How long a website actually takes to build
Six to eight weeks is the honest answer for most projects. Here is where the time goes, and what makes it longer.
Six to eight weeks covers most projects, from the first conversation to the site being live. That surprises people in both directions. Some expect a fortnight. Some have been quoted six months.
Where the weeks go
- One week on what the business actually needs to say, and to whom
- Two to three weeks on design and build, running together rather than in sequence
- One week on copy, which is written alongside the design and not after it
- One week for photography and film if we are shooting it
- One to two weeks for changes, testing, and launch
What makes it longer
Tools, mostly. A brochure site and a site with a 3D configurator in it are different jobs. Bread and Butter needed a kitchen you could build in the browser and price as you went, which is a piece of software, not a page.
The other honest answer is content. If the photography, the copy, and the product information already exist, the project is shorter. If they do not, that is part of the build and it takes the time it takes.
What does not make it longer
Rounds of approval, if the price is fixed at the start and two rounds of changes are already in it. Most delays in this industry are commercial, not creative.
Written by Harrison Ross, who designs and builds every site in the index.