Posted on August 16th, 2010Website testing is an important aspect of creating a website, especially at the development stage. If testing is not conducted during this portion of the process, website developers can face major problems downstream.
There are specific tests that must be performed during the development stage including:
- HTML validation
- CSS validation
- Correct color contrast
- Font size
- Text alignment
- Uncommon font usage
- Heading hierarchy
- Customer error page creation
- Search engine friendly design
- Website navigation
HTML code validation involves confirming the code against an HTML standard to ensure consistency. Luckily this can be performed in an offline environment. Blogs and dynamic websites can also use this testing method. As a result coding errors will be removed making it easier for search engine bots to access the page. Similarly CSS code validation is also checked to ensure no errors exist. Like HTML code validation, this testing method can be completed offline.
Testing for text alignment helps correct any formatting issues when different browsers are used to display the page. Correct color contrast is an important test as it checks the contrast differences between the font and the web page background. This can actually be the difference between a visitor staying or leaving the site due to reading difficulty.
Equally important is the size of the font. If too small the user can’t read it, if too large it can irritate the eyes. An average sized font is the best solution. Furthermore uncommon fonts may not be compatible with every operating system. Fonts in Windows are different than fonts found on a Mac.
The heading hierarchy ensures that visitors know the topic of the page, improves search engine optimization and increases accessibility. Since it serves such an important function, it definitely needs to be tested. When custom error pages are not inputted, the web hosting provider adds their stock page which can confuse customers. Therefore checking this is vital to visitor retention.
In order to be optimized, ensuring search engine friendly design can greatly improve traffic to your site. Finally website navigation testing will provide feedback on the usability and search engine optimization of the website. This is also important for driving traffic to the site.
There are many tests that must be completed during the development phase of website creation. If one area needs to be tweaked it can be completed immediately. In the end, these guidelines will help make your site more user-friendly and accessible to visitors.