computer from you for nefarious purposes. Protect your browser against these attacks by installing and updating anti-malware and anti-virus software, and use a firewall application. Your browser will also have some built-in security features, so don’t disable them unless you have a very good reason to do so. Security is another reason to make sure that your browser is always updated to the latest version, since browsers must constantly defend against new sorts of malicious software attacks.
