WHAT TOOLS ARE IN YOUR TOOL BELT?

Do you want to develop a GOOD website or a GREAT website?  To make the site the best it can be you need to ensure it is optimized, secure, and scaled.  These are all techniques to ensure you have the safest and fastest site you possibly can.  There are many choices of tools available: some free and others at a price.

Learning about all the various tools available and how to use them has been a lot to take in.  However, I feel more knowledgeable and in control as I develop my website after having taken the time to learn about choices, finding those that work best for me, and implementing them.

The list of tools is long but I have chosen a few favorites.  The following are tools I now use before making a site live or publishing updates.  I tend to go between Firefox and Chrome so I have identified which browser the tool is for when applicable.

W3 Validation is always one of my first tools used.  This tool is open source that validates web documents markup language accuracy.   The process runs using a URI/URL, web document, or entering code and is not browser specific.  It is able to check most markup languages:  HTML, XTHML, SMIL, MathML, and CSS to name a few.  Results provide detailed information regarding issues you can then resolve.  It a great start knowing you have a well-written, efficiently coded page.

Browsershots  is a free cross-browser validation tool.  It does not have live testing and the process request goes to a queue for completion.  This tool works for me for what I am doing at this time.  I can run online and my queue waiting time is typically 2-3 minutes.  At this date, validation is available on 213 browsers/OS pairings. Results provided are screen shots from each check.  This an important check:  your website may look and operate great in the browser built in, but may not work in others.  Cross-browser validation identifies if your site works without issue for the visitor across the browsers checked.  If I change to a fee based cross-browser validation tool I am interested in BrowserStack (https://www.browserstack.com/# ).

Page Speed is a tool that test how fast your pages load.  It is an on line test using a through point choice of location to test from:  I kept Melbourne Australia as the default on my test and received quick results.

EWWW Image Optimizer () is last but definitely not least.  This tool will increase page sped through image optimization.

There are so many tool possibilities I could not cover them all.  Therefore, this blog identifies those that I currently prefer to use.  I hope you find value in this information and are inspired to use more validation or start using validations after reading.  Remember that tools and technology change constantly so never stay committed to a specific tool without researching new or different options.  They provide results related to performance, response, content and more ensuring your visitors have the BEST possible experience.