QA and software testing before launch: what to test on a website or app

A practical QA and software testing checklist for launching a website or app: functional, device and browser, performance, security, accessibility, content and launch-day checks.

The Gihonix team · · 4 min read

Key takeaways

  • Test the paths that make money or collect leads first, then everything else.
  • Check real devices and browsers, not only your own laptop.
  • Include forms, payments, emails, error cases and tracking, since these fail most often.
  • Keep a written checklist and re-run it after every significant change.

QA, or quality assurance, and software testing before launch means systematically checking that a website or app does what it should, on the devices people actually use, and fails gracefully when something goes wrong. Start with the journeys that matter most to the business, then widen to devices, speed, security and accessibility.

What should you test first?

Identify your critical paths: the journeys that earn revenue or enquiries. For a store it is browse, add to cart, pay and receive confirmation. For a service site it is landing, read, submit an enquiry and receive a reply. For an app it is sign up, complete the main task and return. Test these before anything else.

Functional testing checklist

  • Every link and button goes where it should.
  • Forms validate input, show clear errors and submit correctly.
  • Confirmation and notification emails arrive and look right.
  • Search, filters and sorting return correct results.
  • Login, logout, password reset and permissions behave properly.
  • Payments succeed, fail and cancel cleanly, using the provider's test mode.
  • Admin actions, such as editing content or orders, work as expected.

Device and browser testing

Test on several screen sizes and at least the main browsers your audience uses.

  • A recent iPhone and Android phone, plus a tablet.
  • The current versions of the common desktop browsers.
  • Portrait and landscape orientation.
  • Slow network conditions.

Emulators help, but real devices catch issues that emulators miss.

Performance testing

  • Measure key pages with PageSpeed Insights or similar tools.
  • Check image sizes, scripts and third-party tags.
  • For apps and stores, test how the system behaves with many users at once, if you expect peaks such as sale days.

Our WordPress speed checklist lists common fixes.

Security testing basics

  • Keys and passwords are not exposed in code or pages.
  • Admin areas require strong authentication.
  • Input is validated, and users can only access their own data.
  • Software and plugins are updated.
  • HTTPS works on every page.
  • Error messages do not reveal internal details.

For high-risk systems, consider specialist security testing.

Accessibility testing

  • You can use the key journeys with a keyboard alone.
  • Text has enough contrast and resizes without breaking.
  • Images have useful alternative text.
  • Form fields have labels.

See website accessibility basics for details.

Content and SEO checks

  • No placeholder text or test data left behind.
  • Titles, headings and descriptions are present and sensible.
  • Redirects from old URLs work; see redesigning without losing SEO.
  • The site is not blocked from search engines by mistake.
  • Analytics and conversion tracking record correctly.

Edge cases and error handling

Real users do unexpected things. Try:

  1. Empty fields, very long text and special characters.
  2. Going back mid-checkout, or refreshing after submitting.
  3. Using two tabs at once.
  4. Losing connection halfway.
  5. A missing page, which should show a helpful not-found page.

How should you organise testing?

Step Output
Write test cases A checklist of what to check and the expected result
Run on staging Issues recorded with steps to reproduce
Fix and retest Each fix verified, plus a quick check of nearby features
Final pass A full run of critical paths on the live site
After launch Monitoring and a plan for quick fixes

Automated tests help for repeated checks, but manual testing still finds usability and layout problems. For applications built from scratch, such as those described in why Laravel suits custom apps, automated tests protect each future change.

Work with Gihonix

Gihonix is a software, AI and web development company based in Coimbatore, India. Our QA and software testing team tests websites, stores and applications for clients in Coimbatore, across India and worldwide. Contact us to plan testing before your launch.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between QA and testing?

Testing checks that the software works. QA is the wider process of preventing defects, including reviews, standards and the tests themselves.

Can I test my own website?

You should, but fresh eyes find more. Developers tend to test what they expect to work, so involve someone who did not build it.

Do I need automated testing?

It is valuable for applications that change often, because it quickly shows if a change broke something. Small brochure sites usually rely on a manual checklist.

How long does QA take?

It depends on size and complexity. Reserve time in the project plan, rather than squeezing testing into the last day.

All services · Contact Gihonix