How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?

How long does it take to build a website? How long does it take to design a website? It depends on many factors. And those factors are pretty malleable depending on the agency you end up choosing. 

Let’s read on to see what the website design process is all about and how long it takes to make your website. 

How Long Does It Take to Build a Website? 

Sometimes building a website can take weeks or months, depending on what your specifications are. Are you looking for a simple, informational website so potential clients and current ones can find you? 

Or are you looking for a website that includes all the fancy add-ons, like e-commerce capability, shopping carts, client login, and more?

Designing a website can be a short process. But it would mean that you would get a mediocre website, and your website visitors will be able to tell at a glance that you didn’t put much work into it. 

There are four steps that most website design agencies will take when building a website. 

Step 1 – Creating a Plan Based on Your Needs

No one can start designing a website without having a clear idea of the client’s needs and desires. Every client is going to have a different idea of what they want their website to entail.

It will depend on the industry that you are based in, the kinds of functions you want your website to serve, and the additionals that you are looking to have. No two website design processes will look the same. 

That’s why this step is so crucial in the whole website building process. Don’t worry, though. This step usually ends up taking only 1-2 weeks. 

If you have websites that you’ve seen online that you loved and want to replicate or emulate, don’t forget to send those to your website design team.

They will appreciate knowing what kind of colors, designs, and styles you are looking for.

After a detailed conversation between you and the website design team, they will create a website design proposal with timelines and cost estimates based on the conversation. This will give you a clearer idea of the process.

But remember that a plan is just that, a plan. Things could and will change during the website design process. Don’t get too attached to the timelines or the costs. 

Don’t get impatient during this step. Many people tend to hurry through this step as they wish to get to the “more important” steps. But this step is crucial if you want the website of your dreams. 

Remember that a plan is just that, a plan. Things could and will change during the website design process. Don't get too attached to the timelines or the costs. 

Step 2 – Getting Started on Designing the Website

This is another important stage, and it might feel like things are still going quite slowly in the website design process. Patience will definitely be the key trait you will need to build in this endeavor.

In this step, the team that’s building a website will give you mockups of what the website will look like at completion. These mockups are meant as suggestions and are not set in stone.

Take the time to go through the mockups with care, and propose any changes to the design team immediately. This way, they won’t spend lots of time building something that’s going to be thrown out at the end. 

That’s a waste of their time and your money, and no one wants that. This phase usually takes 1-3 weeks.

Step 3 – Main Development Phase

Now we get to the juicy bits. This is when the real website design process begins. Exciting stuff will happen in this phase, but mostly you will get to see only bits and pieces of it. 

Your website design team will work diligently for about 1-2 months or more, depending on how complicated your website structure is. This is when they go deep into coding your website to suit your specifications. 

If you have chosen a good development team, they will keep you in the loop with regular updates and emails on what’s going on with your website design. It’s a great idea to keep in touch during this time.

You want to ensure that your website design team stays on track and is not building things that you don’t want or need. 

Step 4 – Review and the Back-and-Forth

This is when you start seeing the development version of your website. It’s not live yet! That’s why you need to take an active role now and point out everything that needs to be fixed and optimized. 

Building a website isn’t a straightforward process, like putting together a car or baking a cake. It has an art to it, and it requires a lot of back and forth between the development team and you for it to be a success. 

Of course, the key here is that you should have caught most of the revisions to be made during the earlier steps. Thus, this step should only be focused on minor revisions and usually takes 1-2 weeks.  

The success of your website design process depends on the amount and effectiveness of communication between you and the development team. Don’t skimp on this! 

In total, the website design process can take from a couple of months to 3-4 months. It’s dependent on the website being built and the revisions that need to be made. 

The website design process can take from a couple of months to 3-4 months. It's dependent on the website being built and the revisions that need to be made. 

Let Us Help You Build Your Website Today

How long does it take to build a website? It depends.

However, now that you know more about the steps needed, you can go into your own website design process with ease and relaxation. There’s no need to hurry the process! 

Stay in touch with your development team, and build your patience muscle. 

Interested in building a WordPress website? Check out WhatArmy’s WordPress website creation services today!