How often should usability testing be conducted on a website?

The frequency of usability testing on a website can vary depending on factors such as the size of the website, the rate of changes being made, and the resources available. However, here are some general guidelines:

1. **Initial Testing**: Usability testing should be conducted during the initial design and development phases of the website to identify major usability issues and gather feedback on the overall user experience.

2. **Regular Interval Testing**: After the initial testing phase, it's recommended to conduct usability testing at regular intervals, such as quarterly or bi-annually, to ensure that the website continues to meet user needs as it evolves.

3. **After Significant Updates**: Usability testing should also be conducted after significant updates or redesigns to assess the impact of the changes on user experience and identify any new issues that may have arisen.

4. **In Response to Feedback**: If users provide feedback indicating usability issues or dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the website, usability testing should be conducted to investigate these issues further and inform potential improvements.

5. **During Development Cycles**: Usability testing can also be integrated into the development process, with smaller-scale tests conducted more frequently as new features or updates are being developed.

6. **Continuous Monitoring**: In addition to formal usability testing sessions, it's important to continuously monitor user behavior and feedback through analytics, heatmaps, user surveys, and other tools to identify potential usability issues or areas for improvement.

Overall, while there's no one-size-fits-all answer to how often usability testing should be conducted, the key is to strike a balance between conducting regular tests to ensure ongoing usability and avoiding excessive testing that may be resource-intensive or disrupt the development process.