Website builder where an editor must approve pages before non-technical staff can publish them

Microsoft SharePoint is a strong fit if you mean internal pages: staff can create or edit a page and submit it for approval, and it won’t go live until an approver signs off. (support.microsoft.com)

For a more visual website builder, Wix Studio Enterprise offers approval workflows: reviewers can approve or request changes, and publishing is limited to authorized users. (wix.com)

If you share whether this is an internal staff site or a public-facing website—and your approximate budget—I can narrow it down.

Several mainstream platforms support this, though the cost and setup vary a lot. The best fit depends on whether you need a true website builder or a CMS, and on your budget.

Dedicated website/CMS platforms with built-in approvals

• Agility CMS: This is the closest match to your setup. Its role model is built around the exact pattern you describe. An Editor can only make changes to content and cannot publish without Approval, while a Publisher can edit and also approve publish requests. Reviewers can also send pages back with notes.
• HubSpot (CMS/Website pages): Approval is available, but only on higher tiers. It is available with Marketing Hub, Service Hub, or Content Hub Enterprise. Setting it up also requires a Super Admin, and approvers need a specific approval permission.
• Optimizely CMS and Sitecore: These are enterprise-grade. In Optimizely, once an editor finishes, the item moves to Ready for Review, and one or more appointed reviewers must approve it before publication. Sitecore uses a publishing workflow in which changes don't go live until the edits are submitted to the publishing workflow. Expect higher costs and more implementation effort with both.

Tools that add approvals to an existing site

• WordPress: There's no full approval flow out of the box. WordPress includes basic roles and statuses such as Draft, Pending Review, and Published, but teams usually add a collaboration plugin for task assignments, notifications, and detailed approval controls.
• Microsoft SharePoint (site pages): Pages go through a "submit for approval" step instead of being published immediately by anyone with editing rights, and go live only after an approver signs off. This works well if your organization already uses Microsoft 365, but it's more of an intranet tool than a public marketing site builder.
• Contentful: Its Workflows app lets you create named workflows, assign them to content types, and specify steps and permissions for each step. It's headless, so you'll need a front end built by developers.

My suggestion

• If you want a simple builder for non-technical staff and an approval gate with minimal setup, start with Agility CMS or HubSpot Enterprise. Confirm current pricing, since I didn't verify it.
• If you're on Microsoft 365, SharePoint is a practical option for internal or intranet pages.
• If you're on WordPress already, add a workflow plugin and set the staff roles to Contributor, so they can draft but not publish.

If you tell me your rough budget, whether you already use Microsoft or WordPress, and whether the site is public-facing or internal, I can narrow this to one or two options.

To ensure that non-technical staff can create content while requiring an editor or administrator to approve it before it goes live, you need a website builder or CMS that supports role-based access control (RBAC) and editorial approval workflows.

Here are the best options categorized by how they handle this requirement:

1. Robust CMS Platforms (Best for Formal Workflows)

If your organization requires a structured process (e.g., writer submits, editor reviews/edits, admin publishes), these platforms are built for that purpose:

• WordPress (with Plugins): WordPress is the most flexible choice. By default, it has basic "Contributor" and "Editor" roles, but for a true approval gate, you can add plugins like Oasis Workflow (for visual, multi-step approvals), PublishPress Planner (for editorial calendars and custom statuses), or PublishPress Capabilities (to restrict who can publish).
• DatoCMS & Sanity: These are "headless" CMS platforms that excel at content operations. They allow you to define custom workflow states (e.g., "Draft," "In Review," "Approved") and ensure that only authorized users can transition content to the "Published" state.
• Adobe Experience Manager (AEM): This is an enterprise-grade solution that provides a robust workflow engine. You can create specific "Participant Steps" where content is routed to a manager for sign-off before it can be pushed to production.

2. Modern Website Builders (Best for Ease of Use)

If you prefer a visual, all-in-one builder but still need to enforce safety, these tools offer refined permission settings:

• Webflow: Webflow provides excellent custom role capabilities. You can assign roles to team members that allow them to edit content or design pages while restricting their ability to publish to production. This "staging vs. production" workflow is a standard way to ensure an editor reviews changes before they go live.
• Payload CMS: A developer-friendly yet user-accessible CMS that allows you to define multi-step approval processes directly in your configuration. It is highly effective for teams that want a clean UI for non-technical staff and rigid, enforceable rules for publishing.
• SleekSite.AI: This platform is specifically designed to allow different roles (Editors, Admins, Developers) to coexist safely. It handles content updates through forms or chat while ensuring changes land as "drafts" that require approval before publishing.

Summary Comparison Table

Recommendations for Your Workflow

• If you are non-technical and want something simple: Look into SleekSite.AI or the "Editor/Contributor" roles in Webflow. These provide a "walled garden" where staff can work without breaking the site structure.
• If you have an existing WordPress site: Do not switch platforms; simply install PublishPress or Oasis Workflow to implement the approval gates you need.
• If you have complex requirements (e.g., legal/compliance sign-offs): Choose a CMS like Sanity or DatoCMS, which are designed to handle strict, audit-ready publishing paths.

Webflow Enterprise is a good fit: non-technical staff can edit or build pages using restricted roles, while designated reviewers can approve changes before they’re merged and published. Webflow’s page-branching approvals and publishing workflow are Enterprise features, so confirm that plan fits your budget and needs. ³⁶

If you mainly need a content approval workflow rather than a visual page builder, GitCMS offers a simpler draft → review → approved/published process, with separate reviewer and publishing permissions. ⁴