Your website is often the first point of contact for many potential buyers and new business associates. It is a must-have in today’s digital era. Any issues in that will be an opportunity cost that you are not even aware of. For instance, slow website loading is one of the major reasons why people leave the site.

And these are the people who will not voice their complaints, and you will never know about them. Think of how much business loss that could mean, and it is just one of the things that could go wrong with a website.

That’s where quality assurance comes into the picture. It will help you navigate through the sticky points in your website and release a quality product.

This article details website testing types that are needed to assure quality assurance. But, before that, let’s find out what quality assurance is.

What Do You Mean By Quality Assurance Testing?

The term denotes a series of steps/tests that testers take to ensure that every element of a website application is running smoothly and hassle-free.

QA testing is the process to make sure smooth website functionality and optimized user experience. 

The process starts right at the planning stage and continues throughout the development and design cycle. Systematic planning and execution help in reducing the number of bugs considerably during the process.

Also, the process doesn’t stop after you have released/launched the product. A website functions through various tools, plug-ins, and frameworks. So, continuously reviewing websites to ensure smooth functionality also is part of QA testing.

Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing

When it comes to Website Testing Types, manual and automated testing is the first that comes to anyone’s mind. Let’s see when to use either of these.

Manual testing – Manual testing involves setting up the testing environment and execution by hand. The process entails increased costs, time and chances of human error as developers interact manually with the software.

Automated testing – The process makes use of test automation scripts, which means better reliability and accuracy and frees up testers for better and more pressing work. So, if you want to free up your analysts for more critical tasks, automated testing makes for a better option.

 The process also leads to the acceleration of the testing process, thus making it more dependable, human error-free and speed and time optimized. 

Types of Tests to Ensure Website Quality Assurance

These website testing types help ensure that the website functions as intended. Let’s learn about these different types of testing to ensure a high-level product.

Functionality testing

As the term denotes, functionality testing is done to ensure that all website features are running and performing optimally. It determines if the system functions well according to the required specifications and standards documentation. The testing type is categorized into positive and negative functional testing. 

The test parameters include testing for features like –

• User interface and basic website functionalities
• APIs and database testing
• Security testing
• Client and server testing

Unit testing

Unit testing is also known as program testing. This Website Testing Type helps developers test independent programs and modules. The intention is to execute each element/statement of the program at least one time. However, you can’t ensure the accuracy of the entire program with this testing as it is difficult to conduct in detail accuracy testing of each input combination. 

Unit testing identifies maximum errors in a program in comparison to other testing types.  

System testing

System testing helps developers figure out how well distinct components in a website application interact with each other in an integrated system. On the basis of requirement specifications, the website testing type tests the overall application functionality to ensure the intended/desired output for every user input.

Performance testing

Performance testing checks a lot of crucial functions of a website. The testers subject your website to different pressure levels to see how well a website functions under different traffic surges. The testers can also test the website to the breaking point to see the peak load a site can handle. Apart from testing for load capacity, testers also test it for loading speed. Performance testing also assesses how well a website can function on different devices and platforms.

Regression testing

A website goes through changes over time. There are bug fixes, configuration modifications, software enhancements, etc. Regression testing allows developers/testers to test the website application after a change or modification is done. Testers run functional and non-functional tests to ensure that the previously tested software runs as expected. Making sure that recent additions work smoothly helps in running automation.

Usability testing

The usability testing is done to assess the interaction of potential users with a website. In the end, you develop a website for real people. So, groups similar to your target audience assess the website on parameters like navigation, content, etc., and demonstrate the user experience.

Compatibility testing

Compatibility testing will help testers assess how the website will look and perform on different devices and platforms. Your users will access your websites on different browsers and operating systems, and the testing process will help determine the performance.

The tester will check attributes like –

• How does your website look and perform on different screen resolutions, screen sizes, and browsers?
• If your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) accessible easily?
• Is your website mobile responsive? Is there enough space for the users to click on the buttons? 
• How do the images feel?

Security testing

Security testing is essential for websites but so much more for e-commerce websites and sites that store crucial data or personal information.

The testing process will help verify elements like –

• Termination of browsing sessions after prolonged inactivity
• Redirection to encrypted SSL pages, whenever needed
• Inability to download restricted files
• The website not permitting unauthorized access to certain WebPages

Content testing

Content is king in digital marketing. The testing process will help test this important parameter, i.e., it will evaluate your website’s content on various parameters. It is wise to have your target audience defined when conducting this test.

• The color and font size match and are ideal.
• Content flows logically and meets user intent.
• No dummy content, typos, and grammatical error.
• Keywords and image optimization, etc.

End-to-end testing

End-to-end testing helps in assessing the functionality of the product under live conditions. The process helps simulate real-world scenarios and figure out if user flows work as intended. It will help assess data integrity and how the systems are communicating with each other.

User acceptance testing

Testers carry out this last test in the product lifecycle just before the final release of the website application. The intention is to figure out if the website application is able to handle real-world scenarios. It replicates user behavior to see if the system is able to meet the required specifications and rejects changes (in case certain specifications aren’t met).

In a nutshell

Quality assurance is an ongoing process that starts right from the stage of requirement specifications and continues even after the website’s launch. You will have things that need to be fixed constantly cropping up, so it is wise to run periodic tests on your site.

Before starting the tests, map out a clearly defined QA process to make the testing process smooth, focused and insightful. 

We have laid down everything related to QA testing to make the process easy for you. However, if it still seems like a task, hiring an experienced Software Testing Company like us will solve the purpose for you. You can contact us to know more.