At the first glance, most popular browsers seem more or less similar. However, when it comes to rendering a website, the display isn’t necessarily the same. It’s that sort of distinction which gives rise to a mandatory need for testing websites on multiple browsers. It doesn’t matter which browser users are using to browse your website. The end goal is to provide them a smooth experience and an excellent interface.
Cross browser testing has been around for quite some time now. Most businesses have been successfully able to verify the compatibility of their websites with different browsers, operating systems, devices, and browser versions. All you need to do is devote some effort and time to ensure flawless rendering of your website regardless of what visitors are using to browse the web.
User preferences can vary according to where they worked, internet connectivity, privacy, ethics, and their country of residence. In this post, we are going to take a look at how you can test websites on multiple browsers with cloud-hosted services. But before that, we are going to take a quick glance at why testing a website in various browsers is crucial for the success of a business. Let’s dive right in.
Importance of Testing a Site In Different Web Browsers With Cloud-Hosted Services
Just by the look of it, almost all popular modern browsers have similarities. However, what users might not notice is that they are all coded differently and comprise different sets of features. This is the reason why websites don’t render the same across all.
For instance, you might notice some differences in the layout and how features of a website work if you switch from Chrome to Safari on Firefox. If a website hasn’t undergone cross-browser testing, not only will it behave differently in different browsers, some functionalities might work incorrectly or may not work at all! That’s why, before making it live, it’s vital to test a website on various browsers.
Testing a website on multiple browsers with cloud-hosted services has some advantages of its own. Unlike testing on real devices, cross-browser compatibility testing based on the cloud doesn’t involve any setup cost and offers a wide array of operating systems, browsers, and browser versions to test on. Besides being secured and fast, some other perks of cloud-based cross-browser testing include hassle-free code sharing, easy communication, and high scalability.
How To Test a Website On Multiple Browsers With Cloud Hosted Services
Before you begin testing, it’s important to have a plan. Before you begin, analyze your target audience and what browsers they frequently use. After that, prepare a browser matrix on which you are going to test your site. This should also include different browser versions as well as operating systems. This way, you’ll easily be able to prioritize one browser over others. Since you are testing with cloud-hosted services, there is no reason to feel handicapped even during a Covid-19 lockdown, thanks to seamless remote testing and collaboration.
With plenty of tools to accomplish website testing on multiple browsers, it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to make a choice. That’s why you could start off with one of our top recommendations that is LambdaTest. It offers real-time cross-browser testing along with Visual UI testing, screenshot testing, responsive testing, automation testing, and parallel testing with Selenium grid.
Do you know what the best part is?
LambdaTest also offers a WordPress plugin! Let’s take a detailed look.
Real-Time Cross-Browser Testing
With the help of real-time cross-browser testing, you can test your web applications across different operating systems and browser combinations on various mobile and desktop devices. Even though the process is virtual, the accuracy is no less than working with real devices.
After creating an account, log in, select the real-time menu, and input the website URL you wish to test. After that, choose the configuration and click on the start button. This will run a virtual machine where you can perform cross-browser compatibility testing.
You can record a video of the entire test session after finding and marking bugs. If you don’t wish to end the current session and modify the testing configuration, use the Switch feature. This will eliminate the need to relaunch the virtual machine. The real-time testing option also has a mobile icon underneath it. You can select it for executing real-time tests on various mobile devices. After selecting the device of a choice, the steps are pretty much the same as that of testing a website on desktops.
Parallel Testing With Selenium Grid
The Selenium grid helps in the parallel execution of Selenium testing scripts. For instance, if you are running 10 tests each taking 10 minutes of execution time, it would take 100 minutes for all to execute if we perform them in a sequential manner. However, parallelly you can execute all 10 tests in 10 minutes. Doesn’t this accelerate cross-browser testing by manifold?
Screenshot Testing
This feature allows users to take a number of screenshots on various mobile and desktop configurations in one session. All you need to do is choose the configuration and input your website URL. Click generate and within seconds, you can see screenshots appearing on the screen ready for you to download.
Writing Test Automation Scripts
If you are looking forward to running long and complex tests, writing automation scripts can save you a lot of time. Selenium automation testing and Cypress testing eliminates the need for an IT professional to intervene or watch the process. This creates an efficient system where you can run automation tests around the clock.
Smart Visual User Interface Testing
If your website has visual bugs, be prepared to lose visitors over time. Visual testing is the key but manually, the task can become daunting. Not to mention, the extra time devoted can always be put to better use. Sometimes, even after proper analysis of the code, the causes of some common bugs remain unknown. That’s when smart visual testing by LambdaTest comes into the picture.
Testers can easily identify common visual bugs including those of font style, text size icon size, and padding. You can move the bugs to a bug management tool after marking them. The best part is you won’t even need to use a third-party tool for the same. LambdaTest offers an inbuilt issue tracker to further simplify the task.
Responsiveness Testing
There was a time when responsiveness testing was optional but those days are far gone. In today’s world where more and more people are browsing the web on the go on mobile devices, checking a website for responsiveness is mandatory. LambdaTest offers to check responsive web design on 44 devices at once.
All you need to do is go to the visual UI test menu and click on the responsive submenu. Enter your URL and select a monitor size in inches. The right-hand side displays different desktop and mobile combinations. You can test the responsiveness by selecting your preferred device combination. If you click on the camera icon, you can record issues and check them again later.
Automated Testing
LambdaTest uses Selenium and Cypress as their framework for test automation. Offering support for a wide variety of programming languages like Java, Python, C#, JavaScript, Ruby and PHP. LambdaTest offers a cloud grid that facilitates end-to-end test automation. The cloud infrastructure is secure, scalable and reliable. LambdaTest Selenium grid also allows you to test your website or web application with more than 2000 browsers and their combinations, as well as operating systems.
LambdaTest WordPress plugin
LambdaTest WordPress plugin allows testers to take screenshots of your website or web application across various browsers. The best part is that you don’t even have to leave your WordPress admin panel.
Conclusion
Since the pandemic struck, the IT sector has witnessed a major change in the way companies work across the globe. With a majority of employees working from home assuming that remote work is going to be the new normal won’t be an understatement.
LambdaTest offers a completely cloud-based cross-browser testing ecosystem to ensure that your website renders perfectly on different browsers and browser versions. Trusted by more than half a million users across the globe, LambdaTest offers a free sign-up and a trial without requiring a credit card.
Whether your aim is to grow your audience or retain existing ones by converting them into loyal customers, you can’t overlook testing a website on multiple browsers. We have already discussed how opting for cloud-hosted services offers a competitive edge.
The key is to use a platform that is well recognized and has the backing of plenty of users across the world. LambdaTest is one such tool that has been around offering brilliant results for quite some time now. So, what are you waiting for? Start testing your website across multiple browsers with cloud hosting services and give a flawless user interface your audience deserves!
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