Is your website or blog optimized for newer web browsers? Do you find that some elements can appear “broken” if a visitor is using an older web browser? If that happens to be the case, you may want to try installing the IE6 Upgrade Option plug-in for WordPress-powered websites.

In short, it displays a message to all visitors who are using Internet Explorer 6 to access your website. The message says politely and succinctly that the user should upgrade their browser to something more current and that the web experience on your website may be less than optimal while using IE6. Links for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer 8 are also provided, making the upgrade process relatively easy.

The “upgrade” message is displayed using a lightbox effect, so your website remains somewhat visible through the semi-transparent overlay. The visitor can close this lightbox and accept the “less than optimal” performance, or they can opt to upgrade their browser to something newer and return to your site for the better experience.

For more information, including a screenshot of the plug-in in action, check out the developer’s site at Doc4Design.com. The free download link is also available on that page.