How To Test Websites Manually: A Simple (But Complete) Guide

Manual web testing is still the backbone of quality assurance for many teams. It gives you control, flexibility, and insight that automated tests can’t always match.

Before automation tools are introduced, or even alongside them, manual QA testing have helped QA teams identify visual bugs, navigation issues, broken flows, and inconsistencies in real-world user behavior. They are a little bit tedious, but they sure are helpful.

This guide will walk you through:

• What is web testing and why it matters
• The exact process to follow for manual web application testing
• Real-life best practices for browser testing manually
• How to move from manual testing for websites to automation using tools like Katalon

Whether you’re new to manual website testing or want a sharper process for exploratory or functional manual testing, you’ll find value here.

Let’s get started.

What is web testing?

Web testing is the process of evaluating how a website functions and behaves across different browsers, devices, and environments. It checks how each part of a web application responds when real users interact with it. This includes functionality, usability, compatibility, security, and performance.

Example of web testing

Example: A QA engineer is testing a food delivery website. They want to verify the checkout flow after selecting a meal. During the manual test, they confirm the delivery address is editable, the payment method updates correctly, and the “Place Order” button is enabled only after all fields are complete. These checks fall under manual testing for websites.

Manual website testing helps you spot layout shifts, broken links, or content misalignment early. It also supports user interface validation and plays a key role in exploratory testing, especially before or during sprint releases.

The process of manual web testing

Manual web testing means testing a website by hand without using automation scripts. It lets you interact directly with each component of a site to observe behavior, verify functionality, and catch bugs. This approach supports detailed user interface validation and is essential for early-stage testing.

Here are three helpful benefits of manual testing for websites:

• It helps detect visual and usability issues with more accuracy
• It supports exploratory testing when specifications are still evolving
• It allows quick feedback before automation is set up

Manual testing follows a structured approach known as the Software Testing Life Cycle. This method ensures thorough coverage and aligns manual QA testing with the larger QA process.

1. Requirement analysis

Testers meet with product owners and developers to gather testing requirements. These details are recorded in a Requirement Traceability Matrix. It helps track test coverage and connects each test case to a specific feature.

Clear communication ensures accurate test design. In many teams, behavior-driven development helps write understandable scenarios that map directly to user needs.

2. Test planning

This step defines the test strategy. It answers what to test, how to test, and what tools or timelines are needed. Planning helps align manual test scripts with business priorities and keeps testing efforts focused.

• Objectives: Functional, usability, and performance goals
• Scope: Features that are in-scope for this cycle
• Deliverables: Test cases, scenarios, and data sets
• Timeline: When to execute and when to report
• Approach: Techniques used for each type of test

3. Test case development

Testers create test cases based on requirements. These cases define inputs, steps, and expected results. This step in the testing workflow strengthens traceability and supports repeatable test plan execution.

Example Test Case:

4. Test environment setup

QA engineers prepare the environment where tests will run. This includes devices, browsers, tools, and networks. It ensures accurate testing under real conditions.

• Simulators help validate behavior across mobile and desktop
• Physical devices show how software performs on actual hardware
• Emulators support cross-platform compatibility testing

Many teams use tools like Katalon Studio to manage test environments for mobile and desktop testing.

5. Test execution

Testers run the prepared test cases. Each step is followed and actual results are captured. If outcomes differ from the expected, those are logged for review.

• Passed: Result matches expected
• Blocked: A dependency delays execution
• Skipped: Not applicable in the current cycle

Manual web application testing in this phase supports strong bug reporting and timely updates to test cases. It also allows easy alignment with release cycles.

6. Test cycle closure

Testers wrap up testing activities. Reports are prepared and shared. These include the environment used, test logs, and results across different versions. Closure meetings help evaluate success and improve future testing workflows.

5 best practices when testing websites manually

1. Create detailed test cases and checklists

Clear test cases help you stay consistent across different testing cycles. They also reduce ambiguity when multiple testers work on the same feature. Manual web testing works best when it follows structured steps with expected outcomes.

For example, if you are testing a login form, a good test case includes inputs, actions, and the expected result. It can also include edge conditions like incorrect passwords or missing fields. Here's how to create a test case.

To create detailed web test cases, make sure that you:

• Write test cases based on user stories or acceptance criteria
• Include preconditions, input data, and expected output
• Break complex flows into smaller, trackable steps
• Use a checklist to track completion during test plan execution

Many teams also use a website manual QA checklist. It helps them test forms, buttons, popups, modals, and error states in a repeatable way.

Advice: Add timestamps and tester names to each test case. It helps track progress across sprints and improves traceability across your manual QA testing workflow.

2. Test across browsers, devices, and screen sizes

Manual web testing becomes more effective when you check how your site behaves in different environments.

Layout, functionality, and usability can vary across platforms. For example, a product filter displays correctly on Chrome but shift position on Safari, or a checkout button may respond quickly on desktop but lag on a mid-range mobile device. These are common scenarios that appear during browser testing manually, so testing these differences helps ensure a consistent experience for every user. 

Here are the most common environments to prioritize:

• Browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge
• Mobile devices: iPhone 13, Samsung Galaxy S21, Pixel 6
• Desktop resolutions: 1366x768, 1440x900, 1920x1080
• Tablet resolutions: iPad 10.2", Galaxy Tab A7

Testing across devices also helps with responsive design testing. It reveals how layouts adjust and whether touch or scroll interactions feel natural.

Advice: Start with devices that reflect your actual user traffic. Analytics data can guide which screen sizes and browsers matter most.

3. Use realistic and edge-case test data

A form that works with a short name may behave differently with a long international character set. A price field may calculate properly with standard values but misbehave with decimals or currency symbols.

Use a mix of test data types to account for those scenarios. You can have:

• Valid entries [e.g., “John Doe”, “john@example.com”]
• Empty fields [e.g., "", null values]
• Boundary inputs [e.g., 0, 1, 999999]
• Special characters [e.g., &, %, /, *, ‘, "]
• Uncommon but valid entries [e.g., international phone numbers]

A technique many web testers use is boundary value analysis.

Advice: Keep a shared test data library. It reduces setup time and ensures consistency across test cycles.

4. Document bugs with clear reproduction steps

Clear documentation helps developers fix issues faster. It removes guesswork and improves feedback loops during manual QA testing. When testers explain how a bug happened, developers can recreate the issue and deliver fixes quickly.

Good bug reports should include:

• Bug title that describes the issue clearly
• Environment details like browser, device, and test data
• Step-by-step actions to reproduce the issue
• Actual result and expected result
• Screenshots or videos if needed for clarity

Advice: Always validate a bug at least once before reporting. This confirms the issue and builds trust in the QA process.

5. Include exploratory testing in every cycle

Exploratory testing helps uncover issues that structured test cases may overlook. It allows testers to explore the website like real users.

A tester browsing a product detail page may decide to open several tabs, switch currencies, and then return to checkout. These natural behaviors sometimes trigger bugs that scripted tests do not detect. Manual web testing benefits from this freedom to explore.

To guide exploratory testing, try the following:

• Use personas to simulate different user types
• Switch between flows often to see how features interact
• Test under varying network speeds or screen sizes
• Record sessions for later review and bug reporting
• Mix familiar scenarios with unexpected actions

Manual front-end testing becomes more powerful when it includes room for discovery. This method improves test coverage and increases confidence in real-world usage.

Advice: Allocate time in each sprint specifically for exploratory sessions. It adds variety and sharpens tester intuition.

How Katalon helps you start automating web testing?

Once you have a steady manual web testing workflow in place, Katalon helps take the next step. It makes automation accessible with built-in frameworks and a wide range of features designed for speed, clarity, and scale.

Katalon is an all-in-one platform. It supports both testers and developers by combining test creation, execution, and reporting into one environment. You can run web testing without automation knowledge or scale into full test automation when ready.

With a Katalon license, you can:

• Write UI and API test cases for web, desktop, and mobile apps using Katalon's ready-to-use frameworks
• Access the Object Repository to store and manage UI elements easily
• Use the Object Capture tool to record and reuse web element locators
• Manage test data, apply data-driven testing, and use BDD workflows
• Run tests locally, remotely, on cloud, or through private environments
• Trigger test runs from the CLI using Katalon Runtime Engine
• Connect with top CI/CD tools to run tests after every code update
• Schedule tests, track progress, and generate visual test reports

Katalon is especially helpful for teams comparing manual vs automated testing. It builds on your existing QA process and enables faster feedback. You can begin with manual test scripts and gradually automate repeatable flows without disrupting current workflows. Download Katalon and start testing today.

The platform supports real-world conditions and runs across 3000 plus combinations of browsers and devices. This makes Katalon an ideal bridge between manual QA testing and scalable quality assurance methods.

📝 Want to move from browser testing manually to automation? Request a demo and explore how Katalon fits your team’s testing strategy.