If you run a website, even the smallest issues can be frustrating. Finding and fixing those bugs is often challenging. But while they may seem minor, small website glitches that lead your visitors to have an unsatisfying website experience can seriously impact your business growth.
Many types of bugs can affect your site, from SEO and functionality problems to broken links and images. Finding these website bugs is the first crucial step to fixing them. So, how do you find bugs on your website with ease and fix them with Webvizio?
In this guide, we’ll walk through a comprehensive process to find bugs in your website, along with tips on resolving them efficiently using Webvizio’s powerful bug tracking and resolution tools. Let’s get started!
Why Finding Website Bugs Matters
Even the most experienced software developers are estimated to make 100 to 150 errors for every thousand lines of code. The CISQ report states that even a small fraction of coding errors – like 10 percent – can significantly impact the quality of an application. For example, a 20,000-line application with 200 serious coding errors is relatively small. So bug logs, bug tracking and reporting are crucial elements of any software development process.
Even a small fraction of bugs can significantly impact the quality of your website. Proactively finding and tracking bugs allows you to:
- Identify & report issues early, when they’re easier to fix
- Prioritize bug fixes based on severity and impact
- Track progress and ensure bugs are fully resolved
- Maintain a bug log for reference and continuous improvement
Yvette Francino, an Agile consultant, says that defect tracking is essential to ensure that identified system bugs are actually fixed. Tracking tools provide guaranteed follow-through and offer valuable metrics.
Your team can link any faults to updated code, tests, and other data, depending on the tool you’re using, enabling traceability or a thorough investigation of various defect trends. It could be time to review and rewrite a module if it has an unusually high number of flaws.
Testing should be completed quickly when bugs are simpler and less expensive to fix. An IBM study discovered that fixing flaws found after the fact, or after the product has been released, might cost up to 15 times as much.
Recently, a technique called continuous testing has been employed by many teams. Quality testing and feedback are performed in this kind of scenario at every level of development, from concept to coding to deployment. By identifying and analyzing flaws early in the product cycle, contemporary technology, such as artificial intelligence, can also contribute to the testing process. If you are just about to create a new website, start with our website launch checklist. If your site is up an running, move to the next checklist – the bug tracking and reporting checklist.
Bug Testing Checklist for Your Website
To thoroughly find bugs in your website, follow this step-by-step testing process:
1. Check Responsiveness with Mobile Testing
As the number of mobile devices and platforms continues to grow, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is compatible with as many of them as possible.
Ensure your site looks and functions properly across a range of mobile devices and screen sizes. Use both emulators and real devices for the most reliable results.
There are a few different ways to approach mobile testing. One is to use a mobile device emulator, a software program that simulates a mobile device. This can help with basic testing functionality, but it doesn’t give you an accurate picture of how your website will look and work on an actual device.
Another option is to use an actual device, which is the most accurate test method. However, this can be expensive and time-consuming, as you need to test on as many different devices and platforms as possible.
The best approach is to use a combination of both emulator and real device testing. This way, you can get the best of both worlds – accuracy, and speed.
2. Verify accessibility
Test that your site is usable for visitors with disabilities. Check elements like text size, color contrast, keyboard navigation, and compatibility with assistive technologies. Use accessibility guidelines like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a reference.
Whether you’re new to the world of agency and marketing or a seasoned professional, understanding the importance of website accessibility is crucial. Accessibility ensures that your clients’ websites are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. Not only is it a legal requirement in many cases, but it also leads to a better user experience and can even improve SEO. When conducting accessibility testing, here are the key areas you should focus on:
Text size matters
Have you ever visited a website where the text was so small you had to squint to read it? That’s a common problem for users with visual impairments. To ensure your clients’ websites are accessible, make sure all text is easily readable. A good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 16px font size for body text. This simple adjustment can make a world of difference in usability.
Color contrast is key
Imagine trying to read light gray text on a white background. It’s a struggle, right? Low color contrast is a common accessibility issue that can make your clients’ content difficult to read, especially for those with visual impairments or color blindness. To avoid this, aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18px or larger). By ensuring sufficient color contrast, you’ll make your clients’ websites more inclusive and user-friendly.
Don’t forget the contrast ratio
Now that you understand the importance of color contrast let’s take a closer look at contrast ratios. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend a contrast ratio of at least 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to calculate these ratios – tools like WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker can help you ensure your clients’ sites meet these guidelines. By adhering to these standards, you’ll demonstrate your commitment to accessibility and provide a better experience for all users.
General HTML & CSS checking
Accessibility goes beyond visual design – it’s also about the underlying code. Whether you’re a coding novice or an experienced developer, it’s essential to ensure that your HTML and CSS are properly structured and include appropriate accessibility features. This means using semantic elements like <header>, <nav>, and <main>, providing alternative text for images, and including descriptive labels for form fields. By building accessibility into the foundation of your clients’ sites, you’ll create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.
There are a few things to keep in mind when checking your HTML and CSS code for errors:
- First, make sure that you have a validator tool set up and running. This will help you identify any syntax errors in your code.
- Second, take the time to test your code in all browsers and on all devices. This will ensure that your code is cross-platform compatible.
- Finally, be sure to check your code for any potential security vulnerabilities. A good way to do this is to use a static code analysis tool.
By focusing on these key areas during accessibility testing, you can create a website that’s welcoming and usable for everyone. Remember, an accessible website isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity in today’s digital world. So, put yourself in your users’ shoes, test thoroughly, and make accessibility a priority. Your visitors will thank you for it!
4. Assess performance
Whether you’re new to the agency and marketing scene or a seasoned veteran, you know that a website’s performance is crucial to the user experience. Slow load times, crashes, and errors can quickly drive visitors away, hurting your clients’ bottom line. That’s where performance testing comes in – it’s an essential step in ensuring that your clients’ websites can handle the demands of real-world traffic and usage.
When conducting performance testing, it’s crucial to consider the software (server-side technology stack, including server, database, and application code), hardware (physical infrastructure, such as servers, network equipment, and storage systems), and connectivity (network conditions affecting user access, like internet speed, latency, and packet loss) to ensure a comprehensive assessment of your clients’ website performance.
Now, if you’re just starting out, you might be wondering how to actually do performance testing. Don’t worry – here are some techniques you can use:
Use emulators to simulate different devices and browsers
Emulators are software tools that simulate different devices and browsers, allowing you to test performance without having to invest in a ton of hardware, making them a great way to get started with performance testing on a budget.
Optimize code for better performance
Sometimes, the key to better performance lies in the code itself. Techniques like minification (removing unnecessary characters from code) and using CSS sprites (combining multiple images into one) can help reduce load times and improve overall performance.
Conduct stress testing to identify performance limits
To really put your clients’ sites through their paces, simulate heavy traffic loads and see how they perform. If the site crashes or slows to a crawl, it’s time to investigate and optimize.
For those with more experience, you know that performance testing is an ongoing process. As your clients’ sites grow and evolve, it’s important to regularly assess and optimize performance to ensure a consistently great user experience.
5. Security testing
With so many websites on the internet, it has become a common hunting ground for hackers looking for their next target. Hackers can intimidate website owners with their sophisticated methods of stealing or taking control of crucial data. Some examples include:
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks – where malicious code is injected into a website to steal information or cause damage
- SQL injections – where a hacker inserts SQL commands into an application’s database query, which can be used to extract data from the database or even execute commands on the database server itself
- Brute-force attacks – where an attacker tries all possible passwords until they find one that works
Security testing is a critical component of any bug-testing strategy. By testing for security vulnerabilities, you can help ensure that your software is not susceptible to attack.
While it may seem daunting, there are steps you can take to protect your website from these virtual criminals. Taking proactive measures and staying informed can help keep your website safe from attack.
When you perform security testing, it is important to remember a few key points.
- Always store information securely using a trusted method of storing data, such as a secure server or encrypted database.
- Use two-factor authentication for any sensitive information to add an extra layer of security and helps to ensure that only authorized users can access the data.
- Moderate comments on your content to prevent any malicious comments from being posted and will also give you a chance to flag any potential security issues.
6. Beta testing
Beta testing is the process of evaluating a product by testing it on a group of people who are representative of your target audience. Beta testing aims to show that the product is ready for release.
The key to success in beta testing is to have a well-defined set of objectives and a plan for achieving those objectives.
Here are some things you should know to carry out an effective beta test program:
- Use your mistakes as learning opportunities! By documenting them, you can write better test cases in the future and avoid making the same errors.
- Share the results of your work with your team as soon as possible. Use video feedback to make sure the team understands it the best way possible. Also, use communication tools such as Slack and Zoom so that teams stay connected with each other.
- Quickly debug any errors you may come across and prioritize what needs to be fixed immediately and what can wait. By staying on top of things, you can nip any potential problems in the bud before they have a chance to spiral out of control.
- Before and after conducting beta tests on your website, you must provide clear instructions to your testers. This includes what you want them to test for and how you want them to do it.
7. Cross-browser testing
Cross-browser testing is the process of testing how your website or web application looks and behaves across different browsers.
It’s important to perform cross-browser testing because:
- Different browsers render web pages differently, so you want to ensure that your site looks and works how you want it to, regardless of which browser your users use.
- Browsers have different levels of support for web standards, so cross-browser testing can help ensure that your site complies with the latest standards.
There are a few different ways to carry out cross-browser testing. One is to use a web-based testing service that provides access to various browsers and devices. Another is to install different browsers on your computer and test your site or app in each one.
Whichever method you choose, it’s important to test your site or app in as many different browsers and devices as possible. This will help you identify browser-specific issues and ensure that your site or app works correctly for all users.
How to track Bugs in Webvizio?
Webvizio is the perfect bug tracking and issue reporting tool and Chrome extension for giving feedback, assigning tasks, and tracking web bugs on live websites and digital assets. You can easily collaborate and get everyone on the same page. Webvizio also lets you integrate your favorite productivity software so your team members can receive instant notifications – making it easier than ever to stay on top of your game and work together seamlessly!
Here’s how you can track bugs with Webvizio:
Step 1: Go to the Webvizio website and register as a user. Enter your website’s URL and get started with bug tracking.
Step 2: Click the “Share” button to invite members for feedback and find bugs on the website. You have the power to assign different roles to the people you invite.
Step 3: Webvizio bug reporting platform makes it easy to see how your website will look on different mobile devices, so you can get feedback quickly and make changes accordingly. You can preview websites on iPhones, Android phones and tablets, and other popular devices and rotate the screen to see your design from all angles.
Step 4: Once you add everyone to the project, it’s time to identify bugs. The member can work in Task mode to leave comments on the live website.
Context is key when giving feedback, which is why Webvizio offers a video feedback feature to help get your point across more effectively. You can add as many videos as needed to elaborate on the changes you want.
Step 5: You can integrate your favorite productivity tools to get instant updates for your tasks, like Trello, ClickUp, Asana, Jira, Slack, and many more. You can also link to your video recordings directly in your task tracker, which makes it easy to stay on top of everything.
Step 6: To more easily find what you are looking for while scrolling through tasks, filter by tag, assignee, priority, date, or alphabetically. You can search through keywords that best describe the website design task.
Step 7: Use task cards to manage your bug tracking efficiently. Webvizio automates task tracking with action logs and real-time notifications so that you can focus on other things.
Successfully track and fix bugs on Webvizio
Webvizio is a digital bug reporting software that provides website design feedback, bug tracking, web QA, and a shared live website review platform. With Webvizio, every digital team member can access a shared annotation platform for websites requiring UI/UX improvements. This makes it easy for teams to collaborate on website projects and get the job done quickly and efficiently.
As a tester, you can use our website to see how it works and how smoothly it runs. You can also try creating an annotation website of any website you know and see how easy it is to use with little to no effort. It can also be fun to work with teams on a shared platform! Download the Webvizio Chrome extension and give it a try!
