Modern websites are built to cater to all types of platforms, browsers, and devices. Thanks to the abilities of these devices, browsers, and operating systems, websites built using a single code base can be operated across multiple environments.
This makes cross-browser, and cross-platform compatibility much easier to integrate. However, despite all the strides web developers have made in this regard, it often gets a bit difficult to cater to Apple’s Safari browsers. And thus comes the need to optimize the sites for Apple browsers and devices separately.
Apple’s Safari is sadly one of the slowest web browsers in the world right now. Many even claim that it is set to become the new Internet Explorer, which is one of the worst possible things to say about a web browser. It is easy to see that Apple has a lot of work to do in this department.
In the meantime, you will have to put some effort from your end to optimize your website for the Safari browser. After all, millions use Apple products, and the Safari browser is usually their default gateway to your website.
With that in mind, here are a few things you must ensure to build and optimize your website for the Safari web browser.
Start with the Web Standards
It should not come to you as a surprise that Apple expects you to follow all the standards set by W3C when it comes to making websites. Apple makes this clear on the “developers” section of their website.
You have to first make sure you are using the latest versions of HTML, CSS, and other standards so that the latest Safari browser is efficient, has no trouble interpreting your website, and its users do not have to suffer.
Responsive Design
Using a framework like Bootstrap will usually take care of the responsiveness for your website. However, sometimes, you have to do a bit of the work by yourself as well.
Responsiveness is one of the most important factors in web design that ensures user-friendliness, and ease of accessibility. Given how Apple brings out at least three or four new devices (Macbooks, iPhones, and iPads) every year, it can get a bit difficult to match the ever-changing standards. Standard screen sizes can be difficult to keep up with, which is why you will have to make adjustments for specific device sizes.
So if you are using Bootstrap, you have to write additional media queries that include Apple devices of all sizes. And as long as Apple does not decide to release a foldable iPhone, doing so will help optimize your website for Safari browsers across all Apple platforms.
Choose Your APIs Wisely
When you use an API with huge data utilization necessities, make sure it uses a server that can handle large volumes of data and does not affect the client-side experience whenever the user requests its services.
APIs tend to use up a lot of resources, especially when they are working with large data sets. Be it Safari or Chrome, this can slow down the browsing experience. APIs are there to smoothen the experience for your users. So if they end up slowing things down, that is not going to look good for you.
Ideally, you should opt for an API with dedicated servers, like Tomorrow.io for instance. Despite using huge data sets for weather-related information, the API still manages to have zero to little impact on the websites it is used in.
Compress Images
Safari is slow as it is, and you do not want to make it respond any slower by using heavy images. Even when you do, make sure you are compressing them first. Optimize the images by using an image compressor. This is much easier to do with widgets in WordPress, but you can still do it on hard-coded websites too.
Compressing the images will increase the loading speed, thereby reducing the loading time of the website. Although a general rule for all websites, it is a must for Safari browsers, otherwise it can hamper the overall user experience.
And that is all you need to do for ensuring an optimized and user-friendly website for Safari browsers. Some of these points coincide with the basic principles of making a website in general, but that is how it should be. Safari may require some extra attention, but as long as you stick to the basics, you will be mostly fine.