How long does it take to build a website?
An honest answer, plus what speeds a website project up and what slows it down. Most small business sites go live in under 7 days once your content is ready.
It is one of the first questions we get asked, and a fair one. You want to plan, and you want the website live and working for you sooner rather than later. After building a lot of small business sites, here is an honest answer, plus the things that genuinely speed a project up or slow it down. If you are still deciding whether you need a website at all, start with do I need a website for my business.
How long does it take to build a website?
For most small business websites, under 7 days once we have your content. A simple one-page site can be quicker, while a larger site with many pages, an online shop, or custom features takes a little longer. The single biggest factor is not the building itself, it is how quickly the words, photos, and feedback come together. The build is rarely the bottleneck.
A realistic range by type of site
The honest answer depends on how big the site is and how much needs setting up behind the scenes. Here are the rough timelines we see in practice, assuming your content is reasonably ready when we start.
- One-page site: one to two days. One screen that tells people who you are, what you do, and how to get in touch. Quick to build because there is little to review.
- Small brochure site (around five pages): under 7 days. A home page, an about page, one or two service pages, and a contact page. This is the most common shape for a Kent small business, and it is what most of our timelines below assume.
- Larger site with service and location pages: up to a couple of weeks. More pages means more words to write, more to design, and more to check. If you serve several towns and want a page for each, this is the range to plan for.
- Online shop: a couple of weeks and up. Products, payments, postage, and tax settings all need adding and testing, so the build naturally runs longer. More on that further down.
These are guides, not promises. We give you a specific timeline for your project before any work starts. The platform the site is built on affects the build too, which we compare in Wix vs WordPress vs Squarespace. Whatever the size, the aim is the same: a website that does its job and brings in enquiries.
A typical timeline, day by day
For a standard small business site of around five pages, a week often looks like the example below. This is a typical shape, not a promise, and the thing that moves it forward or holds it back is how ready your content is. The build itself is the fast part.
- Day 1, planning and brief: we agree what the site needs to do, who it is for, and what each page is there to achieve. We map out the pages and gather what you already have.
- Days 2 to 3, design: we design how the site looks and works on a phone and a laptop, starting with the home page, and you tell us what you think.
- Days 3 to 5, build and adding your content: we build the pages and drop in your words and images. This overlaps with design, which is why the days run together rather than one finishing before the next begins.
- Days 6 to 7, review, testing, and launch: you review the full site, we make changes, then we test everything and take it live.
If your words and photos are ready early, a project like this can finish at the quicker end. If content takes longer to pull together, the timeline stretches to match. That is the single biggest lever you control.
The stages of a build
A website moves through a few clear stages. Each one is fairly quick on its own. Time mostly adds up in the gaps between them, while everyone reviews and approves, so knowing the stages up front helps you keep things moving.
- Planning and brief (a few hours to a day): we work out what the site needs to do, list the pages, and agree the goal for each one. Getting this right early saves time later.
- Design (a day or two): we design the look and layout for phone and laptop, usually starting with the home page so you can react to a real direction rather than a blank page.
- Build (a day or two): we turn the design into a working site. This often runs alongside content, so the two stages overlap.
- Adding your content (ongoing through the build): your words and images go in. If we are writing the words or sourcing photos for you, this happens here too.
- Review and changes (a day): you look over the full site and we make the tweaks. One clear batch of feedback keeps this short.
- Testing and launch (a day): we check everything works, then take the site live. More on what that involves below.
What you can get ready to speed things up
The fastest projects are the ones where the content is ready early, so a little preparation makes a real difference. None of this needs to be polished. Rough notes and phone photos are genuinely useful and give us something to work from. A short checklist to get you started:
- Your page list: a simple list of the pages you want, even if it changes later.
- Your words, or rough notes: what you do, who you help, and why people choose you. Bullet points are fine.
- Your logo and brand colours: if you have them. If not, we can sort that out with you.
- Photos: of your work, your team, or your premises. Phone photos are better than stock in most cases.
- Examples of sites you like: a few links and a note on what you like about each one. This saves a lot of back and forth.
- Who approves decisions: agree up front who signs things off, so feedback comes back quickly and in one voice.
If writing is not your thing, that is no problem. We can write the words and source the images for you, which often turns out to be the fastest route of all. You can read more about what we do, or what a website costs.
What “going live” actually includes
Launch day is more than flicking a switch. Before a site we build goes live, we put it through a proper set of checks so it works for real people from day one, and so it costs you less hassle later. That work includes:
- Testing on real devices: we check the site on real phones, tablets, and the main browsers, not just on one screen.
- Checking loading speed: we compress images and check the site loads quickly. Speed matters to visitors, and it is a Google ranking signal through Core Web Vitals.
- Setting up redirects: so old links still work and you do not lose the search traffic you already have.
- Adding analytics: so you can see how many people visit and what they do.
- The basics for Google: the technical pieces that help Google find and understand your pages.
These checks are quick, but they matter. They are a big part of what makes a website actually work once it is out in the world, which is why we never skip them to shave off a day.
What happens after your site goes live
Going live is the start, not the finish. A website needs looking after to stay fast, safe, and up to date. That means keeping the software updated, taking regular backups, fixing anything that breaks, and making small changes as your business moves on. You can do this yourself, or we can take care of it through a care plan so you never have to think about it, and here is what website maintenance costs. Either way, the early days after launch are also when you start to see how people find you, which is where getting found on Google comes in.
What slows a project down
Nine times out of ten, the hold-up is content. If the words and photos are not ready, the build waits. Slow or piecemeal feedback does the same. So does “scope creep”, where new pages and features get added halfway through. None of these are problems, they just stretch the timeline, so it helps to know about them at the start rather than be surprised by them.
Does an online shop take longer to build?
Yes, usually a couple of weeks and up. An online shop has more moving parts than a brochure site. Products need adding with prices and photos, payments need connecting and testing, and postage and tax rules need setting up so orders go through cleanly. The more products you sell, the longer the content side takes. If you are launching a shop, build in extra time for getting your product details ready, as that is often the slowest part.
Why a clear quote and timeline help
We agree what is included and how long it will take before any work starts, so there are no surprises on either side. If you want to add something later, we tell you what it costs and what it does to the timeline first, in plain English. You can read a bit more about how we work, see how we price, or tell us about your project and we will come back with a realistic estimate for your business.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, that is the usual timeline. For a standard small business site of around five pages, we build and launch in under 7 days once your content is ready. The build itself is rarely the slow part, so the pace is set by how quickly the words, photos, and feedback come together.
A rough idea of the pages you need, any words and photos you already have, your logo and brand colours if you have them, and who signs decisions off. Rough notes and phone photos are fine. We can write the words and source images if you would rather we did.
Usually yes. On top of the normal build, products, payment, postage, and tax settings all need adding and testing, so an online shop usually takes a couple of weeks and up. The more products you sell, the longer getting your product details ready tends to take.
Almost always the content and the feedback, not the building. Sites that go live quickly are usually the ones where the owner had their text and images ready and reviewed each stage promptly. Slow or piecemeal feedback is the most common thing that stretches a timeline.
Yes, and it often gets you live sooner. We start with the pages that matter most, take the site live, then add more pages and features afterwards. This works well if you want enquiries coming in while the rest of the site takes shape.
That is no problem and it does not have to hold things up. We can write the words and source suitable images for you, which often turns out to be the fastest route. Rough notes and phone photos from you give us a strong head start either way.
Your site needs keeping fast, safe, and up to date with regular updates, backups, and the odd small change. You can handle this yourself or let us look after it through a care plan, so the site keeps working for you without you having to think about it.
Yes. We agree what is included and how long it will take before any work begins, so there are no surprises on either side. If you add something later, we tell you what it costs and what it does to the timeline first, in plain English.
