In this article we would like to highlight key points to be considered while testing web applications & websites. Hereby below are website & web application testing checklist,
Essentials of Functionality Testing:
Check the status of all links in the web pages, establish connection with the database, acquiescence of forms in the web pages, login information, cookies & sessions testing.
Make sure with the links:
Test for all the out links in the domain for all the web pages.
- Check whether all the internal links are working correctly.
- Test whether all the anchored links within the page works correctly.
- Check links that sends e-mail for the admin or other users.
- Check if there are any orphan links found.
- Lastly & most importantly, check for any broken links present.
Test all the forms in all the web pages :
Forms are the most important part in any web site. Generally, forms are used to get information from the users & keep in touch with them. Hence, what needs to be tested in forms?
- Basic, Firstly, check all the field validations are correct.
- Test the default values in all the fields.
- Input incorrect & null values in all the fields.
Take an example, in an search engine project, you might have affiliates & advertise signing & login, then, each step will be different & and will be related for the next step. In that case, the work flow needs to be tested accurately.
Testing Cookies:
Cookies are small entities stored on the user’s machine. They are mostly used to maintain login sessions. Make sure when the cookies are stored they are encrypted. Check the application by switching on/off the cookies in the browser. Login to the application & delete the cookies & check the status of the application. If you are using session cookies, check if the cookies expire after session time.
W3 HTML/CSS Validation :
If you are developing a web site search engine optimization is very important. Make sure your web site is validated using w3 to make sure the web site is crawlable by the search engines.
Testing Database:
constancy while storing & retrieving data is very important in web application. Test if any error occurs on modifying & deleting , or any Database functionality. Test whether all the queries executes & update correctly.
Importance of Usability Testing:
Check whether the web site or web application is easy to use. Test whether the usage manual is understandable & satisfies the needs. Main menus needs to be accessed from all the web pages.
Examining Content:
Content should be related to the web site & should be easily understood. Check for spelling mistakes. Back ground color & the text color should not more or less the same. That might not provide comfort while reading. Check for font size, BG colors, other colors, frames if used.
Check whether all the links are working properly in the content. When images are placed check whether all the images are of correct sizes.
These are the essentials(basic) needs to be followed in the web development.
Other helpful information:
Like search options, FAQ, Working manual, sitemap needs to be present in all the web pages. Test whether all the links are working correctly in the site map. If have a search, make sure all the criteria are met when the results are fetched.
Interface Testing:
Test all the reciprocal action of Application, Web, Database servers are executed properly. Make sure all the errors are handled properly. If database server turns back any error message make sure the users get the appropriate messages. Test what happens when a connection is reset in between a transaction & what happens when the user does the same.
Need of Compatibility Testing:
Compatibility testing is the most important part in web testing.
Cross Browser compatibility:
Few application might be dependent on browsers. Generally browsers configurations & settings are differentiated. Hence, make sure the web site & web application are compatible with all the popular browsers. Performing security testing & validations might vary from browser to browser. So test the web site with or web application with Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera.
Operating System(OS) compatibility:
There might be scenarios where the web application might not be compatible with operating systems like the designing, API integrations, interfaces. Hence, it is very essential to make sure the web site or web application works with all operating system(Windows, Linux, MAC, Solaris)
Mobile Testing:
Test whether all the web pages appear correctly in the mobile browsers. There can be lot of compatibility issues on mobile.
Need of Performance testing:
Load & stress testing are part of performance testing.
Test web application using various internet speed. Test the application by accessing with lot of users(Atleast Virtually). Check whether the application is able to sustain the load. DB connection & large load requests should be handled by web application.
Test the application till how much the system is able to handle. Dismantle the web site with huge amount of stress & test when the application crashes.
Security Testing:
Check when the post login url is passed in the browser it should be failed without entering proper login information. Try changing the url parameters after login in Eg. Change the login ID & try give different login ID & test whether the system allows you to login. Test whether the FTP/Web directory is accessible. Test the captcha automation. If SSL used, make sure the user is accessing the url with https:// instead of http://. Make sure all the activities are tracked in the log files.