Website project management with a client, without the chaos

Why do website projects go off the rails so often?

A website project has a lot of moving parts: a brief, mockups, copy, images, logins, QA feedback. Each piece usually lives in a different tool: the brief in an email, the mockups in Figma, the copy in a Google Doc, the feedback in a WhatsApp group.

The result: the client never knows where the project stands, feedback arrives through three channels, and the timeline stretches because everyone is waiting on a piece of content or an approval nobody chases. The real problem isn’t technical. It’s organization and visibility.

The fix comes down to two rules: clear steps with a date, and one place where the client finds, approves and replies.

How do you manage a website project with a client?

Create one project per site, with steps that mirror your real process. Here is a website project management template that works for a brochure site or an online store:

• Proposal and brief: the client signs the proposal in their portal, fills in the brief form and shares access to the domain name and hosting.
• Sitemap: the page structure and the goal of each page, approved before any design starts.
• Mockups: homepage first, then the page templates. The client approves each mockup or requests a revision.
• Build: WordPress, Webflow, Framer or Shopify, on a staging site.
• Content: copy, photos, a vector logo and legal pages, supplied by the client with a deadline. They drop their files into the project or paste the link to their Google Doc.
• QA: the client tests on desktop and mobile and logs feedback as tasks.
• Launch: DNS, redirects, final checks, handoff.
• Maintenance: in a separate project, on a retainer. The client logs requests (“swap the team photo”, “fix a link”) and you track them as tasks.

What is the best software for a web design client portal, and what does the client see?

XTablo is a client portal: you turn on the apps the project needs and choose, project by project, what the client sees. They never see your internal workings.

• Steps: the roadmap with milestones and dates. The client sees progress without asking “where are we?”. See steps.
• Tasks: your build tasks stay on the agency side, while the client’s tasks (“send the logo as a vector file”, “review the About page”) are assigned to them with a due date. See tasks.
• Forms: the brief and the access collection, with text, choice, file and link fields. Answers land in the project. See forms.
• Files and approval: mockups, exports and deliverables, with comments on each file and one-click approval. See approval.
• Discussion: one thread per project, instead of emails and a WhatsApp group. See discussion.
• Schedule: the QA date, the kickoff call, the launch. See schedule.
• Quotes and invoices: the client signs the website proposal, then you track the deposit and final invoices and send reminders by email. Simple signature, no online payment. See quotes and invoices.
• Notifications: the client is alerted in their portal, then by a grouped email if they haven’t seen it, which replaces your manual follow-ups. See notifications.

Which tools can a web design agency connect to XTablo?

XTablo works with what you already use, without forcing you to change everything. Here is what works today, with the exact status:

• Figma, Loom, Google Docs, Miro, Airtable, Typeform: paste the link into the “Embedded tools” app, the preview shows up in the project, and the client sees it without switching tools. Link only, no sync. Figma · Loom, YouTube, Vimeo · Miro, Airtable, Typeform.
• Google Drive and Canva: paste the link to a Google Doc, a Sheet or a Canva design, for example the site content spreadsheet. Google Drive · Canva.
• WhatsApp: do clients send QA feedback on WhatsApp? The beta (Agency plan and up) links the conversations to the project, and your team replies from XTablo. Otherwise, replace the group with the project discussion. WhatsApp.
• Slack: 1 project = 1 channel. Project messages arrive in Slack and your replies come back into XTablo (Agency plan and up). Slack.
• Shopify and WooCommerce: for an online store, paste an API key and revenue and orders show up in the project’s Reporting tab. Shopify and WooCommerce.
• Google Analytics 4 and Search Console: the direct connection is coded and pending Google review, open first to a few test agencies. For now, export a CSV and import it into Reporting. Google Analytics · Search Console.
• Calendly and Cal.com: a booking link inside the client portal for QA check-ins. Calendly and Cal.com.
• Google Calendar and Outlook: the QA date and the launch show up in your calendar. Google Calendar and Outlook.
• Claude and ChatGPT: run your projects from your AI assistant (24 tools) and create a full website project with its steps in a single sentence. Claude and ChatGPT.

Which tools should you keep alongside XTablo?

XTablo isn’t a site builder. You keep WordPress, Webflow, Framer or Shopify to build, Figma to design, and GitHub or your code manager for version control. XTablo is the client layer: what the client sees, approves and says.

The simple combination: paste the staging link into a QA task (“Test the staging site: link below”), paste the Figma mockup into Embedded tools, and drop exports (mockup PDFs, brand guide, final deliverables) into the project files. If you like ClickUp or Trello for technical detail internally, keep them: XTablo handles the part the client needs to see.

For QA, ask the client to log each piece of feedback as a task, with the page link and a screenshot attached. You check off fixes as you go and they see what is left. To explain a bug, a short Loom video pasted into Embedded tools beats ten messages.

Your CRM stays separate: if you track prospects in HubSpot or Breakcold, XTablo’s AI agent reads HubSpot and Breakcold numbers can feed Reporting (HubSpot and Breakcold).

Which resources help you run a web design agency better?

To move faster, use these free resources:

• Client portal preview: see what your client’s portal would look like with your logo.
• Client onboarding email: the message that kicks off a project and asks for access.
• Client status report: a template for the weekly check-in.
• Project templates: turn a site you nailed into a reusable template.
• Mobile app: the client installs the portal on their phone to test the site and reply fast.
• Blog: compare project management software for agencies.

What does a typical week look like on a website project?

A simple rhythm saves you from chasing emails. Example for the mockup phase:

• Monday: you drop the week’s mockups into the project and assign the client the task “Approve the homepage mockup”, due Thursday. They get an email.
• Tuesday and Wednesday: you work, and the client comments right on the file. Feedback stays attached to the mockup.
• Thursday: the client approves or requests a revision in one click. If nothing happens, you send a single nudge in the discussion.
• Friday: you update the steps. Project progress updates, and the client sees it the following week.

How do you run website QA and a pre-launch checklist with a client?

For website QA, have the client test the staging site on desktop and mobile and log each piece of feedback as a task, with the page link and a screenshot. That list becomes your pre-launch checklist: you check off fixes as you go and the client sees what is left before launch.

One rule keeps it clean: all feedback goes through the project, not email or WhatsApp. You keep a record of what is fixed and what the client approved.

Which mistakes should you avoid when managing a website project?

• Starting without a written brief: have the client fill in the form before the first mockup, not after.
• Mixing channels: if feedback comes by email, WhatsApp and Slack, you will miss some. Set the rule at kickoff: everything goes through the project discussion.
• Forgetting to date the content: a site always waits on the client’s copy. Set a task with a deadline, not a “whenever you can”.
• Approving verbally: an approval should leave a trace. One click in the portal is enough.
• Hiding progress: a client who sees the steps move asks fewer questions and accepts an announced delay more easily.