After creating a website, assuming everything will work properly when launching it onto the internet can be tempting. However, even if you’re using a standard platform like WordPress, there’s a possibility your site will not look how you want it to right from the beginning.
While you can probably open your site on your device to ensure it’s working, it’s essential to ensure it loads smoothly every time. This means doing some cross-browser testing to make sure there are no problems.
Key takeaways:
- Testing your site in multiple browsers is critical to check for browser-specific compatibility faults and rapidly debug them.
- You can run tests in different browsers by manually doing some or asking friends and family to provide input on your site.
- After completing your testing, launch your site and attract visitors, ensuring you rerun the cross-browser testing steps in the future.
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How Do You Run a Test in Different Browsers?
There are many ways to run tests from various browsers. Figuring out which is best for your situation largely depends on how much money and time you want to spend on testing.
Before testing, consider the following:
- Run tests manually yourself: The most accessible and affordable option is installing multiple browsers on your computer and smartphone and then accessing your site from each to see how things function.
- Ask friends and family: If you’re testing a personal site or something for your small business, ask your friends and family to visit your site and provide feedback. Have them include what browser version they’re using for the testing. This information can help beyond whether the site works on each browser type.
- Use a cross-browser testing service: services online do this type of testing for you. These services cost money but are also capable of doing more extensive testing. If you opt for this route, you also get a report listing which browsers you tested and what results you found.
The cross-browser testing service gives you the best information. Many services do this, including companies like TestComplete and LambdaTest. Find one with the right balance of features and prices to get the desired results.
What browsers should you test with?
Whether running the tests on your own or paying for a service, completing the tests with all major browsers is vital. To the extent possible, run tests on current versions of every browser. Finally, running the test from different operating systems with each browser version is also good.
Testing your site using standard browsers like Chrome and Firefox isn’t enough; use multiple versions of those browsers from Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android devices. The more options you test, the more confident you can be that your site is working perfectly. Here are some of the most popular web browsers used today:
- Google Chrome
- Apple Safari
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
- Brave Browser
There are also dozens of other minor or niche-focused browsers. If you can add those to your test list, it can give you more accurate results.
What results are you expected to find?
If everything on your site runs properly, it will load and function on all major browsers. But if your site generates errors or its features aren’t working, pinpoint whether your site or a browser is causing the problem. The important thing is you know how your site runs on all major browsers to decide.
How to fix problems with your site
Problems are fixed depending on the browser where the problem occurs. Often you’re using a plug-in that is not supported by the browser. In this case, upgrade the plug-in, use another one with the same features, or disable the plug-in entirely.
In other cases, you may have to look at your site’s back-end code to fix problems related to one browser or another. This is time-consuming and costly to complete.
You can contact your web hosting provider for support. The company may be able to look at your site and give tips on what to do to fix any problems. While troubleshooting browser-specific problems can be challenging, this type of testing gives you the knowledge to ensure your site works the way it should.
What Is Cross-Browser Testing?
This is the process of testing a website using multiple browsers to ensure it functions correctly on all of them. The process helps ensure that every person who visits your website receives the same great experience regardless of the browser they’re using or what version of the browser they’re on.
You can handle cross-browser testing in many ways, so finding the best option for your site is essential. Once you understand how to perform this testing efficiently, you can always be confident your site works for its visitors.
Why Is It Important To Test Your Site in Multiple Browsers?
It makes sense to confirm that your site works ― no matter what browser your visitors use. Your website should have the best user experience (UX) possible. If you’re using your website to generate sales or leads for your business, you cannot afford to have users unable to access your site.
In addition to potentially reducing sales, a website that doesn’t load properly gives your business a bad reputation. Running cross-browser testing for your website is a simple thing you can do, and depending on how you perform the tests, it’s entirely free.
What Do You Do Next?
Once you have loaded your site in various web browsers and tested the functionality, launching your site and bringing in visitors is time. It’s also essential, however, to make sure that you rerun the cross-browser testing steps in the future.
We recommend performing these tests quarterly because constantly updating your site could cause problems in some browsers. The web browsers are also updated regularly, which could cause plug-ins or other site apps and codes to stop working. If you’re using WordPress, plug-ins are also routinely updated and could lead to issues in specific browsers.
You or other factors periodically put changes in place that directly affect your site, your web hosting server, or the browsers themselves. Regularly test your site in all browsers to ensure it always works its best.
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