Review & going live
For members of Organic Forward. Updated 2026-07-16 (module documented).
Everything you list — your brand, your products, an association profile — goes through a quick review before it appears in the public directory. This page explains what that means, how to tell where yours stands, and what to do when we ask for more.
Why there's a review
The directory is a verification space: buyers trust it because what's listed has been looked at. Review is that look. It's not a judgement of your business — it's a check that a listing is complete and is what it says it is, so buyers (and their AI assistants) can rely on it.
What happens when you submit
When you save a new brand, product or association — or make a change to one that was already live — it enters review. In practice:
- A brand-new listing stays private until it's approved. It isn't in the directory, search, or on any public page yet.
- An edit to something already live keeps the current version public while your change is reviewed, so you never go dark mid-edit.
- You can keep working on other listings while any one of them is in review.
You don't have to do anything to "send" it — saving is submitting.
Reading your status
Your own lists (My Products, My Brands) show a status chip on each item so you always know where it stands:
| Chip | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In review | We've got it; it's in the queue | Nothing — we'll come back to you |
| Info needed | We've asked you for something before it can go live | Read the note, fix it, Resubmit |
| Live | Approved and public | Nothing — you're found |
| Deactivated | Taken out of the public directory | See "If something is deactivated" below |
You'll also get a notification (the bell, top of your account) the moment a status changes — you don't have to keep checking the page.
When we need more — "Info needed"
If something's missing or unclear, we don't just reject it. The listing gets an Info needed status and a banner appears at the top of that listing's form with a note explaining exactly what we need — in our words, shown to you verbatim. Typical asks: a clearer product photo, a certificate that matches the claim, a missing price or GTIN.
Fix what the note asks for, then press Resubmit on that same form. That sends it straight back to us — you'll see it flip to In review, and we're notified right away. That's the whole loop: note → fix → Resubmit.
Preview before the public sees it
While a listing is in review you can still open it exactly as it will look live — a preview. Look for the preview link (an eye icon on the item, or View from the form). Preview pages carry a small banner so you know they're not public yet, and they're deliberately hidden from search engines and AI crawlers until approval. Previews are private to you; opening your own preview never counts in your Analytics.
If something is deactivated
Occasionally a live listing is deactivated — usually because a claim needs re-checking, or you asked us to pause it. When a brand is deactivated, its products come out of the public directory and search along with it; turning it back on restores them. If a listing of yours is deactivated and you're not sure why, message us through your account — we'll tell you what's needed to bring it back.
How long it takes
There's no fixed clock, and we won't promise you one here. New listings and resubmissions are worked from the queue; you'll be notified the moment yours moves. Two things genuinely speed it up:
- Submit it complete. A listing with price, photos and the right certificate rarely needs a round-trip. The most common cause of delay is an "Info needed" that a complete submission would have avoided.
- Answer the note precisely. When we do ask for something, changing exactly that and resubmitting is faster than a broad re-edit.
Common questions
I approved— sorry, I submitted my product but it's not in search. Approved listings appear in the directory and search within a short window after approval. If it's marked Live but you can't find it after a while, message us — occasionally a search re-index needs a nudge.
Do my edits go offline while under review? No. The live version stays public until your edit is approved. Only brand-new listings are private before their first approval.
Can I see what the reviewer sees? You see the same note we write, in full, on the Info-needed banner. For anything beyond that, message us.
Why was I asked for a certificate? Verification claims (organic, certified, "Verified") are regulated — we check the document behind the claim before it goes public. That check is a person at Organic Forward reading your certificate against what your listing says. We don't yet cross-check it with your certifier's own register, so buyers are told to confirm with the certifier before relying on it for a purchase. It protects every honest member on the platform.