Understand your website preview
A preview is a place to review work before the intended public release. It may use a different address or require access. Treat it as a review tool, not a replacement for your live website or proof that every connected service is already working.
Before you start
- The latest review link supplied for your project and any agreed access instructions.
- Your approved brief and the pages or changes included in the purchase.
- A phone and a larger screen, where available, for checking the main customer journey.
What to do
Confirm which version you are reviewing
Open the latest supplied link rather than an old bookmark or image. If the page does not look like the version described, send the address and what you see to support. Do not assume that a preview and the live site update together.
Review facts before decoration
Check services, prices, opening hours, contact details and image choices against your approved material. Read the main headings as a new customer would. Note missing or incorrect content separately from optional design preferences so the essential corrections stay clear.
Understand the limits of testing
A visible form, booking link or checkout button does not prove a connected provider has accepted or delivered anything. Ask which functions are safe to test. Use clearly authorised tests for anything that could send a message, reserve an appointment or take payment.
Keep review and launch separate
Send consolidated feedback through the agreed support route with page links. When the agreed work is approved, publication can be arranged. Do not put a temporary preview address on printed materials, directory listings or customer announcements in place of your intended domain.
What to check
- Feedback refers to the latest version and names the relevant page.
- You have checked the main visitor action on more than one screen size where possible.
- Approval is explicit rather than inferred from silence or an informal reaction.
Sources and further reading
Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.