What It Is
A mockup is a realistic image of a finished web page. Unlike a wireframe, it includes your actual brand colors, fonts, photos and sample text. You cannot click through it, but it shows exactly how the page should look. If a wireframe is a floor plan, a mockup is the architect’s color rendering of the finished room.
Why It Matters for Your Business
Mockups help you approve the look and feel before any code is written. A tennis coach can see whether the action photos, colors and headline feel right for the brand, and ask for changes while they are still simple edits to a design file instead of rework on a live site.
Good to Know
Ask to see mockups for both desktop and phone screens. Many visitors will arrive on a phone, and a layout that looks great on a wide monitor can feel cramped or confusing on a small screen. Ask for both versions before you approve the design, not after.