How long does it take to create a website?

By Roman Berezhnoi August 3, 2021 519 views

How long does it take to create a website?

Most businesses have turned towards online presence to enhance customer outreach and quicken commercial growth. In this context, professional website development serves a crucial role in the online business success. 

Instantly, the question comes up: how long does it take to create a website? The website developers need a prior estimated timeframe to plan the development process intricately. Some website developers claim to complete a website development process within 2-3 days whereas. Not to mention, the super-speedy website delivery of any web development agency seems profitable but might not bring sound results. An operative, customized website development needs a comparatively long timespan.

The article will talk about the informational basics of website development. Some developers follow the methods used by the previous designers and developers and their experiences, and some allocate an average time to create a specific website. None of the estimation processes are not perfect. Every website development process is unique as the business and commercial needs are different. Depending on these factors, the development time frame varies from one to another. We hope to provide you with a clear and detailed idea of web development and design procedure. 

The Basic Timeline 

The website development process comprises different steps. The time spent on website development depends on the complexity and objectives of the website. Let us look at the subsequent stages and calculate the total timespan.

Understanding and Planning (40+ hours)

The first stage is a solid project foundation. The website developers must understand the clients’ demand and target the potential audience based on the goal. A web development agency can estimate the time frame at this stage based on, 

  • The project requirements
  • Full-fledged design
  • Ready content
  • Performance requirements 

However, in most cases, the developers have to begin the development process with project reviews and research, technical specifications, etc. Here, the clients have to clear their vision and goals, answer the essential questions, give briefs concerning the critical design elements and preferences, the sale process, etc. A specific time is allotted to phone and video conferences. 

The developers’ team creates a site map to recognize the entire content structure. After the client approves the plan, the developers proceed to creating wireframes and working on advanced technologies. The process requires two rounds of specification. 

The developers’ team must have sufficient documentation to commence the website development process. At this phase, the developers’ team declares the timeline of the project. 

F5 Studio created unique button labels for autobodyshop website that improved click rate
This is F5 Studio’s web progect. See the full presentation of the autobody shop website design

Content Development (60+ hours)

A well-to-do website must contain genuine and impactful content. The content section is not restricted to images, illustrations, graphs and texts, audio, and video content. The content must reflect the key messages, page titles, calls to action, and headings to improve the website’s conversion rate. Also you need to remember about search engine optimization. 

In the case of more magnificent projects, content development requires a long time. An effective content plan quickens the website development process, boosting the web presence and functionality. 

The professional web development agency ideally should focus on the content writing section after conceptualizing the site. Initiation of content writing during or before the design process is time-effective. The designers’ team should start the process as quickly as possible based on the number of web pages. 

User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Design (40+ hours)

The main objective of UI/UX design services is to develop an eye-catching, user-friendly interface to meet the client’s needs. The designers utilize the data, wireframe, and matter from earlier steps to create a pixel-perfect look and navigation of the on-process website. The exemplary copy contains the homepage design, internal pages, and mobile version of website pages. The web design must reflect the company’s motto and business goals in the choice of color and fonts. The designers present the mock-ups to the clients for prior feedback. 

A well-organized and successful plan makes the UX and UI process speedy. It takes extra 1-2 days to make small changes and modifications in the design. 

Web Development (20+ hours)

The moment content and design are ready, the developers begin the front-end website development process. The time is proportionate to the range of work to be executed. In this stage, the website acceptance and complex animations possess functional roles. If the website requires third-party services, integration, or data processing tasks, the back-end development process becomes crucial. Web developers in F5 Studio web development agency do a thorough test of the website to ensure quality. 

The processes of coding, cross-platform, validation, and browser testing altogether need the largest chunk of the entire website timeline. A great deal depends on the clients, as they must interact with the team regularly, respond on time, and ask for changes if needed. The timespan of the coding process can range from a couple of days to months.

The presentation of website redesign
This is F5 Studio’s ecommerce project. WordPress+Woocommerce. See the presentation

Beta Trial and Modification (8+ hours)

The developed website must pass the final test period before the official launch. The team must ensure that the final product resembles the sanctioned designs and specifications. The developers apply a series of tests and reassess the code. Typing errors, slow-loading speed, and non-loading elements are the most easily detectable loopholes. Clients and investors give their feedback on design, functionality, and content improvements. The QA team checks the website functionality beyond different web browsers, devices, and screens. Final approval is a ‘must’ before the formal website launch. 

In this stage, the modification process takes time, based on the clients’ requirements. Once the website starts running officially, the clients begin earning money and improve the website based on the users’ feedback. 

Market Launch (8+ hours) 

After all the Beta trials are complete, the time arrives to launch the website in the market. If the website is not so complex with various apps and elements, the task needs one to two days. After the market launch, the website needs small changes until it starts working smoothly and swiftly. This process takes a minimum of 6 weeks. 

WordPress Development 

There are significant reasons to focus, specifically on WordPress. The readymade themes and components make the process easier for the website developers and designers (you can read more about using frameworks and CMS for website development). 

The website timeline is comparatively different in WordPress development. The sequential steps of WordPress website development are:

  • Create WordPress and select a free, premium or custom theme
  • Develop the necessary pages, install the plugins and tailor the theme. The developers need mostly 8+ hours with the help of a site builder. Revisions and modifications may take one or two extra days. 
  • Test the website and make the needed adaptations before the final launch. Try to run the website on a community level for at least two days. 

As a result, here, we see that a simple WordPress website needs around four-five weeks. You can choose fixed price website development if you want a quality website for a little money as soon as possible.

Here, looking at both the development timelines, you can see that a website with no complications may be developed within a month whereas, a larger and more complex website may require months. From the conceptualization to the market launch, each stage needs more or less time based on various important factors. 

Estimation based on the Types of Websites 

There are different types of websites available in the current market, from landing pages to complex enterprise solutions. Many digital agencies declare the average hours to develop a website to provide their potential clients with an idea concerning what to expect. This section will discuss the types of websites the F5 Studio team gets to see on a frequent note.

Landing Page Website (30+ hours)

Landing page might be a single-page website. Also it may also be a separate specific page on a multi-page website. Digital agencies create a landing page to propagate or sell any product or service. This way, the companies motivate and push their visitors to take action. On Landing Page, the discovery process, content creation, modifications, and reviews require a lesser timeframe than the usual ones. In the development process, the landing page development time ranges from 15 to 80 hours. The time span is variable depending on the landing page’s complexity and other project and clients’ requirements. 

If you want to learn more about landing page price, you can read the article How much does it cost to create custom landing page

F5 Studio created a landing page for company from the UK. See the presentation

Business Website (160+ hours)

The companies require business websites to promote the brand and increase customer outreach. Business websites are highly informative and promotional. The time of business website development depends on the complications. The most straightforward business websites contain 4-5 pages. The sections include Home, About Us, Services, Areas, Blogs, etc. If the developers use WordPress, and the content is ready, and requirements are clean in advance, the website development process needs five weeks. In the context of the larger and more complex business websites, subscriptions, membership features, various functionalities, and downloadable content make the process complicated. Each of the additional functions needs extra hours for development. A website devoted to a larger business company with multiple purposes and services takes months to reach completion. 

Ecommerce Website (250+hours)

Ecommerce website development is the lengthiest process among the three types of websites discussed in this article. The ecommerce website development process requires a high amount of investment in every stage. Ecommerce needs the highest investment in its UX/UI development process. The implementation of multiple technologies can vary from one project to another. Mostly, the technology stack depends on the business goals and client demand. All these factors have a vital contribution to the development of a custom website. 

Content Management Systems (CMS) enable website owners to develop, review and modify the content of their websites. If the client needs a customized CMS, the developers must invest an extra one to three days to make it. The web agencies use CMS like Shopify, Magento, OpenCart or WordPress+Woocommerce to save development time and decrease the development cost. 

You can read more about the cost of ecommerce sites, if you read the article How much does ecommerce website development cost?

The average hours suggested by any web development agency seem lucrative and help the website developers to fix the budget beforehand. Unfortunately, the number of hours does not match in the end. There are various technologies and website development teams with different potentials and skill sets. In multiple website development agencies, the development teams use many techniques and methodologies. Thus, the concept of average hours becomes irrelevant and unnecessary at times. 

You may change your thinking process to get better results on the same platform. If you start with thinking about small concepts, you can save both time and money. You may meet the development team and negotiate with them about your demand and requirements regarding the website. After a month, the team will deliver a ready website for you to launch in public. Now, it is your responsibility to monitor the features and functionalities of your website on a constant note. At the alternative breaks, the development team modifies the website and adds extra and updated features to improve the overall performance. This way, you can enjoy having a functioning product and plan your timeframe and budget accordingly. 

Final Takeaways 

To conclude the blog, it is clear that the website development timeframe is not static. The time limit changes depending on different factors like business goals, the complexity of the project, and business expansion. Therefore, there are different categories among the same kind of business projects as well. Technology has a vital contributing role in the time frame of website development. 

It is upon the developers how to produce the best-functioning websites within the shortest time frame. The developers must deliver the end product on time and at an affordable budget. Ready contents and transparent requirements and communication help any website to launch on time. The web development agencies claim different fixed periods to be the ‘average time frame’ to complete a website development process but the agencies also admit that website development is dependent on various factors, as discussed above. 

You should choose the professional web development agency if you want to get a quality business website on time.

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