How to Review Your Website: a Guide

So, you’ve just gotten your development link from your web development company. Now what?

There are so many things to look at, test, & review. Our guide will help you section your review into several parts & feel more confident that your feedback will be executed (as you envisioned them) the first time. Refrain from using phrases like “make it pop” or “more dynamic” – it’s best to be direct & explicit with your feedback. Getting stuck in a feedback loop with your web development company is time-consuming for both parties. Providing such feedback won’t hurt anyone’s feelings & will prevent frustrating re-reviews of the website. At Atilus, we prefer if our clients provide a single document with all of the changes they’d like to see.

Overall Look & Feel

Does the website accurately reflect your company? Ideally, you would ensure this to be true in the design phase of your website project, but sometimes, photos & other minor details you may feel that are not reflective of your company’s vision. When you’re reviewing make sure that the spacing of the objects are not different than you would expect. For example, text breaking at a random spot or a picture causing the page to be shifted differently. Here a few things to check:

• Layouts of pages are consistent
• The spacing between elements is even
• The fonts are consistent between browsers

Functionality

The way your website functions is absolutely vital. Are all the buttons working, do they link to the correct pages? Are the accordions or tab functions working as intended? We thoroughly test this prior to sending the development link, but there may be some devices or browsers that things function differently on. Here are a few more things to check:

• Videos are working correctly
• The site loads quickly – there are a few instances on video & photo heavy sites that they are slow in the development environment, but once the site goes live the speed is much faster.
• Contact forms are submitting & you receive the email
• Buttons are working & linking correctly
• Tabs/accordions are functioning

Mobile & Other Devices

Our websites are always built with mobile devices in mind, but it’s always good to test your website prior to launch on any device you will frequently be visiting it on. Chances are, if you’re using it, there will be a customer also using it. Here at Atilus, we have a variety of tools to emulate a variety of device experiences, but live testing on the device is always the best! Here are a few specific mobile things to check:

• The menu functions properly – it can be opened & closed easily, all of the buttons work as intended in the menu
• All the buttons function properly
• Forms can be submitted

Content Review

Review the content – especially if you had your web development company create it for you. Ensure that any industry-specific information like acronyms & specific products/services are accurately described & spelled. We’ve had a few instances where an acronym had a letter in the wrong spot. As you’re reviewing the content check for the following:

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Acronym accuracy
• Flow of the content – does it make sense? Would a user that knows nothing about your business be able to understand?

Most Importantly – Involve the Team

Having the team involved in reviewing the website gives them a sense of “I helped create this beautiful thing!” It’s also important to involve anyone that has the final say on the website. There have been projects where the CEO was not involved in the website project at all and ended up not liking the finished product. Here are a few tips for a successful team review:

• Set a meeting with the team members you want to involve
• Send the development link in the meeting invite & encourage everyone to do a quick review
• During the meeting:
  • Review the pages one-by-one
  • If there is conflicting feedback, decide as a group what direction to take it
  • Compile all feedback into a single document

I hope this guide is helpful! Building a new website is a major endeavor, reviewing the development link is one of the final steps.