How long does it take to build a website?

It takes approximately 20 hours to build a good small website. More complicated websites can take anywhere from 20 hours to 150+ hours depending on the complexity and size of the website. 

The estimate above is for a website that is fully functional and will perform excellently with both customers and online searches. Of course, if you just wanted to see how fast a website can be built this would probably only take around 6-8 hours. This is using a drag and drop template website builder. However, this would result in a basic website that will likely not perform very well.  

We all know how important it is to have an excellent website. Building a professional website that performs takes skill and is not something that can be done ‘in a rush’.  

If you are considering a website for the first time or a want a redesign, you might be wondering how long it takes. Depending on what type of website you need and the complexity, the timeframe will vary.    

If you work with an agency your website should take around 4-6 weeks+ to complete for a small business requiring minimal functionalities. Larger businesses that require more functions can expect anything from 12 weeks+.  

Why does it take so many hours to build a website?   

Building a website is a complicated process. It’s not as simple as it may seem. Websites may go through multiple versions, edits and iterations before being published.  

First, before even starting to build your website there are important time-consuming questions that you need to spend time answering such as:  

• What is the purpose of your website? 
• What content needs to go on it?  
• What functionalities does your website need?  
• Do you have branding for your website?  

After these questions have been answered, then you (and your web designer/developer) can start to design a website that suits your needs. Answering these questions and producing the required content can take anything from 1-2 hours to 10+ hours. Then the actual web design and development process starts, and this can take anywhere from 18-30 hours or more depending on your requirements. Most small business websites will only require around 20+ hours.  

Top Tip: When creating a website, it is very important to keep it focused on the user experience. A website that is not easy for customers to use will likely not convert many visitors into sales.    

The website building process:  

The simplified (for your benefit) web design process we use to build a website is as follows (most website builders will follow a similar process):  

• Prepare the web hosting server.  
• Choose and customise the base template and remove any unnecessary code.  
• Add plugins.  
• Build homepage  
• Send to client for review  
• Complete the remaining landing pages and website tasks.  
• Final Review by client and launch online.   

This takes our website designer and developer approximately 18-26 hours on average as this is a specialised and time-consuming process when done professionally. The results are customised websites that perform excellently. Don’t take our word for it, have a look at what we have built and what our clients say about us. 

Interested in finding out how much a website should cost? Get in touch.

What is usually included in a basic website?  

Usually included in a basic informational website build is:  

• 5-10 pages such as: homepage, about, contact, services/product pages, etc.  
• Basic design template (customisation can cost more)  

Note: Ecommerce websites usually cost more than a basic website as they require additional functionalities such as shopping carts and payment gateways.  

Top Tip: Make sure to check if web hosting is included in the cost of your website. Sometimes this is something you need to pay extra for. See more web hosting and domain name advice. 

Which website builders are best?  

One of the most popular website builders and our recommendation is WordPress. WordPress websites perform very well in SEO and WordPress is a versatile and easy to use website builder. It makes web development and custom websites easier to build compared to competing web builders.    

Depending on the type of website that you need certain web builders may be more suited than others, but overall WordPress is usually a good pick.

To find out more about building a website and website platforms, contact us.