Your Complete Guide to Website QA (Quality Assurance) with Free QA Checklist
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What is website QA? Website QA (Quality Assurance) can be defined as the process of testing a website in order to discover mistakes, errors or oversights that may not have been noted during web development or design before going live. It is also referred to as QA testing. Note that QA begins way earlier, even before development begins. It starts as soon as the requirements for the website are laid out and culminates in testing. Its overarching concern is the quality of the overall site, which goes far beyond just fixing bugs.
How does QA differ from other testing types?
QA is a process, not a one time task.
QA vs user testing
QA vs functional testing
QA vs requirements testing
QA vs design testing
Other testing types:
Regression testing – evaluating whether making changes in your site affects other parts of the site. It checks whether any changes to the code, for example, breaks the site.
Integration testing – this is testing whether third party services or sources are working as expected when integrated with your site. These services may include APIs.
Performance testing – this tests whether the site can handle traffic spikes and surges. This test may also include how fast the site loads.
There are many more tests that you could do on your QA testing.
Why is it important? Website QA is geared towards ensuring that the web site’s user interface (UI) functions as intended (there are no bugs). It also makes sure that great user experience is achieved. Here are the other benefits of QA testing:
Showcases your brand as reputable.
It could reveal problems that may have dire consequences.
Allows for the delivery of a reliable site.
It ultimately saves the business money and time.
How to carry out website QA testing
Factors to consider when designing a QA process flow
Audience
Application type
Test specificity
Risk level
Estimated number of users
Tools to use
The platform the site is accessed on
QA best practices
Define the users who will be using the end product.
Follow your checklist for every testing phase or type.
Test using a staging site (a site that simulates the real site).
Schedule the amount of time each testing phase needs to take.
Test as early as possible – test new features as soon as they are added.
Use an agile QA approach (test at the end of different stages of development).
Prioritize bug fixes, depending on how critical they are to your site’s functionality.
Automate where possible, especially the high risk parts of the site. Do not ‘over-automate’, though. Prioritize testing the parts where automation would fit best.
Strive to establish a collaborative approach between your QA team and the design/development team.
Create a site mind map, a visual that will help you see your site’s structure in order to get an idea of the scope of work and identify the parts that you need to prioritize.
What tools can you use for your website QA?
TestRail
CrossBrowserTesting
Web Developer Form Filler
Ranorex Webtestit
Window Resizer
CloudQA
SEOptimer
Website QA checklist
Functional testing
Performance testing
Security testing
Compatibility testing
Content testing
Use our website QA checklist for your needs, and add to your own checklist and customize it as you see fit.
Author = Jay Kang