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ToggleLoad testing is an important stage of developing websites and digital services, which allows you to check their stability, performance, and readiness to cope with a high number of users or requests. Neglecting this type of testing can lead to failures, slowdowns, and negative user experience, especially during peak load periods. Modern tools such as gRPC performance testing tool, API load testing tool, and website load testing allow you to effectively analyze the operation of systems under load, identify bottlenecks, and ensure their reliability. In this article, we propose to study why load testing is important for a website.
Why Do You Need to Test a Website Before Launching It?
Testing is the final stage of any website development. If you have already done a thorough job on the website, you may wonder what to test here? But it is important to understand that it is not always possible to prevent errors in advance.
Testing a website helps to check whether all the functions work as you planned, whether everything is in order with the display of the design on different devices and much more. Testing the portal before launch means saving future users from irritation at the sight of technical errors or a distorted background.
Testing should be especially careful when launching large B2B portals: the amount of profit lost due to errors will be unpleasantly high. For example, a user has collected a basket in your online store but was unable to click the payment button, so he decided to make purchases on another site. Another user can inform you through technical support that the button does not work, you will contact IT specialists who will find the cause of the error. However, just imagine how much time you can save if you know about this problem in advance. And who knows how many potential customers left your site silently?
Light Website Testing
If you don’t have time to do thorough testing before launching your website, you can do light site testing first. To do this, you need to:
- Write down the main elements of the site structure that are on the most important pages. Important pages are those that lead the user to the target action or provide the necessary information for cooperation.
- On the selected pages, highlight the main functionality that needs to be tested. This includes checking the operation of all buttons with “Call To Action” and others that are important for the site visitor to perform the action you want.
- Conduct a quick check on the pages and functions you selected using testing technologies and services, including Chrome DevTools, Fiddler, The W3C Markup Validation Service, etc.
Why Is Superficial Testing Not Enough?
Of course, superficial testing requires less time and money than full testing, but if your goal is a functional, user-friendly website that works for your success, then it makes sense to conduct a more thorough check.
If your website has many web pages and a variety of functions, then a quick check will not be able to cover them all, and, therefore, many of your ideas will most likely not be implemented as you would like.
In addition, not all errors can be found in a short period of time, even if you test only the main functions. And it is up to you to decide who will see the error first – the tester or your potential client.
Benefits of Full Testing
Full testing of a website is a guarantee of its stable operation, security, and compliance with user expectations. This approach covers all aspects of the web resource: from checking functionality and compatibility to analyzing performance and data protection.
Types of full testing and checklists for checking a website before launch:
Each type of full testing has certain points that need to be checked. We have presented them in the form of checklists:
1.Functional testing:
- The site is accessible on first and repeated openings.
- All buttons on the website are clickable.
- All links open without problems, there are no “broken” ones.
- Feedback forms are available for filling out and sending.
- Results of filled out feedback forms are transmitted correctly.
- Validation of mandatory and optional fields is configured.
- Documents uploaded to the site are displayed correctly.
2.Layout testing:
- Fonts are loaded correctly and are displayed the same in different browsers and on different devices.
- When opening the website from different devices, elements are loaded correctly (for example, there are no errors when clicking on buttons on the site from a smartphone).
- Elements on the site do not overlap each other, are fixed in their place, and do not interfere with familiarization with the resource.
- No errors in HTML and CSS.
- UTF-8 encoding.
3.Cross-browser testing:
- When opening in different browsers, all pages on the website are accessible, including all the information on them.
- Actions are performed equally correctly in different browsers.
4.Security testing:
- When scanning a website for vulnerabilities using an antivirus, no problems should be found.
5.Load testing:
- The site should work correctly even with a large number of clicks and visits at the same time.
Importance of Load Testing for a Website
Load testing of a website is a necessary procedure for every online project. It allows you to determine the performance and reliability of the site, identify weaknesses and problems, and prevent the loss of visitors and customers. Load testing is a key stage of website development, which allows you to check its stability and efficiency under heavy loads. Proper testing helps improve user experience and achieve success on the network.
Some popular tools for load testing include:
1.Apache JMeter.
Apache JMeter is a tool for load testing web applications. It allows you to create and run test scenarios, simulating the behavior of real users. JMeter provides extensive capabilities for analyzing the results and optimizing the performance of a website.
2.WebLoad.
WebLoad is a load testing tool that helps evaluate the performance of web applications. It provides the ability to create and run load tests, measure server response time, analyze throughput, and identify bottlenecks in website performance.
3.LoadRunner.
LoadRunner is a powerful tool for load testing and web application performance analysis. It allows you to create and emulate various load scenarios, check the scalability of the system, and determine the stability of the site under high loads. LoadRunner also provides advanced capabilities for analyzing the results and optimizing performance.
Conclusion
Conducting load testing is a mandatory step to ensure the stable operation of websites and services. Using tools such as Remote Procedure Calls performance testing tool, API load testing tool and web site load testing, you can identify weak points, improve the performance of services and ensure that products are ready to work under any conditions. If you need a reliable provider of tools for gRPC performance testing or web site load testing services, then you should pay attention to PFLB.