With the increasing rate of unemployment, a lot of people have turned to online jobs such as writing, Captcha jobs, betting, referrals, and online marketing among others to earn a living. The innovation of the industry has a lot of input into the economy giving rise to billions of websites. Interestingly, companies such as Enroll, TestingTime, WhatUsersDo, Amazon Mechanical Turk, and UserLytics among others have been in the website testing venture for long bringing in the question; can one make an income out of it?

What Website Testing Involves

If you have never heard of the hustle or you have been wondering about how the website testers operate, do not worry since we have satisfying answers for your questions.

Generally, the website testers are sent to specific websites and asked for a genuine opinion about its visual looks and issues. Sometimes they are forced to install software and applications (to prove that they thoroughly performed the test,) or to test the site’s performance by installing some apps in their computer.

You only need an updated computer, reliable internet connection, and a webcam to become a web tester.

Payments per Company

Types of Test Websites and Responsibilities

E-commerce website testing

E-commerce website testing is a bit complicated since one is required to check all the SRS features and their functionality. On the functionality one should check the main page, category page, payment gateway, placing an order, and the product detail page.

Things to Consider While Testing

1. Checking on the super validation to ensure that only new users are allowed to sign up
2. Check on the currency converter functionality such that the currency selected on the converter can display the price alongside tax.
3. The compare product icon should work depending on the specifications assigned in the back-end.
4. Check whether the filter option is functioning based on pricing and categories.
5. Check from all pages whether the shopping cart is updating and increasing the quantity after buying.
6. Ensure that the wish list section of an existing user got saved from their previous login and displays once she/he adds a product into the shopping basket on the next login.
7. Check objectively whether a single product is displaying in correspondence to the variations.
8. Ensure that the commissions and discounts are displaying and assigned to the correct products.
9. Ensure that the payment gateway only operates after identifying the CCV code number and the card number.
10. Ensure that the shipping charges and the tax rates are generated based on the selected region.
11. Test the functionality of the live chat and email.
12. Check on the plugs in installation and usage to ensure that it does not affect or conflict the other functionalities.
13. Ensure the social media sharing option is functional to individual products.
14. An email trigger should be received after receiving purchasing processes such as;
15. Placing an order.
16. Website sign up.
17. Order canceled.
18. Order received.
19. Successful payments.

Things to Consider While Testing

1. Confirm the functionality of the links
2. Ensure that all the contents in the web pages carry a correct spelling using the client’s original materials.
3. Check the presence of all GUI elements in the developed web page by comparing it with the approved PSD files.
4. Regarding the GUI design, remember to check on the production of correct color, spacing, font size, and style.
5. Test the vertical and horizontal scroll bar to ensure they are not hidden, and some inconveniencing scrolling does not happen.
6. Carefully confirm that the content does not display wrong, duplicated, or broken images.
7. Check the functionality of any contact form by sending dummy messages to confirm on the sending and receiving, ensuring any check-in email is not spammed, the email reply trigger is active and operational, and whether the designated person received the email.
8. Confirm the presence and functionality of the correct URL, Favicon, Copyright information, Captcha, and the loading speed.
9. Ensure that the web page is error-free by validating it with W3 Validator or any other useful software.

Mobile Website Testing

Do not confuse a mobile website to a mobile application because a mobile site consists of HTML pages that only operate with an internet connection while a mobile app can be downloaded, installed and then functions while offline.

However, conducting a website testing is tedious than any other website testing since it consists of separate designs, therefore, several functionalities.

Things to Consider While Testing

1. Remember to test web page navigation, unexpected page scroll, and text truncation among others.
2. Conduct a usability and GUI test since it does not reflect the desktop version.
3. Ensure that a mobile link triggers the browsing of a standard web link from a mobile source.
4. Confirm that you get the actual results after testing mobile website specifications and performance by using emulators.

Dynamic Web Application Testing

This type allows the user to alter the website content regularly. It consists of front-end programming that uses HTML and CSS, and a back-end programming that uses PHP, JavaScript, and ASP.  The best thing about the dynamic website testing is that the website contains a few contents making it possible to conduct simple performance testing using some standard online tools.

Things to Consider While Testing

The below tips will be applied in addition to the points stated in the static website testing.

1. In case your web application consists of sign up and login functionality you should confirm the mandatory field validation by ensuring that, the character restriction field only accepts the characters while the number field is compatible to numbers (no alphabets.) You should also conduct a document upload testing, email functionality, sorting functionality, JavaScript compatibility, timeout functionality, and negative numbers and special characters restriction field testing which only accepts negative numbers and characters (no numerals, no alphabet.)
2. Tooltips testing is mandatory in all fields to ensure that;
3. All disabled fields and buttons get grayed.
4. Tap key shortcut is functional.
5. All buttons are in SRS format.
6. An error message is displays in case of a mess.
7. All pop-up messages and notifications displays at the center of a web page.
8. The drop-down menu is not truncated.
9. There exist a proper content spacing and alignment.
10. On the back-end functionality section ensure that ;
11. The image uploading button properly function to avoid broken images.
12. Check the compatibility of the typed texts.
13. Ensure that the back-end updates reflects on the front-end.
14. Conduct the database testing to ensure that you can add new fields and delete unnecessary ones.

The bottom line is, people can make money for testing websites but not a lot compared to the energy they invest in it. Secondly, if you become impatient with the output, you may end up quitting due to complexities in account suspension and presence of a few assignments. The other thing, you can get de-motivated since they pay constants rates no matter the working experience. Finally, website testing can only be convenient if you are doing it as a part-time job.