Complete Guide to Web Project Testing Before Launch

Proper testing of a web project before launch is a critically important stage that determines the success of the product and the user experience. Insufficient testing can lead to financial losses, reputational risks, and loss of users. In this article, we will look at a comprehensive approach to testing that will help you avoid critical mistakes and ensure high quality of your web project.

1. Testing Strategy: Planning for Success

Creating a Test Plan

Before starting any testing, it is necessary to create a detailed test plan, which should include:

Defining Testing Goals

  • Main functionality that needs to be tested
  • Critical user scenarios
  • Performance requirements
  • Compatibility with various browsers and devices
  • Security requirements

Choosing the Methodology The most effective approach is combining different types of testing within the testing pyramid: a large number of unit tests at the base, fewer integration tests in the middle, and a minimal number of E2E tests at the top.

Defining Quality Criteria Set clear criteria for what is considered "ready for launch":

  • Percentage of code covered by tests
  • Maximum allowable page load time
  • Number of critical and non-critical bugs
  • Security testing results

Resource and Timeline Planning

Testing should take at least 25-30% of the total project development time. Plan several testing iterations, especially after fixing found defects.

2. Functional Testing: Verifying Core Functionality

User Scenario Testing

  • User registration and authentication
  • Main business processes (purchase, order, booking)
  • Content search and filtering
  • User profile management
  • Integration with external services

Negative Scenarios It is equally important to test how the system behaves under incorrect actions:

  • Entering invalid data into forms
  • Attempts to access restricted sections
  • Actions by unauthorized users
  • Handling network and server errors

Form and Validation Testing

Forms are critically important elements of most web applications. Check:

  • Correct operation of all field types (text, email, phone, date)
  • Validation on client and server sides
  • Handling and displaying validation errors
  • File upload functionality
  • Protection against XSS attacks through input fields

3. Performance Testing: Ensuring Speed

Load Speed Testing

Modern users expect fast page loading. Critical metrics:

  • First Contentful Paint (FCP) — should be less than 1.8 seconds
  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — should be less than 2.5 seconds
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — should be less than 0.1
  • First Input Delay (FID) — should be less than 100 ms

Testing Tools:

  • Google PageSpeed Insights
  • GTmetrix
  • WebPageTest
  • Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools)

Load Testing

Test system behavior under various load levels:

  • Baseline Testing — normal expected load
  • Load Testing — maximum expected load
  • Stress Testing — load above expected
  • Spike Testing — sudden load increase

Recommended Tools:

  • Apache JMeter (free)
  • LoadRunner (commercial)
  • k6 (modern tool)
  • Artillery (for Node.js projects)

4. Cross-Browser Testing: Ensuring Compatibility

Browser Selection for Testing

Identify priority browsers based on your audience:

  • Desktop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • Mobile: Chrome Mobile, Safari Mobile, Samsung Internet

Testing on Various Devices

Desktop Testing:

  • Different screen resolutions (1366x768, 1920x1080, 2560x1440)
  • Interface scaling (100%, 125%, 150%)
  • Various operating systems

Mobile Testing:

  • iOS and Android devices
  • Different screen sizes
  • Portrait and landscape orientation
  • Touch interactions

Testing Tools:

  • BrowserStack (cloud testing)
  • Sauce Labs (automated testing)
  • Chrome DevTools (device emulation)
  • Responsive Design Mode in Firefox

5. Security Testing: Protection Against Threats

Authentication and Authorization Checks

  • Testing weak passwords
  • Session management verification
  • Testing access rights for different user roles
  • Logout functionality verification
  • Password recovery function testing

Security Testing Tools

  • OWASP ZAP (free vulnerability scanner)
  • Burp Suite (professional tool)
  • Nessus (vulnerability scanner)
  • SQLmap (for testing SQL injections)

6. Test Automation: Efficiency and Reliability

Unit Testing

Create unit tests for critical components:

  • Application business logic
  • Utility functions
  • User interface components
  • API methods

Popular Frameworks:

  • Jest (JavaScript)
  • PHPUnit (PHP)
  • pytest (Python)
  • JUnit (Java)

Integration Testing

Test interactions between various components:

  • API integrations
  • Database interactions
  • Integration with external services
  • Frontend and backend interaction

End-to-End Testing

Automate critical user scenarios:

  • User registration process
  • Main business processes
  • Critical navigation paths

E2E Testing Tools:

  • Cypress (modern and convenient)
  • Selenium WebDriver (classic choice)
  • Playwright (by Microsoft)
  • Puppeteer (for Chrome)

7. Production Environment Testing: Final Verification

Smoke Testing

After deploying to production server, perform a quick check:

  • Main pages load
  • Critical functionality works
  • Database is connected
  • External services are available

Post-Launch Monitoring

Set up monitoring systems to track:

  • Server response time
  • JavaScript errors
  • Service downtime
  • User behavior

Monitoring Tools:

  • Google Analytics
  • Sentry (error tracking)
  • New Relic (performance monitoring)
  • Pingdom (availability monitoring)

8. Pre-Launch Checklist

Functionality

  • All main user scenarios have been tested
  • Forms work correctly and validate data
  • Authentication and authorization function properly
  • Integrations with external services are configured
  • Email notifications are sent and display correctly

Performance

  • Core Web Vitals meet Google's requirements
  • Images are optimized and compressed
  • CSS and JavaScript are minified
  • Caching is configured
  • CDN is configured (if used)

Security

  • SSL certificate is installed and configured
  • Input data is validated and sanitized
  • Proper HTTP security headers are set
  • Vulnerability scanning has been performed

Compatibility

  • Testing in major browsers is complete
  • Mobile version works correctly
  • Tested on various devices
  • Accessibility testing passed

SEO and Metadata

  • Meta tags are set on all pages
  • Structured data added
  • XML Sitemap created and submitted to search engines
  • Google Analytics and other analytics systems connected
  • 404 pages configured

Content and UX

  • All texts checked for spelling and grammar
  • Images have alternative text
  • User messages (errors, notifications) are correct
  • Privacy policy and user agreement pages added

Conclusion

High-quality testing of a web project before launch is an investment in the success of your product. A comprehensive approach, including functional, performance, security, and compatibility testing, will help you avoid critical issues and ensure an excellent user experience.

Remember that testing is an iterative process. Do not try to test everything at once, but make sure to cover all critical aspects. Start with the most important functionality and gradually expand test coverage.

Test automation will help you save time in the long run and ensure stability during future updates. However, do not forget about manual testing — some aspects of the user experience can only be evaluated by a human eye.

Invest in quality from the very beginning — it will pay off many times over in the form of satisfied users, positive reviews, and a successful product.