Make a checklist

Make a checklist of the tasks that you (and your team if you have one) must check before the web site is beta tested. Such list must include tasks such as:

• The color of the background

• The color and font of the text throughout the site

• Hyperlinks - Do they look and work as intended

• The maximum size of every web page

• Do graphics load properly

• The time it takes for your web pages to load at different speeds (28.8, 56k)

• Browser compatibility

In other words, make sure that you beta test your site before you hand it over to the beta testers. Also, checklists will vary from site to site so make sure you create a checklist that's tailored to your site.

Once you've gone through your checklist (and if everything is satisfactory), create another checklist for the beta testers. Note that this checklist may or may not be similar to the first list you created - It all really depends on what you want to have tested on your site. The list for the beta testers can include the following:

• Do links work properly?

• Is the navigation easy to use?

• Is overall design and site layout satisfactory?

• Do all features work as intended (such as a search engine)

• Is site browser-compatible?

• Time it takes for web pages to load

Let's now find out how and where to find beta testers and how to get and evaluate feedback.