Guides

Templates and guides for finding, reporting and fixing website bugs, free to copy.

Reporting a bug

Bug report templateIn plain text, Markdown and a spreadsheet, with bug title examples and good and bad reports.
Steps to reproduce a bugHow to write steps a developer can follow the first time, with weak and strong examples.
Client feedback examplesFrom the vague to the actionable, what each vague one usually means, and the questions to send with a review round.

Best website bug reporting toolsBugHerd, Marker.io, Userback, Usersnap and Broken Here, with who each is best for.
Bug reporting for agenciesWhat an agency with many client sites needs from the tool, and what it costs.

Website QA checklistBefore launch: links, forms, errors, browsers and devices, speed, SEO and accessibility.
Check a page for errorsFree: load any page in a real browser and list what breaks.
Mobile-friendly testFree: open a page on a phone-sized screen and see what a visitor on a phone runs into.
Broken link checkerFree: follow every link on a page and a few more from its menu, and list the ones that lead nowhere.

Website not loading?How to tell whether it is you or the site, and find the cause.
Website errors explainedEvery common console error and HTTP status, what it means and how to fix it.

Security headers checkThe five response headers that protect visitors in the browser, with a safe value for each.
Web app security checklistKeys in the browser, an open database, API routes that trust anyone: how to check each.

BugHerd alternativeWhat BugHerd does, what Broken Here does differently, and when to pick which.
Marker.io alternativeWhat Marker.io does, what Broken Here does differently, and when to pick which.
Usersnap alternativeWhat Usersnap does, what Broken Here does differently, and when to pick which.
Userback alternativeWhat Userback does, what Broken Here does differently, and when to pick which.
Marker.io and BugHerd, side by sidePrice, setup and what a ticket carries, in one table.