Chances are, you rely on WordPress to power your personal blog, business website, or even ecommerce store. With over 455 million websites built on WordPress, it dominates as the world’s most popular content management system.
I’m guessing that’s exactly why you chose it too. The simplicity of launching a functional site using open source WordPress, combined with the ability to customize it to your heart’s content brings immense value.
But have you taken the necessary steps to ensure your WordPress site works flawlessly across all browsers and devices?
With over 95% of internet users accessing the web via browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox on both mobiles and laptops, providing excellent cross-browser compatibility is mission critical.
After all, you want every single visitor to easily access and enjoy using your WordPress website or blog, right?
That’s exactly why I put together this comprehensive guide!
I’ve personally tested sites across thousands of browser and device combinations over my 10+ year career. And in this step-by-step resource, I’ll share everything you need to know to ensure your WordPress site is cross-browser compatible.
Here’s what I’ll cover:
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What cross browser testing is
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Why it’s vital for WordPress sites
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Choosing which browsers and devices to test
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Tips for optimizing testing WordPress performance
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Step-by-step instructions for both manual and automated testing
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Tools that simplify WordPress cross browser testing
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Best practices for continually testing your site
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And more…
Let’s get right into it!
What Exactly is Cross Browser Testing?
Before we dive deeper, let’s quickly get on the same page about what cross browser testing actually means.
Cross browser testing refers to evaluating how your website layout, content, and functionality performs across different browser types and device formats.
The goal is to identify any inconsistencies in the user experience based on the browser and device visitors are using to access your site.
For example, Chrome and Firefox may display your site perfectly on a laptop. But text and images could overlap or get cut off on Safari for iPad users.
Without cross browser testing, you remain unaware of these potential issues impacting site visitors.
Why You Must Cross Browser Test WordPress Sites
Now you may be wondering…“The core WordPress software aims to provide good cross-browser compatibility. Do I really need to test my site across browsers?”
The answer is a resounding yes!
While WordPress itself scores well for adhering to web development standards, themes and plugins can introduce browser conflicts. After all, most are built by different developers in isolation.
Even well-tested commercial plugins can potentially clash with your specific theme and site setup.
Additionally, custom code and experiments on your WordPress site bring further compatibility risks.
Some common cross-browser issues plaguing WordPress sites include:
✅ Layout and styling breaks – A plugin overriding CSS can lead to buttons overlapping text or images getting distorted on tablets.
✅ Missing functionality – Custom JavaScript not properly coded for Safari can result in forms, menus not working.
✅ Accessibility failures – Improper ARIA attributes can prevent access via screen readers or keyboards.
✅ Performance problems – Complex sites may load too slowly on mobile networks causing high bounce rates.
By 2021, global internet traffic from mobile devices alone is expected to reach 21 exabytes per month. With the stakes so high, can you really afford to lose a chunk of mobile visitors due to cross-browser issues?
I know your website means the world to you. So let’s talk about how to actually test it across key desktop and mobile browsers.
Which Browsers Should You Test your WordPress Site On?
Trying to test every minor browser is impractical. Focus testing efforts on browsers with significant usage share amongst your visitors.
For global coverage, target browsers like:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari
- Samsung Internet
- Android Browser
On the desktop side, prioritize testing the latest versions of:
- Chrome and Firefox on Windows and MacOS
- Safari on MacOS
- Edge on Windows
Don’t ignore legacy platforms many still use like Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge Legacy.
On mobile, aim to test multiple iOS and Android phone and tablet devices covering varying screen sizes, processors and more.
Emulators fail to account for these mobile hardware differences that impact rendering. Real devices are a must.
Refer to your WordPress site analytics to understand your actual visitor browser share breakdown. This will help guide testing priority.
Say 25% of your traffic comes from iOS Safari. Tailor testing to catch rendering flaws specifically affecting those users.
Let’s now shift gears into the testing itself…
How To Manually Test your WordPress Site Across Browsers
When building or modifying WordPress sites, quick ad hoc testing across browsers is invaluable.
Manual live testing helps catch at a glance:
✅ Visual and layout defects
✅ Functional issues like broken menus
✅ Slow page load times
Rather than manage your own device lab, leverage online tools like BrowserStack Live providing instant access to 3000+ real mobile and desktop browsers.
To manually test, simply:
- Sign up for BrowserStack and get free testing minutes
- Select your target browser, OS and device
- Enter URL to test site live
- Interact and validate site behavior
- Repeat for additional browsers/devices
Document any cross-browser issues for further debugging – a necessary step for reliable testing.
These real-time manual tests supplement automated checks with visual validation by a human tester.
But exhaustively repeating these steps across all browsers manually long-term isn’t realistic.
That’s where test automation comes in…
How To Automate WordPress Cross Browser Testing
While manual testing enables targeted live testing, running thorough test automation across a large number of browsers/devices is key for comprehensive coverage.
Some testing aspects like site load performance and javascript execution are also best validated via automated scripts.
For WordPress sites, I recommend BrowserStack Automate – an intelligent platform for Selenium test automation.
Why automate testing across browsers?
✅ Runs 24/7 so you test thousands of configurations
✅ Simulates complex user scenarios like payments
✅ Automatic pass/fail reporting to catch compatibility defects
For example in PHP, you can write Selenium scripts that:
- Navigate across your WordPress site frontend pages
- Enter data into forms and fields
- Validate content rendering correctly across browsers
- Measure performance metrics like page load speeds
Here’s a sample that searches for “BrowserStack” on Google on a Galaxy S8 phone:
// Set up browser capabilities
$caps = array(
"device" => "Samsung Galaxy S8",
"real_mobile" => true
);
// Initialize BrowserStack remote web driver
$driver = RemoteWebDriver::create(
"https://user:[email protected]/wd/hub",
$caps
);
// Navigate to google.com
$driver->get("https://www.google.com");
// Enter search term and submit form
$element = $driver->findElement( WebDriverBy::name("q") );
$element->sendKeys("BrowserStack");
$element->submit();
// Print browser title after search
print $driver->getTitle();
// Quit driver
$driver->quit();Such robust automation testing continuously trains your eyes on the bigger picture – how well your entire WordPress site and its new features work across environments.
Tools That Simplify WordPress Cross Browser Testing
Manually kicking off tests and collating results can divert energy best spent enhancing your site.
Leverage tools purpose-built to streamline WordPress cross browser testing like:
☑️ WordPress Plugin – One click access to BrowserStack’s device cloud from within your admin dashboard.
☑️ Chrome Extension – Quickly launch browser tests right from your Chrome window.
☑️ Local Testing Setups – Evaluate intranet sites by creating secure tunnels to BrowserStack.
☑️ CI Integrations– Run automations on every commit by tying BrowserStack with Jenkins or Travis CI.
These tightly coupled capabilities reduce the overhead of cross-browser testing WordPress instances.
Best Practices for Continual WordPress Testing
Here are my top tips for interweaving cross browser testing into your workflows:
Document detailed bug reports – Log browser-specific defects uncovered during testing. This data trail helps prioritize remedy efforts.
Isolate issues – If a browser conflict arises, determine whether the theme, a plugin or custom code is the culprit.
Think accessibility – Validate site complies with standards enabling access across disabilities. Many browsers now enforce compliance.
Monitor site performance – Check page load speeds regularly since new features can slow things down. Set performance budgets.
Test early, test often – Nip potential browser issues at the blueprint stage itself before unveiling site publicly. Prevents visitor impact.
Automate testing – Re-run automated browser compatibility tests during development sprints and before launches. Also sets up a safety net checking for cross-browser regressions.
Stay updated – As new browser versions get patched, re-check your WordPress site at least once every quarter. Evolving standards can unearth fresh conflicts.
Let’s Get Your WordPress Site Cross Browser Ready!
I hope this guide served as a good primer giving you clarity on:
- Why rigorously testing WordPress on various browsers and devices matters
- How to manually and automatically test sites for cross-browser compatibility
- Which browsers and test types to prioritize based on your site traffic
- Tools and best practices that help streamline and simplify testing
Just remember – browser innovation marches on relentlessly. So constant vigilance through continual cross-browser testing remains crucial for providing excellent user experiences across the board.
Now that you’re armed with the right knowledge and testing methods, you can finally rest easy knowing your WordPress website will work wonderfully for all visitors regardless of their chosen browser or device type!
