There are many types of errors and bugs you might have on your website. In order to test a web page for errors we need to first identify what errors we might be looking for. Moreover you need to use the appropriate tools for the testing.
Errors might be, but no limited to
- HTTP errors – failing backend requests
- JavaScript errors – the client side logic is not working properly
- Visual errors – something is not displaying right
- Performance – the web page might be too slow
- Network errors – users in some regions might have slow connection or no connection at all to your website
- Whitelist errors – your website might be blacklisted in some regions
Testing tools
Other than implementing a good testing strategy we might also consider using some of the freely available tools out there
HTML validators
If you write HTML according to all standards, this will guarantee that the page loads in the same way in all browsers. Otherwise you risk having cross browser compatibility issues.
CSS validators
Invalid CSS might be interpreted differently on different browsers. To guarantee similar user experience on all devices you should ensure the CSS is properly written.
Speed test
All pages should load under 4 seconds. This is very important for both user conversion also for SEO.
- tools.pingdom.com
- gtmetrix.com
- webpagetest.org
- developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights
- loadimpact.com
Accessibility
Accessibility is how easy it is to use your website. This includes color contrasts, support for users with disabilities.
Mobile Friendliness
Another one that is important for both user experience and SEO. Moreover Google has confirmed that mobile friendly pages receive bonus for their SEO rank.
SEO performance
Search engines are one of the biggest traffic sources, make sure you are prepared to meet their demands.
Loading speed on different Zones and CDNs
CDN is a proxy server that serves your website static content from a location that is closer to the user. This way page speed can be greatly increased. Moreover using CDNs and proxy servers in general can solve many of your networking issues.
Spell check
Even if your users don’t notice they typo, it will be noticed by the search engines and other automated services. Moreover typos in your content is a signal to google that your content is flawed.
Conclusion
We have outlined some of the things to do to test a web page. Moreover we included several free tools we have been using with our websites. Validating the website before it reaches the end user has become very important. In the internet era where the competition is brutal and losing a user for single session might mean losing the user for ever to your competitors.