Web Testing Tools Plus A Beginner Webmaster Best Practices

In this exclusive guide, I am going to teach you some of the basic Web Testing Tools every Webmaster should know. But, we’ll all have to agree that in today’s ever-changing and competitive world. Whereas, the internet has become an integral part of our lives. Then again, it’s important to realize, by just having a website is not enough.

An organization is needed to develop a website that is informative, accessible, and user-friendly. To maintain all these qualities, the website should be well-tested. And this process of testing a website is known as web testing. As a matter of fact, most of us make our decisions by searching the information on the internet these days.

Hence hosting a website is no longer optional but mandatory for all kinds of businesses. It is the first step in becoming and staying relevant in the market. Web testing tools may be classified based on different prerequisites that a user may require to test web applications. Mainly, in consideration of scripting requirements, GUI functionalities, and browser compatibility.

What Are Web Testing Tools?

Web Testing Tools involve a software testing practice for an online brand website (like jmexclusives) or even a web application for potential bugs. In that case, it’s a complete testing of web-based applications before making them usable or rather live. Notwithstanding, a web-based system needs to be checked completely from end to end before it goes live for end users.

By performing website testing, an online organization or even an online business can make sure that the web-based system is functioning properly. And can be accepted by real-time users. Whereby, the motion UI design and functionality are the captains of website testing. A website is classified into many types, it is about 20 types.

All these are shrinking under static and dynamic types.

Among the types of web testing are:

• Simple static website testing
• Dynamic web application testing
• E-commerce website testing
• Mobile website testing

To confirm that the website is functioning well, the webmaster needs to perform functional testing first. During functional website testing, different features of an application need to be validated. Particularly, against the requirements mentioned in the functional specification document.

Why Website Performance And App Testing Tools Are Important

Have you ever found yourself spotting shapes in the clouds? That is because people are hard-wired to recognize patterns, even when there are none. It’s the same reason that we often think we know where to click when first experiencing a website. And get frustrated if things aren’t where we think they should be.

Choosing the right user interface design pattern is crucial to taking advantage of this natural pattern-spotting. User interface design patterns are the means by which structure and order can gel together to make powerful user experiences. Structure and order are also a user’s best friends, along with the fact that old habits die hard (especially on the web).

Therefore, it’s essential that website designers consider the user interface design very carefully before they set the final design in stone. For instance, products should consist of such good interactions that users don’t even notice how they got from point A to point B.

Failing to do so can lead to user interfaces that are difficult or confusing to navigate. In the end, requiring the user to spend an unreasonable amount of time decoding the display. And just a few seconds too many can be “unreasonable.” Rather than fulfilling their original aims and objectives. Learn more about UI Design Patterns for Successful Software for more.

Resource Reference: Core Web Vitals | 9 Key Tools For Overall Site Performance

While the focus is on the practical application of user interface design patterns, by the end of the course you will also be familiar with current terminology. Especially, used in the design of user interfaces, and many of the key concepts under discussion.

This should help put you ahead of the pack and furnish you with the knowledge necessary to advance beyond your competitors. So, if you are struggling to decide which user interface design pattern is best, and how you can achieve maximum usability through implementing it, then step no further.

For one thing, this course will equip you with the knowledge necessary to select the most appropriate display methods. And solve common web design problems affecting existing user interfaces.

A Web Testing Checklist:

1. Functionality Testing
2. Usability testing
3. Interface testing
4. Compatibility testing
5. Performance testing
6. Security testing

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1. Web Functionality Testing 

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Test for – all the links in web pages, database connection, forms used for submitting or getting information from the user in the web pages, Cookie testing, etc.

a. Check all the links and test:

• the outgoing links from all the pages to the specific domain under test.
• all internal links.
• links jumping on the same pages.
• also, test links are used to send emails to the admin or other users from web pages.
• to check if there are any orphan pages.
• Finally, link checking includes, checking for broken links in all the above-mentioned links.

c. Test forms on all pages:

Forms are an integral part of any website. They are used for receiving information from users and interacting with them. So, what should be checked in these forms? Well, consider the following in your checklist:

• First, check all the validations on each field.
• Check for default values of the fields.
• Wrong inputs in the forms to the fields in the forms.
• Options to create forms if any — delete, view, or modify the forms.

To enumerate, let’s take an example of the search engine project currently I am working on. In this project, I have advertiser and affiliate signup steps. And although each sign-up step is different it’s dependent on the other steps.

So, the sign-up flow should get executed correctly. There are different field validations like email Ids, User financial info validations, etc. All these validations should get checked in manual or automated web testing.

d. Cookies Testing:

By definition, Cookies are small files stored on the user’s machine. These are basically used to maintain the session- mainly the login sessions. You can test the application by enabling or disabling the cookies in your browser options.

Equally important, you can also test to see if the cookies are encrypted before writing to the user’s machine. And, if you are testing the session cookies (i.e. cookies that expire after the session ends) check for login sessions. And also, the user stats after the session ends. Additionally, check the effect on application security by deleting the cookies.

e. Validate your HTML/CSS:

If you are optimizing your site for Search engines then HTML/CSS validation is the most important one. Mainly validate the site for HTML syntax errors. Check if the site is crawlable to different search engines.

f. Database Testing:

Data consistency is also very important in a web application. Check for data integrity and errors while you edit, delete, modify the forms, or do any DB-related functionality.

Equally important, check if all the database queries are executing correctly, and data is retrieved, and also updated correctly. Bearing in mind, more database testing could be a load on DB. In testing the functionality of the websites the following should be tested:

Links

• Internal Links
• External Links
• Mail Links
• Broken Links

Forms

• Field validation
• Error message for wrong input
• Optional and Mandatory fields

Database

• Testing will be done on database integrity.

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2. Web Usability Testing 

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Usability testing is the process by which the human-computer interaction characteristics of a system are measured. After this, the weaknesses are identified for correction. In elements such as;

• Ease of learning
• Navigation
• Subjective user satisfaction
• General Appearance

Test for Navigation:

Navigation means how a user surfs the web pages, different controls like buttons, and boxes, or how the user uses the links on the pages to surf different pages. Usability Testing includes the following:

• The website should be easy to use.
• The instructions provided should be very clear.
• Check if the instructions provided are perfect to satisfy their purpose.
• The main menu should be provided on each page.
• It should be consistent enough.

Content Checking:

Content should be logical and easy to understand. Check for spelling errors. Additionally, the content should be meaningful. All the anchor text links should be working properly. Images should be placed properly with proper sizes.

These are some of the basic and important standards that should be followed in website development — after all, your task is to validate all for UI & GUI Testing just to be sure.

Other user information:

Like the search option, the sitemap also helps with files, etc. The sitemap should be present with all the links on websites with a proper tree view of navigation. Check for all links on the sitemap. The “Search in the site” option will help users to find content pages that they are looking for easily and quickly. These are all optional items and if present they should be validated.

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3. Web Interface Testing 

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In web testing, the server-side interface should be tested. This is done by verifying that communication is done properly. Compatibility of the server with software, hardware, network, and database should be tested.

The main interfaces are:

• Web server and application server interface
• Application server and Database server interface.

If the database or web server returns an error message for any query by the application server then the application server should catch it. Displaying these error messages appropriately to the users. Check what happens if the user interrupts any transaction in between, or check what happens if the connection to the webserver is reset in between.

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4. Web Compatibility Testing 

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The compatibility of your website is a very important testing aspect.

Compatibility test includes:

• Browser compatibility
• Operating system compatibility
• Mobile browsing
• Printing options

Browser Compatibility:

In my web-testing career, I have experienced this as the most influencing part of website testing. Some applications are very dependent on browsers. Different browsers have different configurations and settings that your web page should be compatible with. Your website coding should be cross-browser platform compatible.

If you are using java scripts or AJAX calls for UI functionality, performing security checks or validations then give more stress on browser compatibility testing of your web application. Test web applications on different browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, AOL, Safari, and Opera browsers with different versions.

OS Compatibility:

Some functionality in your web app is that it may not be compatible with all operating systems. All new technologies used in web development like graphic designs, interface calls, and different APIs may not be available in all Operating Systems — test your web app on different operating systems like Windows, Unix, MAC, Linux, and Solaris with different OS flavors.

Mobile Browsing:

We are in the new technology era — so in the future, mobile browsing will rock. Test your web pages on mobile browsers. Compatibility issues may be there on mobile devices as well.

Printing Options:

If you are giving page-printing options then make sure fonts, page alignment, page graphics, etc., are getting printed properly. Pages should fit the paper size or as per the size mentioned in the printing option.

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5. Web Performance Testing 

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The web application should sustain to heavy load. By the same token, web performance testing should include load testing, stress testing, and the like. Test application performance on different internet connection speeds.

Web Load Testing:

You need to test if many users are accessing or requesting the same page. Can the system sustain peak load times? The site should handle many simultaneous user requests, large input data from users, simultaneous connection to DB, heavy load on specific pages, etc.

Web Stress Testing:

Generally, web stress testing refers to tests that determine the software’s robustness by testing beyond the limits of normal conditions. NeoLoad is a stress-testing software solution designed for web and native mobile applications. Realistically, which simulates millions of users, analyzes your applications’ performance, and monitors your servers under web stress.

The NeoLoad exclusive technology allows you to conduct load tests more quickly, efficiently, and frequently. This means you can confidently deploy high-performance internet, intranet or mobile applications regardless of what technologies you may use, even the newest such as Flex, Silverlight, GWT, SPDY, JSON, and AJAX Push.

Thanks to its monitoring modules, NeoLoad identifies the potential breaking points in your application, enabling you to correct them before they become expensive issues in production.

Connection Speed

• Tested on various networks like Dial-Up, ISDN, etc.

Load Time 

• What is the no. of users per time?
• Check for peak loads and how the system behaves
• A large amount of data accessed by the user

Web Stress

• Continuous Load
• Performance of memory, CPU, file handling, etc.

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6. Web Security Testing 

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Following are some of the test cases for web security testing:

• First, test by pasting the internal URL directly into the browser address bar without login. Internal pages should not open.
• Secondly, if you are checking some publisher site statistics with publisher site ID= 123. Try directly changing the URL site ID parameter to a different site ID that is not related to the logged-in user. Access should be denied for this user to view others’ stats.
• Try some invalid inputs in input fields like login username, password, input text boxes, etc. Check the system’s reaction to all invalid inputs.
• Test the CAPTCHA for automating script logins.
• All transactions, error messages, and security breach attempts should get logged in log files somewhere on the web server.

The primary reason for testing the security of the web is to identify potential vulnerabilities. And then, subsequently, repair them.

Some of these include:

• Network Scanning
• Vulnerability Scanning
• Password Cracking
• Log Review
• Integrity Checkers
• Virus Detection

Which Are Examples Of Web Testing Tools?

As an example, TestRail is powerful for test management, test execution, and results tracking. Combined with QA project planning in a single, web-based application. Full integration with dozens of issues and test automation tools. You can get started and try TestRail for free to see it in full action on your website in terms of general performance results!

Since they’re all testing methodologies focused on web applications, like the applications hosted on the web, here are a few more mentions below.

1. PageSpeed Insights

The very first tool to consider is the PageSpeed Insights Testing Tool by Google. Make your web pages fast on all devices; More on PageSpeed Insights, What’s new, Documentations, Learn about Web Performance, Ask questions on Stack Overflow, Mailing list, etc.

2. CrossBrowserTesting Tools

CrossBrowserTesting App allows you to make every web experience perfect, on any browser or mobile device with their cloud-based real device lab.

Ditch your VMs and device lab. Easily run manual, visual, and Selenium tests in the cloud on 2050+ real desktop and mobile browsers.

3. Ranorex Webtestit Tools

Ranorex Webtestit provides out-of-the-box web test automation for Selenium or Protractor, using Java or TypeScript. It automatically downloads the required drivers and scaffolds your test framework so you start working in minutes.

Save even more time with the automatic creation of page objects, UI element locators, and boilerplate code; built-in test reporting; and more. Distribute your cross-browser tests to local WebDriver endpoints, a Selenium Grid, or a cloud-based provider.

4. LoadNinja Tools

LoadNinja lets you load test your web application with real browsers at scale, using test scripts that can be replayed immediately after recording.

Producing actionable browser-based performance data to isolate issues and debug errors in real time.

5. WebLOAD Tools

WebLOAD is an enterprise-scale load-testing tool with powerful scripting capabilities that make it easy to test complex scenarios. The tool provides a clear analysis of your web application performance, pinpointing issues and bottlenecks that may stand in the way of achieving your load and response requirements.

Equally, WebLOAD supports hundreds of technologies – from web protocols to enterprise applications and has built-in integration with Jenkins, Selenium, and many other tools to enable continuous load testing for DevOps.

6. Test IO

Generally, Test IO makes sure that your web apps and websites work everywhere by crowd-testing them in real browsers on real devices and under real-world conditions.

Crowdtesting with test IO lets you call upon the skill and insight of thousands of testing professionals to improve the quality of your web apps and websites. Over two hundred customer-obsessed organizations rely on the power and flexibility of test IO to ship high-quality software faster.

Before we conclude, on one hand, the performance of your web application affects your business more than you might think. While, on the other hand, top engineering organizations consider performance not as nice-to-have, but as a crucial feature of their products. Unfortunately, most engineering teams do not regularly test the performance so today.

As well as the scalability of their infrastructure, and most lack the tools to properly do so. That said, there are many other additional web application testing tools that you can also consider.

Some of them include:

• Load And Stress Testing Tools
• Performance Testing Tools
• Web Functionality Tools,
• GUI Testing Tools,
• Regression Testing Tools
• Link Testing Tools
• Web Site Security Testing Tools
• W3C CSS Validator
• Cross-browser testing tools
• W3C Link Checker

But, although you can find plenty of commercial tool options out there, for the right organization, free and open-source tools may be a good alternative. Or the perfect complement to your commercial toolset. In today’s world, you can find a web designer who doesn’t know at least a little HTML and CSS.

Read Also: 13 Simple Steps To Improve Your WordPress Website Performance

Hence, you won’t have to look far for a front-end web developer who can whip up a storyboard. For one thing, most people learn web coding because they want to create the next Facebook or find a job in the industry. To enumerate, website design broadly refers to the tasks associated with developing websites for hosting via the intranet or the internet.

Whereby, the web development process includes web design, web content development, client-side/server-side scripting, and network security configuration, among other tasks. Finally, if you are looking for website designers and developers, website customizers, or even website managers, please feel free to Contact Us so that we can sort you out.