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The direct answer
Before accepting a new website, ask the supplier to demonstrate that enquiries reach the right team, important old URLs reach the intended pages, and your staff can edit the site with their own accounts. Name who signs off each check and what evidence they need. If the site serves visitors in English and French, run the same enquiry test in both languages.
Link to the direct answerKey takeaways
What to take from this article.
- Give each launch check a test, an owner and an agreed result before signing the proposal.
- Confirm receipt of test enquiries in both languages when both are in scope.
- Ask a staff member to complete a real editing task using their own account.
- Record issues that block launch separately from fixes the team has agreed to schedule.
Working framework · 4 decisions
Write an acceptance record for each check
Use one line for each job the website or handover needs to support.
Decision 01 / 04
Name the task
Choose a real action such as requesting a quote or editing the service area on a page.
Read all 4 decisions
Name the task
Choose a real action such as requesting a quote or editing the service area on a page.
Set the pass condition
Describe what the visitor or editor should see and what the receiving team should get.
Assign the reviewer
Name the person who will run the check and the person who can accept the result.
Keep the evidence
Record the test date, page, result and follow up owner. Use fictional details in test enquiries.
Turn each website requirement into a check
A project brief can say the website needs an enquiry form. An acceptance record spells out how you will know the form works. Choose a service, complete the form on a phone, confirm what the visitor sees and ask the intended recipient to find the message. Agree the pass condition in the proposal so the buyer and supplier can price the same work.
Keep the list short enough for the people who will use it. Add separate lines when a different person owns the result or when the expected behaviour differs by service area or language.
Section 8 of the Canadian website project brief provides a record to copy for each check. Write the expected result before testing, then add the observation, tester, date and evidence location. If a check fails, assign the fix and keep the retest evidence beside it. The acceptance owner records the decision; the launch approver reviews any open issues before authorising release.
A worked enquiry test for an Ontario and Québec supplier
Imagine an industrial parts supplier that serves Ontario and Québec. Its English and French service pages both lead to a quote form. The two offices handle enquiries by province, and the sales lead wants each request to arrive with the language the customer chose.
The sales lead agrees to test four paths before launch. Submit a request for Ontario and one for Québec from each language version. Record the page and test reference, then verify the confirmation wording, receiving inbox and language recorded on all four messages. Include one intentionally incomplete submission to check that the form explains the error and allows a retry.
- Sales lead. Verify each request arrives at the expected inbox with its service area and language.
- Language reviewers. Check page copy, form labels, error messages and confirmations in their assigned version.
- Site editor. Update a sample service area in the CMS and show who reviews the equivalent change in the other language.
Fictional example
The example illustrates a buyer’s test plan. Use sample company and contact details when collecting test evidence.
Check live URLs and agree who reviews accessibility
Give each language version its own URL when you intend both versions to appear in search. Test the language switch from an actual service page and check that it reaches the corresponding page. When an address changes, test the old URL against the approved destination and keep the results with the redirect map.
Include a first accessibility check for the enquiry journey. Try the form using the keyboard, check that focus is visible, and review the labels and errors. Agree who completes any fuller accessibility evaluation and who verifies fixes before the team signs off.
Record what your team receives at handover
Ask the designated editor to sign in with their own account, find the agreed page and complete a routine update. Record who owns the domain, hosting and CMS accounts, how invitations are transferred, and who will renew each service. Keep passwords and customer records outside the handover document.
Record who signs off launch, which open issues block it and who will address the remaining fixes by an agreed date. Ask the supplier to separate the one time build fee from recurring hosting, licences and support in the CAD proposal. The written scope should identify who handles problems during and after the agreed support period.
Before you use it
Questions that can change the recommendation.
What should a website supplier demonstrate before launch?
Ask the supplier to show that a visitor can complete the main customer task, old URLs reach the intended pages, and a staff member can edit the site with their own account. Agree the reviewer and evidence for each check.
Link to this answerHow do you test an English and French enquiry form?
Submit a fictional enquiry from each language version and test every distinct routing path. Verify the confirmation language, the receiving inbox and the details received. Try an incomplete submission to check that the error explains how to continue.
Link to this answerWhat is the difference between a website brief and acceptance checks?
The brief explains what the project needs and who supplies or approves it. Acceptance checks describe how the team verifies the result. For each check, record the expected and observed results, tester, date and evidence. Name who accepts the result and who owns any fix or retest.
Link to this answerWhat should be included in a website handover?
Agree which account invitations, editing instructions, redirect records, test results and support details your team receives. Have the designated editor complete a routine update, and record the owner and renewal arrangements for each service.
Link to this answerResearch record
What this guide draws from.
Each source note describes what the reference supports. Platform guidance, research findings and Branding Tatva's practical suggestions have different scopes.
- Managing multilingual and multi regional websites (opens in a new tab)
Google Search Central
Explains separate language URLs and links visitors can use to switch versions.
- Site moves with URL changes (opens in a new tab)
Google Search Central
Covers mapping old URLs to new destinations and checking redirects.
- Easy Checks for Web Accessibility (opens in a new tab)
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
Provides first checks for focus, form labels and errors, with guidance on fuller evaluation.