Need help defining what “finished” means in a new website proposal? Send ARCHV your brief.

The homepage can look finished while the website still fails at the job you paid for. A contact form may submit to an old address. A service page may have placeholder copy. A mobile menu may cover the call button. Before approving the final handover, test the paths a real visitor would take.

Your contract controls payment and acceptance. Use the checks below to document whether the agreed work is complete; they do not create new requirements after the fact.

1. The offer-to-action path

Start on the page a prospect is most likely to reach, which may be a service page or campaign landing page rather than the homepage. Can you tell who the offer is for, what is included, and what to do next? Follow the primary button. Confirm it leads to the promised form, booking route, email, or checkout.

Check every agreed page type. If the site includes five pages built from three layouts, review at least one of each layout and the unique text and links on every page. A strong first page does not prove the rest are ready.

2. The inquiry path

Submit a test inquiry from a private browser window using an address you control. Verify the visitor sees a clear confirmation, the business receives the message in the right inbox, and the reply route works. Test mandatory fields and an intentionally invalid address. If spam protection is included, confirm it does not block a legitimate inquiry.

A visible form is not evidence that the business can receive leads. Record the test message and its delivery time. If the provider cannot show where inquiries go, do not mark this path complete.

3. The mobile path

Use a real phone if possible. Read the main pages, open the menu, tap the primary action, and submit the form. Check for clipped headings, tiny controls, sideways scrolling, popups that cannot close, and sticky elements covering the content.

Responsive design should be in the agreed scope. A desktop screenshot alone cannot demonstrate mobile usability.

4. The existing-link path

If this is a redesign, open your most important old links. Do they still work, or do they lead to a relevant new page? Test links from emails, ads, social profiles, and search results you know people use. If URLs have changed, the proposal should say who prepares and tests redirects. ARCHV's existing migration guide explains that work in detail.

For a new site, click navigation links, footer links, legal links, download links, and any external destinations. Fix broken or placeholder links before launch.

5. The owner path

Can the business access the domain, hosting or platform account, analytics, source files or approved design files, and any CMS account included in the deal? Which license or subscription belongs to a third party? Who will make corrections after launch, and for how long?

Ask for a handover inventory. Receiving a login does not always mean receiving transferable files, content rights, or the ability to edit every page.

Record the result

Use a short table: page or path, expected behavior, test date, result, screenshot or URL, and person responsible for fixing an issue. Send one consolidated list to the provider. Distinguish an in-scope defect from a new preference or feature request. That makes corrections easier to price and schedule fairly.

ARCHV's website service page says agreed pages, links, forms, and mobile layouts are checked and that handover terms are specified in the proposal. For forms, the W3C's tutorial provides independent guidance on labels and usable error feedback. The exact correction period and support arrangement belong in your signed scope. If you want a proposal reviewed before committing, use ARCHV's website quote review or contact us.