"How long will my website take?" It's one of the first questions every client asks. And the honest answer is: it depends. But I'm going to give you much more than that vague non-answer.
After building hundreds of websites, I can give you realistic timelines based on what you need — and more importantly, I'll tell you what speeds things up and what causes delays.
Typical Timelines by Project Type
Simple Business Website (5-7 pages) → 1-2 Weeks
This is your standard small business site: Home, About, Services, Portfolio/Gallery, Contact. If you have your content ready (text, images, logo), I can have this live in as little as 5-7 business days.
Professional Business Website (8-15 pages) → 2-3 Weeks
More pages, custom functionality, blog section, multiple service pages with detailed content. This is what most growing businesses need.
E-Commerce Store → 3-5 Weeks
Product listings, shopping cart, payment processing, inventory management, order notifications. E-commerce has more moving parts and needs thorough testing.
Complex Web Application → 4-8+ Weeks
User accounts, dashboards, custom functionality, third-party integrations. These projects require more planning, development, and testing.
The 5 Phases of Every Website Project
Phase 1: Discovery & Planning (1-3 Days)
We discuss your goals, target audience, competitor sites, and preferred style. I'll ask you questions like:
- What websites do you admire? What do you like about them?
- Who is your ideal customer?
- What action do you want visitors to take?
- What are your must-have features?
Phase 2: Design (3-5 Days)
I create the visual design — layout, colors, typography, overall look and feel. You'll see mockups of key pages and provide feedback. Most designs are approved within 1-2 rounds of revisions.
Phase 3: Development (5-10 Days)
This is where the design becomes a real, functioning website. I code everything, set up the CMS, integrate contact forms, optimize images, and build out all the pages.
Phase 4: Content & Refinement (2-4 Days)
All your content goes in — text, images, videos. We review everything together and make final adjustments. This is where attention to detail matters.
Phase 5: Testing & Launch (1-2 Days)
I test the site on every major browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and device (desktop, tablet, phone). I check every link, every form, every page. Once you give the green light, we go live.
What Speeds Up Your Project
- Content is ready upfront — This is the #1 factor. If your text, images, and logo are ready when we start, we save days or weeks
- Quick feedback — When I send you designs or questions, fast responses keep the project moving
- Clear requirements — Knowing what you want before we start prevents scope changes mid-project
- Designated decision-maker — One person approving things moves faster than a committee
What Slows Down Your Project
- Waiting for content — This is the #1 cause of website project delays. I've had projects sit for months waiting for the client to provide text or images
- Scope creep — "Oh, can we also add..." requests mid-project add time and often cost
- Too many cooks — When multiple people need to approve every decision, things crawl
- Indecision — "I'll think about it and get back to you" on design decisions causes delays
- Major direction changes — Redesigning halfway through essentially restarts the project
How I Keep Projects on Track
- Clear timeline with milestones shared before we start
- Regular updates so you always know where we are
- Structured feedback rounds instead of open-ended revisions
- Content deadline set before development begins
- Direct communication — no middlemen or project managers slowing things down
My Guarantee
I provide a specific timeline in every proposal, and I stick to it. If I say 2 weeks, I mean 2 weeks (assuming you provide content and feedback on time). No surprises, no endless delays.
