{"id":7948,"date":"2025-12-23T17:55:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T01:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?p=7948"},"modified":"2025-12-23T17:55:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T01:55:35","slug":"the-curious-case-of-an-internet-explorer-11-visitor-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/7948\/the-curious-case-of-an-internet-explorer-11-visitor-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curious Case of an Internet Explorer 11 Visitor in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-1200x699.jpg\" alt=\"Website visitors, analytics, showing browsers used, including IE 11\" class=\"wp-image-7950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-1200x699.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-500x291.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-1536x895.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-150x87.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers-800x466.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/website-visitors-analytics-browsers.jpg 1557w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, (max-width: 1200px) 75vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s late 2025 &#8211; you\u2019d probably assume everyone browsing the web is on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=chrome\">Chrome<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=safari\">Safari<\/a>, Edge, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=firefox\">Firefox<\/a><\/strong>. And for the vast majority of sites, that <em>is<\/em> true. But recently we spotted a visitor using <strong>Internet Explorer 11<\/strong> &#8211; the last major version of \u201cIE\u201d &#8211; and it reminded us that <strong>even discontinued browsers aren\u2019t completely gone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this year, we shared how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/5837\/browsers-people-use-to-visit-your-website-and-the-surprise-visitor-we-got-this-week\/\">someone landed on our website using <strong>IE9<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; a browser from 2011! That visit was surprising. Today\u2019s appearance by <strong>IE11<\/strong> tells a similar story: legacy systems still lurk out there, and sometimes they show up in your analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Are People Still Using Internet Explorer (Especially IE11)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft officially <strong>ended support for Internet Explorer in 2022<\/strong>, and modern Windows versions no longer include it as a standalone browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some corporate or enterprise systems never got updated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some government or internal applications only work on older browsers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some legacy kiosks or locked-down machines keep IE as their browser.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some analytics hits might even be bots or scanners <em>emulating<\/em> IE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And some people just have kept IE on their computer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words: even discontinued software doesn\u2019t instantly disappear from the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>So What Do the Numbers Look Like Today?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In modern web traffic data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge dominate usage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Internet Explorer (all versions combined) usually represents <strong>well under 0.5%<\/strong> of visits &#8211; <em>tiny but real<\/em>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Your own analytics platform (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=google+analytics\">Google Analytics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=awstats\">AWStats<\/a>, etc.) can break this down for your site &#8211; so you can see <em>exactly<\/em> who\u2019s showing up and with what browsers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Should You Bother \u201cSupporting IE\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the practical answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>No &#8211; you should <em>not<\/em> spend development time actively optimizing for Internet Explorer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>IE11 and older versions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do <strong>not support modern web standards<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lack many CSS and JavaScript features<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=security+risks\">security risks<\/a> if relied on in internal systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add code complexity and testing overhead<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Most designers and developers have stopped testing for IE entirely because it simply doesn\u2019t represent meaningful traffic anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, it\u2019s better to design for <em>feature support<\/em> &#8211; and let users with outdated browsers enjoy what they can without breaking the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How UltimateWB Handles Visits from Old Browsers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\">UltimateWB<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Core pages still <strong>load and display content<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Navigation works even if some advanced features don\u2019t<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your site won\u2019t <em>completely break<\/em> just because someone is on an old browser<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You don\u2019t need polyfills or outdated hacks &#8211; UltimateWB\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=clean+code\">clean code<\/a> and ongoing updates handle compatibility gracefully<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a strength of a builder that focuses on <strong>standards-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=html\">HTML<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=css\">CSS<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=javascript\">JavaScript<\/a> and progressive enhancement<\/strong>, rather than browser-specific hacks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/features?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ultimatewb.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/7205\/how-clean-html-can-boost-your-seo-even-without-coding\/\">How Clean HTML Can Boost Your SEO (Even Without Coding)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What You <em>Should<\/em> Focus On Instead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than trying to make every feature work in Internet Explorer, focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Modern browsers<\/strong> that the vast majority of people use<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=responsive\">Responsive<\/a> design<\/strong> for mobile and tablet screens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Feature detection and graceful degradation<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=fast+load+times\">Fast load times<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?s=accessibility\">accessibility<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These improve the experience for almost all the <em>real users<\/em>, not tiny outliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeing an old browser like IE11 in your analytics might feel like a blast from the past &#8211; and it is! But it\u2019s also a reminder that the <em>real internet<\/em> is messy: some users are on old systems, internal networks can lag, and analytics can surface unexpected data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key for you as a site owner is simple:<br><strong>Know what your visitors are using &#8211; but optimize for the present, not too far in the past.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\">UltimateWB<\/a> helps you do exactly that: a fast, standards-based website that works for nearly everyone &#8211; and doesn\u2019t fall apart for the rare visitor still stuck in browser history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to design your website that\u2019s optimized for real-world visitors \u2013 no matter what browser they\u2019re using? Learn more about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/\">UltimateWB<\/a>! We also offer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/web-design-packages\">web design packages<\/a>\u00a0if you would like your website designed and built for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Got a techy\/website question? Whether it\u2019s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/ask-david\">\u201cAsk David!\u201d form<\/a>. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB \u201cAsk David!\u201d section.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s late 2025 &#8211; you\u2019d probably assume everyone browsing the web is on Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox. And for the vast majority of sites, that is true. But recently we spotted a visitor using Internet Explorer 11 &#8211; the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/7948\/the-curious-case-of-an-internet-explorer-11-visitor-in-2025\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1862,332,2588,6194,4023,1898,707,1678,64,6197,5055,468,4552,330,1056,6198,6195,288,6192,150,6193,1469,6199,4083,6196,686,674,2262,2004,5157,483],"class_list":["post-7948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-accessibility","tag-awstats","tag-browser-compatibility","tag-browser-usage-trends","tag-chrome","tag-clean-code","tag-compatibility","tag-cross-browser-compatibility-2","tag-css","tag-edge","tag-fast-load-times","tag-fast-website","tag-firefox","tag-google-analytics","tag-html","tag-ie-11","tag-ie11-traffic","tag-internet-explorer","tag-internet-explorer-11","tag-javascript","tag-legacy-browsers","tag-mobile-friendly-2","tag-outdated-browsers","tag-polyfills","tag-progressive-enhancement","tag-responsive","tag-safari","tag-security-risks","tag-web-browser","tag-web-standards","tag-website-compatibility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7948"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7951,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7948\/revisions\/7951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}