How to Test a WordPress Website – Step by Step Instructions

WordPress is one of the world’s most popular and trusted platforms for creating and managing websites. Launched in 2003, it’s been around long enough to know what it is and what it isn’t suitable for. That being said, there are times when a WordPress website will perform worse than expected due to various reasons. In order to find out why, and to test your site to the fullest, you need to follow these steps; they will help you find the root of the problem and fix it so your site can perform at its best.

Step one: Use the WordPress default theme

When launching a new WordPress project, there are a few items you need to get right away. First you need to choose a WordPress default theme, preferably one that is already installed on your site. This will speed up the setup process, and help you avoid any minor glitches that could arise from using out-of-the-box themes.

Step two: Install the WordPress default plugins

Installing the WordPress default plugins is another essential step in the process. Without these plugins your site won’t work correctly, and could even break down. When selecting plugins, make sure you choose those that are critical for the functioning of your site. For example, if you’re using a shopping cart plugin to allow online purchases, you need to ensure this plugin is installed and functional before continuing.

Step three: Create a test user

You can’t test or review a website for various reasons, so you need to create a user with special privileges to access and edit the site’s content. For this purpose, you can use an existing user with zero privileges, or create a new user with minimum privileges. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll create a test user with limited privileges to edit posts and pages.

Step four: Download the latest WordPress release

With the latest WordPress version, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the CMS’s features and functions. For this step, you need to visit the WordPress website. Once you’ve reached the download section, you need to click on the big green button to start the download. When the button changes to a yellowish color, it means the process has started.

Step five: Configure the new WordPress release

Once the download is complete, you’ll be able to configure the new WordPress release using the setup wizard. This wizard will walk you through the process of setting up the site as you’d expect it to work, with no surprises. Follow the on-screen instructions, and your new WordPress site will be operational in no time.

Step six: Use the WordPress default editor

The previous step brought you to the website’s dashboard, where you can access the CMS’s default editor. The default editor is very similar to a text editor you’d find on a PC; however, it is optimized for use with a touchscreen interface. While you can view and edit any type of content in the default editor, we recommend using it for creating posts and pages. For these items, the default editor is exactly what you need; it uses pre-defined formatting, and makes creating content a matter of clicks and taps.

Step seven: Use the WordPress audit log

One of the most useful tools in WordPress is the audit log. This tool tracks different aspects of your site’s performance, like login attempts, successful logins, and more. Using this tool regularly is a great way to ensure your site stays secure, and that you’re aware of any potential threats or attacks.

Step eight: Use the WordPress network

Depending on how big your site is, you can choose to either use a standalone server or launch it on a WordPress network. A standalone server is a single instance of WordPress used to host all content created for a particular site. A WordPress network is a collection of WordPress installations that work together to serve web content and allow users to connect and interact.

Step nine: Use FTP to upload files to the new WordPress release

While the WordPress setup process has come to an end, you still need to upload various items to your site. First, upload your website’s content to the /wp-content/ directory. This is the main directory where all the site’s content resides, and it’s the default starting point when you visit your site by clicking its URL in a web browser. Next, you’ll want to upload the website’s style.css file, as well as any other custom CSS files used in the site to the /wp-content/ directory. FTP can be accessed via the WordPress dashboard, from the website’s settings section.

Step ten: Test your site, and fix any glitches

Last but not least, you’ll want to test your new site, and find any glitches. For this purpose, you can use multiple tools like Google Chrome’s built-in developer tools or Firefox’s Web Developer extension. These tools allow you to examine HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, as well as take a deeper look into the page’s performance. If you find any issues, you can use your browser’s Back button to return to the previous page, and fix the problem. Once everything is working properly, you can proudly publish your work, and share it with the world.

WordPress is one of the most popular and trusted platforms for creating and managing websites. Launched in 2003, it’s been around long enough to know what it is and what it isn’t suitable for. That being said, there are times when a WordPress website will perform worse than expected due to various reasons. In order to find out why, and to test your site to the fullest, you need to follow these steps; they will help you find the root of the problem and fix it so your site can perform at its best.