Creating a website for any business holds great responsibility. Are you looking for a complete checklist to better understand website quality assurance and enhance the functions of your web builds? To understand this, you need to understand what is involved in a website quality test.

If a site hasn’t been fully tested, then it’s likely there will be bugs or technical issues that have been created along the way, whether technical or visual. If you find yourself asking, ‘What is a QA checklist?’, essentially, it’s a toolbox that web development agencies can use to minimise the risk of things going wrong on launch day.

A systematic QA check will cover all main elements of a website to ensure there are no bugs, there is consistency between the designs and the live site, and that all functions work as intended. Your QA checklist is there to ensure your web build is as smoothly as possible. Creating a website is arguably the easy part, it’s correctly implementing it that is much more difficult.

We’ve put together a checklist of the most important elements within Quality Assurance. Here’s what you should look out for prior to the launch of a website going live:

Cross-Device Testing Before Launch

Before you launch your new site, confirm that everything is in order on your website across different devices. Functional testing across different desktop and laptop resolutions, mobile devices, and tablets is an essential component of any website QA testing checklist.

Check your site on:

Android and Apple Mobiles
Desktop
Laptop
Tablet

While most web development platforms have built-in features to make this easier, you’ll want to conduct manual tests where possible, too.

From simple forms and buttons to more intricate features, including search bars or shopping carts, everything must function on every device. Check navigation links to ensure users can get where they’re wanting to go, and ensure sliders and dropdowns work as intended on all screen sizes.

Browser Compatibility

Similarly to checking devices, it’s important to run your due diligence across different browsers to ensure that all users have a solid experience. The main browsers you want to test for are:

Google Chrome
Safari
Firefox
Microsoft Edge

Using a tool like BrowserStack allows you to check multiple browsers simultaneously with ease.

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Testing Speed and Reviewing Errors

Whilst website speed is influenced by factors such as hosting, load speed is an incredibly important factor, not just for user experience, but SEO as well. A slow website means the user may not even get to your content as they leave before the page loads. Check your load time and use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights to tell you where you need to make improvements.

Consider the following:

Use the minimum possible image resolution
Compress images before uploading
Ensure caching is enabled
Review code to find inefficiencies
Review text for Lorem Ipsum
Review spelling, grammar and typos

Accessibility and Quality

When testing a website's quality, you must make sure the design is user-friendly and conversion-optimised. Users must be able to easily locate the information they are looking for to avoid becoming frustrated and overwhelmed. Make sure you are checking the following:

The content is readable and informative
The navigation is clear and concise
Font, colours and branding are consistent
Interactive elements work and features are inclusive

Another important factor to consider is accessibility, where the features of a high-quality site must address the needs of all users, including those with disabilities. Check if your site is compliant with the global accessibility standards.

Post-Launch QA Checks

Consider conducting a QA check every month, even after the website is live. It’s no secret that problems can occur during the initial phases of testing.

We also recommend tracking data to help spot performance issues—pages with low engagement may suggest that something needs changing.

Post-launch, it’s a good idea to conduct a cross-browser challenge to test compatibility. This evaluates uptime confirmation, loading speed, and the success of new feature testing. Maintenance performs the purpose of making your site stalwart to its users and proving that quality matters to you.

For More Guidance on QA Testing, Work With Quality Hive

Quality Hive helps you correct mistakes, optimise, and work on the design for your client’s convenience. Be it functional, design, or accessibility checks, every feature has a role to play in the result.

QA should not be seen as a one-off occasion; it must be conducted time and time again. Ensuring your website is current and well-optimised is essential to staying ahead of the curve.