How do I give feedback and approve a new website design?

The short version

• One decision-maker, one combined list of feedback per round.
• Describe the problem (“customers won’t find the phone number”), not the fix (“make it red”).
• Review on a real phone first. Most of your visitors may be on one.
• The build happens on a private staging copy that search engines can’t see.
• Give written sign-off. Nothing goes live without it.

What happens at each stage?

Diagram: the stages of a website project and the owner’s part in each. A general pattern, not a promise of timing.

Most projects follow the same arc: a brief, a page plan, design, build on staging, review, launch and the first 90 days. How long each takes depends mostly on content and decisions; see how long a redesign takes. This page is about your part in the middle: reviewing design and approving the build.

How should I review a design?

Designers often show the home page and one inner page first. That’s the moment to steer. Review it like a customer:

1. Open it on your phone. Can you tell in five seconds what the business does, and how to call?
2. Then on a computer. Does the layout still make sense?
3. Pretend you’re a new customer with one question. Can you find the answer?
4. Check the feel against the sites you liked in your brief.
5. Ignore placeholder text and images for now, but say if the space for real content looks too small.

How do I give useful feedback?

• Collect it, then send it once. Gather everyone’s comments, settle the disagreements internally, and send one list from the decision-maker.
• Number each point so the designer can reply point by point.
• Describe the problem. “Older customers may struggle with the small grey text” leads to a better fix than “make the text bigger and black.”
• Say what works too, so it isn’t changed by accident.
• Separate must-fix from preference. Mark each point.

Many design agreements include a set number of rounds. Combined feedback makes each round count.

What is staging, and why does it matter?

A staging site is a private copy where the new site is built and tested before it goes public. For the basics, read what a staging site is. Two things to know as an owner:

• It should be hidden from search engines. Google’s noindex guide explains how a noindex rule keeps pages out of results. Google notes that if robots.txt blocks a page, Google can’t see its noindex rule, so the page could still appear if other sites link to it. A password on the staging site avoids the question entirely.
• The noindex must come off at launch. Forgetting it is one of the classic launch mistakes.

What should I check on staging?

• Every fact: prices, hours, phone numbers, service areas, team names.
• Every form: send a test and confirm it reaches the right inbox.
• Every phone link: tap it on a phone.
• Accessibility basics: the W3C’s Easy Checks are a good first look. See accessibility from day one.
• Old addresses redirecting to the right new pages, if this replaces a site.

For smaller edits later, after launch, our help page on reviewing and approving a preview shows the same idea on a smaller scale.

How do I sign off?

In writing: an email that says what you’ve approved, for example “Approved: all pages on staging as of today, ready to launch.” That protects both sides and makes it clear what “done” means.

What are the common mistakes?

• Feedback from five people, five times. The designer can’t satisfy conflicting comments.
• New features during review. Write them on a “phase two” list instead.
• Reviewing only on a big monitor. Customers mostly won’t.
• Silent approval. “Looks fine” in passing isn’t sign-off.
• Content still changing at launch. Freeze it a few days before.

What if the project stalls?

Find what it’s waiting for. Usually it’s content, a decision, or an outside login. Our answer on what to do when a redesign stalls lists the usual causes. If the designer has gone quiet, ask for a written status and a date.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Reviews cost your time. Extra design rounds or features added mid-project often cost money; check what your agreement says. For timelines, see how long a redesign takes.

How does E-3 handle this?

Redesigns are tested on a staging copy first. You get a working preview to try on your own phone before launch.

Related questions

• How do I write a brief?
• What goes on a launch checklist?
• What is a staging site?
• How do I review and approve a website preview?
• Back to the complete guide to planning a website

Sources

1. Block search indexing with noindex (Google Search Central)
2. Easy Checks: a first review of web accessibility (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)