Ensuring that your website operates effectively on different browsers is critical in today’s digital world for improving the user experience. Users consistently expect seamless interactions across all browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other. In this complete guide, you will learn about the critical importance as to why test websites in different browsers, the available testing techniques, and how different automated tools can facilitate this process.
Why cross-browser testing is crucial?
User Experience
Web design revolves around the user experience. If your website looks appealing in one browser but has flaws with its layout in another, it may anger consumers. For example, a website may look good in Google Chrome but show signs of distortion using Microsoft Edge or Safari. This kind of inconsistency can increase the rate at which users exit your site, potentially leading them to miss important content or valuable services you feature.
Market Share Considerations
The user bases for browsers are different from each other. Chrome leads the market, but Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge also have committed supporters. Disregarding testing on any of these browsers may result in alienating a portion of your audience. An optimized website for all major browsers allows you to broaden your reach while attracting as many people as possible.
SEO Impact
Search engines give precedence to sites that are easy to use. Website problems in certain browsers might lead to a reduction in your search engine ranking. Your website’s usability and the resulting SEO success can improve considerably due to reliable performance across all platforms. Search engines such as Google prefer sites that deliver a positive user experience, making cross-browser compatibility an essential part of your complete SEO strategy.
Why do problems with cross-browsers arise?
Cross-browser issues can arise for a variety of reasons; however, in this context, we are referring to problems when different browsers, devices, or browsing settings cause different behaviors. You should have fixed errors in your code before ever addressing cross-browser concerns. Refresh your memory on JavaScript troubleshooting from earlier topics if necessary.
Cross-browser problems frequently arise because…
Browsers can occasionally implement things differently or have issues. The current state of affairs is far better than it was in the 1990s, when browser vendors intentionally implemented features differently from one another in an attempt to gain a competitive edge, making life extremely difficult for developers.
Different browsers may support technological aspects to varying degrees. This is unavoidable when working with cutting edge capabilities that browsers are only now beginning to integrate or when you have to provide compatibility for extremely outdated browsers that are no longer in use.
Getting Started for Cross-Browser Testing
Before starting testing, effective preparation is important. Here are some steps to get you started:
Identify Target Browsers
The first action is to determine the browsers that your audience opts for. Even though Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are the most prevalent, think about your specific audience. Google Analytics is a tool that can reveal the browsers and devices your visitors tend to use.
Set Up Testing Environments
Setting up a stable testing environment is very important. It’s possible to test your website on varying browsers by using tools that permit testing without needing all devices physically on hand. This saves both time and resources.
Define Testing Goals
Clearly represent your intended results from the testing process. Do you have your attention on the functionality, arrangement, performance, or engagement of users? Set particular goals to better organize the testing process and make sure you explore all needed fields.
Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing
Manual Testing
You check your website in several browsers like a user would during manual testing. This approach has the capability to identify visual differences and challenges in the user experience. It is, however, likely to be time-demanding and prone to human error. The combination of manual testing with automated testing results in the most complete coverage.
Using the Automated Testing tool Selenium
The framework for automating web application testing, selenium, is in high demand. You can write scripts that replicate user interfaces with your website for different browsers.
Here’s why Selenium is beneficial:
- Speed: Automated testing is far more efficient for repetitive jobs than manual testing.
- Repeatability: You can test again and again without fatigue affecting the reliability of your results.
- Integration: Selenium is a great option for use with different testing frameworks, which can assist in integrating the Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) systems.
A cloud-based AI-powered testing platform, LambdaTest simplifies the task of checking websites on multiple browsers and devices. Here are some of its primary characteristics and advantages:
LambdaTest provides extensive browser and operating system coverage, supporting over 3,000 combinations and ensuring compatibility across platforms. It offers real-time testing for live interaction with websites, identifying layout and performance issues. Integration with Selenium enables automated testing, reducing time by running simultaneous tests.
Visual testing through screenshots helps detect design inconsistencies, while responsive design testing ensures mobile-friendliness across devices. Collaboration features allow team members to work together efficiently, and detailed reports support continuous improvement. LambdaTest’s user-friendly interface simplifies the testing process, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced testers.
Common Problems in Cross-Browser Testing
While testing your website, you may encounter several common issues, such as:
CSS Compatibility
Variations in how browsers interpret CSS rules can cause problems with consistency in layout. Cross-browser testing points out these fluctuations, offering you a successful approach to correct them.
JavaScript Functionality
JavaScript functions do not perform optimally in every browser. Apply rigorous testing of scripts on your website to verify their performance is what you expect.
Font Rendering Variations
Across different browsers, fonts can seem varied and carry effects on legibility and overall view. Testing is an important step to maintain consistent typography across many platforms.
Media Playback Problems
Some browsers can create issues related to video and audio content. Testing shows that your multimedia content does what you expect it to do.
Making Cross-Browser Testing Part of Your Development Process
Including tests for different browsers in your CI/CD pipeline allows you to considerably accelerate your development workflow. Here’s how:
Catch Issues
Automated testing allows early developers to identify and address compatibility concerns before code checks.
Streamline Development
Automated testing reduces the amount of human labor, allowing developers to focus on feature development rather than browser bugs.
Enhance Collaboration
In CI/CD, communal practices ensure that all team members understand the current tests and their results, promoting cooperation and a shared responsibility for quality.
Doing the testing yourself is one way to do browser tests. You’ll most likely combine real physical devices with emulated environments (either virtual machines or emulators) to accomplish this.
Physical Devices
In general, it is preferable to test the browser on an actual device as this offers the most accurate results in terms of behavior and overall user experience. For a reasonable low-level device lab, you’ll generally require something like this:
- A Mac computer that has the necessary browsers installed, such as Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari.
- A Windows computer that has the necessary browsers installed, such as Edge (or Internet Explorer), Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
- A more powerful Android phone or tablet that has the browser you need to test loaded on it. This can be any of the following: Opera Mini, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera Mini for Android, in addition to the stock Android browser.
- A powerful iOS phone or tablet that has the necessary browsers loaded for testing; these can include Opera Mini for iOS, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari for iOS.
If available, the following are also excellent choices:
There’s a Linux computer on hand in case you need to test for issues unique to Linux browser versions. Firefox, Opera, and Chrome are frequently used by Linux users. You might think about building a dual boot computer that runs Windows and Linux on different partitions if you just have one machine accessible. Installing Ubuntu makes this very simple; for assistance, see WindowsDualBoot.
A few smartphones with lower specs so you may test how features like animations work with CPUs that aren’t as powerful.
Other tools, such screen readers, emulators/virtual machines, and accessibility auditing tools, might be installed on your primary work computer for certain uses.
Larger firms have device laboratories where a vast array of different devices are kept in stock. This allows developers to find issues on highly particular browser/device combinations. Smaller businesses and individuals typically have to settle for smaller labs, emulators, virtual machines, and commercial testing apps because they cannot afford such an advanced lab.
Conclusion
Checking websites across multiple browsers is an important part of web development. The combination of tools, including LambdaTest and Selenium testing, can greatly ease the process, making sure your site offers a consistent and user-friendly experience for all users across different platforms. This guide provides best practices that allow you to strengthen your cross-browser testing initiatives, improve user happiness, and eventually increase your website’s performance.
A tested website that functions well can improve engagement rates, raise conversions, and boost SEO rankings. Cross-browser testing’s objective isn’t simply to eliminate barriers; it’s also to better the whole user experience. Focusing on this side of development will generate enduring advantages for both your users and your company.
