When a company creates or updates their website they want to know what people think. They will pay to have people test their site before it goes live. You can be one of those people! Keep reading to find out how you can earn money through website testing.

 

What does website testing involve?

The tests are normally short, taking around 10-20 minutes per test. The payments start from £5 or $10, but can be as much as $60 for longer tests that may take up to an hour. Payments are made by PayPal so even if you are paid in Dollars it is still easy to withdraw the money in Pounds (for a small fee).

Most of the companies that offer tests require you to install a screen recorder. This records your screen as you use your normal web browser to test the website. The screen recorder shows you different questions for you to answer. You speak your answers out loud and your responses are recorded via a microphone. I just use the built in microphone on my laptop. If your computer doesn’t have one you will need to use a headset.

If you have a mobile device running IOS or Android you can complete tests on your phone or tablet. The testing company will check whether your device is suitable. Once that’s confirmed they will send you mobile tests separately.

Not all tests require you to speak out loud. I mention a couple of companies below that have different requirements. Don’t worry if you think speaking out loud will be weird. After you’ve done the practice tests you soon get the hang of it. You can even have a go at tests where you do an interview about the website over Skype.

Website testing from a Mum’s perspective

Although it is easy to complete these tests flexibly, you do need to have a quiet and distraction free environment. This isn’t always easy with little ones around. I either get up early or wait until my baby has just started a nap before I look through the different websites to see if any tests are available. I still manage to complete a few tests a month this way. If you need to you can pause the screen recorder and continue the test later.

Where can I find the work?

Screen/voice recording tests

WhatUsersDo

WhatUsersDo were the first company I ever tried website testing for. Unfortunately I can only do standard computer tests for them as the mobile ones require mirroring the screen of my phone onto my laptop. My computer can’t cope with the extra workload! If you can get this set up though, WhatUsersDo offer tablet and smartphone website tests as well.

The pay is £5 per test so it’s not as much as other sites. However, most of the tests are quite short. The other benefit is that you are very rarely screened out. WhatUsersDo are good at sending you tests that you are actually likely to qualify for. They also have a very good helpdesk so if you run into any problems they can help to sort these out quickly.

MfM Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

UserTesting

UserTesting offer me the most surveys but I find I am screened out of a lot of them. I still succeed in getting through to a few of them though and they are my second most used testing website. The screen recorder works much better with UserTesting and they pay $10 per test. You are rated by the customer after each test. You get useful feedback which can help you improve for the future.

UserTesting have an app which you can download in order to take part in mobile/tablet tests. You can see these tests on your dashboard along with the computer ones when you login. If you sign into the app on your phone the tests appear on there for you to attempt.

When you are signed in to the UserTesting website leave it open on a tab in your browser. You will hear a ping when a new test becomes available. This is the fastest way to get access to tests you might be eligible for. Otherwise you can receive the notifications to your inbox. They offer longer tests and interview surveys as well as the standard $10 tests.

MfM Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

TryMyUI

TryMyUI is another great platform for website testing. Like UserTesting they have an app which allows you to take mobile tests. These will show up on your dashboard when you log in to your account via a computer. TryMyUI are great for only sending you tests which you actually qualify for. They email you when new tests become available. Their screen recorder works really well too.

The only issue for me is that I don’t get many tests from them, but this could just be because of my profile and how it fits with their needs. It’s still worth signing up to them. TryMyUI pay $10 per test.

MfM Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Any Others?

You can try UserFeel who pay $10 per test. I have qualified to test for them but so far I haven’t been able to complete any.

Validately offer tests on both computer and mobile platforms. They send me lots of tests but I have yet to qualify for any of them. They seem to keep sending the same invite multiple times for each test so I sometimes feel like relegating their emails to spam! Validately offer longer tests of up to an hour for $60 as well as the shorter $10 tests.

UserZoom, who own WhatUsersDo, also have a company called IntelliZoom who you can test for. I haven’t qualified for any tests with them yet. They pay $10 per test.

UserLytics pay $5 to $20 per test. Some tests offer as much as $90 according to their website.

Other types of testing

Enroll

Enroll offer short surveys where you look at websites and answer questions about them. You don’t speak out loud for these tests but type in your responses instead. Unfortunately they don’t pay very highly. I have taken 3 tests so far and only earned $0.20 to $0.50 for each one.

MfM Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

uTest

If you feel confident with getting more technical with website testing, you can give uTest a go. I found the sign up and qualification process quite challenging and I learnt some new skills in the process. I now know how to use the developer mode in my phone and how to access the console log of my web browser! All this gets explained to you as part of the training process.

The aim of uTest is to explore websites and apps, testing their function and generating bug reports. The fee varies depending on the client. You normally get at least $8 to $10. If you are successful at it you can earn quite a lot per test cycle, especially if you find valuable bugs. It is up to you how long you spend exploring and looking. You only get paid for bugs that are approved – this is where I haven’t been very successful. Bugs that I thought were great didn’t get signed off. I’m therefore cautious about how much time I spend looking for them.

MfM Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Any Others?

You could try signing up with Testing Time if you can spare more time for testing. You get paid €50 per hour and you either test products at home via Skype or at the customer’s offices.

Thank you for reading!

Website testing is a great little earner when you have some spare (quiet) moments. It’s so easy to do (with the exception of uTest which is a bit more involved) and pays well. Let me know in the comments section on the Money for Mummy website if you give it a go and how you get on!