How long does it take to build a website?

How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?

The time it takes to build a website can vary depending on several key factors. Here’s a breakdown of what influences the timeline:

• Website Size: Larger websites with more pages and complex structures naturally take longer to develop. It can take hours to build a single page early in a project, though it takes less time to build pages later in the project as most of the components are developed. Expect each page of a website to add time to the project.
• Desired Functionality & Integrations: The more features and third-party integrations you need, the more time it takes to implement them. eCommerce functionality, for instance, can add significant complexity depending on how your products are customized and sold.
• Foundational Research: SEO strategies, audience analysis, and persona development are essential steps that can add time to the project. It’s not worth it to build a website without conducting research and developing a strategy for how the site will attract and convert visitors. This research takes time.
• Content Strategy & Development: Creating and organizing content is a significant part of the website design process, especially if your website requires custom content creation. Once a strategy is defined, website copy needs to be crafted to guide visitors through their journey. Each page of copy and edits will take some back and forth before these pages can be designed.
• Media Needs: High-quality videography, photography, and graphic design take time to produce and integrate into your site. Audio/visual assets are the defining feature of a website and the quality of these assets will define how successful a website is in turning visitors into customers. The process of selecting assets can be time-consuming, but if you have to create media it may take months to ensure you have the desired season, have a plan for the shoot, complete the shoot, edit, and publish.
• Client Responsiveness: Timely responses to questions, approvals, and feedback can speed up or delay the process. It’s challenging to know how busy you’ll be 4 months from now, but if you’re too busy to respond to the team developing your website, you can expect the delivery to be delayed. Design and development companies work on multiple projects at once and reserve staff time for those projects. Once a project exceeds its planned time, it can take even longer to fit back into the schedule.

For most website design companies, building a website typically takes anywhere from 1 to 6 months, depending on the size, complexity, and specific requirements of the project. Factors like the ones mentioned above can either extend or shorten this timeline. A website that is simple enough could feasibly be built in a day if a skilled website developer had all of the assets they needed at the start, but it’s more likely that these assets are identified and sometimes created during the website development project, necessitating longer delivery times.

For instance, at Xponent21, our website projects range from 2 to 6 months to complete, based on the unique needs of each client and the scope of work involved. If you have specific timeline requirements, it’s important to communicate them early in the website design process so that expectations can be aligned and deadlines met.