Your website is your business’ online asset so it should be powerful, engaging, and intuitive.
In the modern digital stratosphere, one common question is ‘How long does it take to create a website?’ You will be surprised to find out that with the help of a website builder by Kemo SaaS, you can create a fully functional website within a day. But if you need to hire a professional to create a comprehensive, custom, and fully functional website, it may take weeks and even months.
However, you cannot predict the exact development time without determining some important factors such as the type, size, and complexity of the website, and the platform and approach you use for website creation. Based on these factors, the website creation time may vary so you should be aware of your website goals and website creation platforms to accurately analyze the website development time.
Phases of website building and the time taken by each phase
Building a website is not only about coding from scratch or picking a template but it also encompasses the pre-development phase such as research and planning that helps in generating ideas. Once your goals are aligned, the niche is defined, and the targeted audience is specified, you can jumpstart the next phases of building a website.
Let’s look into what it takes to build a website and how much time is consumed in every step of the website creation.
Planning – 1 to 2 weeks
During the planning phase, you discover your project scope and analyze the website goals. Whether you want to sell products or services, create a blog, or establish a portfolio site, it is crucial to understand the purpose of every website to establish a strong business presence on the internet.
The complexity of the site, the mode of developing it, and the required tools are some of the groundwork that should be satisfied before starting the development work. The entire discovery and planning phase takes one to two weeks and if you don’t want your website to suffer, it is important to create strong and effective planning.
Competitor Analysis & research
If you want to generate ideas to develop a website that stands out, you may look for competitor websites in your niche. Competitor analysis is the most effective way to explore opportunities, analyze potential threats, align content strategies, and gain useful insights. When determining the web project timeline, be sure to add the time it takes to perform the competitor analysis which takes a few hours to one or two days.
Choosing a platform
Once your goals are aligned and the project scope is determined, the next thing is to pick a domain and buy hosting. It is important to do your research before finalizing the domain name and picking a web host provider.
Next, decide the approach by which you want to build your website for instance; you may select a CMS like WordPress, choose a website builder, or start coding from scratch. A website builder from Kemo SaaS can help you create a professional website even in a day while websites using a CMS can take up to 1 to 3 months. On the other hand, coding a website takes more time to develop i.e., 4 to 8 months. Choose the approach based on the timeline of your project and its requirements.
Domain and hosting
Brainstorming a suitable domain for your website is essential and you have to check the availability of shortlisted domain names to buy your final domain name. Since a domain uniquely identifies your website, it should be memorable and relevant. After choosing and registering a domain name, the next step is to choose a suitable web hosting plan. Selecting the right domain and hosting requires proper time and research.
Content Planning – 1 week
Content is an important part of a website’s long-term strategy. If there is a blog section, you may post or schedule different niche-specific posts to keep your blog, updated, engaging and informative. The relevancy, accuracy, and uniqueness of your website content are essential to drive leads so you should be giving maximum time in creating content for your site. It takes one week to complete content planning based on the website structure, service provided, product descriptions, blog posts, SEO, etc. But writing content is an ongoing process during the coming months and even years.
Design mockups – 2 to 3 weeks
Design mockup gives a visual impression of a website i.e., how it will look after completion and where multiple site elements will be placed. A design mockup gives a clear picture of the intended website and assists in determining if the desired website structure is feasible, the design and theme go with aesthetics, and how the website will appear on multiple devices. At this stage, you decide the elements that you want to put on your site, typography, branding, color, fonts, CTAs placement, navigation, etc. Design mockups take around 2 to 3 weeks and it is recommended to add this time into your web project timeline.
Website development – 4 weeks to 2 months and even more
Once the design mockup is finalized, the next step is to start in-depth development of the website. This step is where the actual development happens so you may expect to give suitable time to the development stage. If the development stage proceeds smoothly with no setbacks, it may take 4 weeks to 2 months to complete and even longer in case of setbacks or based on the complexity of the site. If you are using niche-specific templates, the development time cuts short but if you want to create a custom website with coding, you may expect to give it a long time to complete.
Testing and launching – 1 to 2 weeks
During this stage, the website functionality and the user experience are tested. The site’s loading speed, mobile-friendliness, broken links, plugin compatibility, and irresponsive elements are also tested under usability testing. Bug and security checking and browser compatibility are also tested before the launch. The website testing takes one to two weeks. Once the testing checklist is completed, the next step is to publish and launch your website.
Post-launch activities
Once you have successfully developed a website, the next step is to make people aware of it. Create social media promotional campaigns to attract visitors to your website. You have to spend time keeping your website updated with the current search engine algorithms. Since updates are gradually introduced over time, you cannot specify the time spent on implementing those updates. Set up a Google Analytics account to analyze the user experience on your site.
How long does it take to develop a website?
Hiring a professional developer
If you don’t know how to create a website or are busy but have a budget, hiring a professional website developer can help you create a professional and scalable website just as you want. A developer has expertise in cutting-edge technology and ensures that your website is free from errors. Sometimes, a developer is given strict deadlines to complete the website development in a limited time. Coded sites break the limitation barrier of the third-party platforms which gives you more freedom over every design element of your site.
Let’s see how much time a professional developer takes to develop different sizes and types of websites.
- Basic one-page website: From planning to mockup designs to development, it takes only one to three weeks to develop a one-page website from scratch.
- Small e-commerce site: Since developing an e-commerce website requires third-party integration such as a payment gateway, it will take around two weeks to one month to code a small e-commerce site.
- Large business website: As the size of the business increases, the website becomes more complex, and the more time a developer will take to build it. Due to high functionalities and security, the timeline of an enterprise website project is increased and can go up to three months to six months or even more.
Using a website builder
A website builder provides a convenient and effortless website development experience. A modern website builder from Kemo SaaS comes with a drag-and-drop interface to create a website without the coding hassle. If you are a coding novice, a website builder could be the best starting point for you. Some website builders also offer AI tools that make website creation even more accessible and convenient.
Let’s peek into the time taken by a website builder to create different sizes and types of websites.
- One-page website: A website builder is the most effective website-building tool to generate websites having one page such as portfolio sites, event booking sites, etc. Choose a template from the niche-specific pre-built templates and customize elements or add new ones to create a website. Using a website builder to design a basic one-page website takes only six hours to a maximum of three days.
- Small e-commerce site: When using a website builder, you may choose a plan that offers features like inventory management, advanced security, and shipping solutions. With effective planning about design and content, it takes only a week to build a small e-commerce site using a website builder.
- Large business website: Since a large website offers more features and high-level functionality, a website builder takes one week to three weeks to develop a business website.
CMS websites
Almost 43.2% of all websites on the internet are created on WordPress due to its flexibility and advancement. Creating websites with WordPress requires more in-depth learning as compared to the website builder but the customization it offers, is commendable. It’s a great tool if you want to combine customization and affordability in the creation of a website.
- Single-page website: Once you choose the right theme and plugins, the built-in block editor of WordPress lets you build the web page of your choice or you may even download other WP builders to create a more intuitive webpage. You can build a basic single-page website using CMS in only two days to one week.
- Small e-commerce site: If you don’t have enough time to develop an e-commerce site from scratch, CMS gives you the ease of customizing the pre-build theme. WordPress comes with the ease of using e-commerce plugins like WooCommerce and is integrated with features like order placing, inventory management, and payment gateways to make online store creation easier. It takes only one week to five weeks to develop a local e-commerce site using CMS.
- Large business website: Since a large website offers more features, and services and comes with structural complexity, it takes almost two weeks to 4 months to complete an enterprise website using CMS. When developing a custom website with WordPress, sometimes, it is required to work with custom plugins or add coding for enhancement in the website functionality. The deeper and bigger the website’s requirements get, the more time will be required to develop it.
Factors determining the time of website development
DIY approach vs. Developer
| DIY Approach | Developer |
|---|---|
| It takes one to two weeks to build a site | It takes four to six months to build a site |
| Less costly with limited customization | Costlier with more customization opportunities |
| Data and assets are handled in-house | Updates are professionally handled |
Dynamic vs. static website
| Dynamic | Static |
|---|---|
| Shows different information to different users | Shows the same information to every visitor |
| For example; news sites, online stores, membership sites, etc | For example; a resume website, one landing page, a portfolio website, etc |
| It takes more time to build it | It can be created in less time |
Budget vs. Time
| Budget | Time |
|---|---|
| If you have a high budget, you will choose high-quality resources that contribute to speedy website development. | If you don’t have enough time to develop a website, it is best to start with a basic website with limited features. |
| A high budget means that you can afford the services of a website developer or hire a development agency to build your site quickly. | If you have limited time to develop a website, choosing a content management system like WordPress can help you build a website quickly. |
Team size and expertise
If you are developing a website on your own, it will increase the development time however, if you are working with a team of developers, the development time will be reduced. A team with wide expertise has the potential to complete the website development in less time and is also responsible for implementing the required changes.
Website structure
The more complex a website is, the more time it will take to develop. A website with a simple structure takes less time to create while an enterprise website with multiple pages takes a long time up to several months.
How to minimize the time required for website development?
While we know that it is not easy to determine the exact time of developing a website, it is still possible to cut short the total development time by following a few tips.
Ask for professional help
If you don’t have coding skills or enough resources to develop a website, you should ask for the assistance of professional developers. Hiring a developer can save a lot of time as they timely detect errors and make your website creation journey convenient.
Plan it before execution
Planning before the development stage is mandatory as strong planning enables you to focus on the elements you want to place on your website and determine its entire infrastructure. Once you are clear with the structural hierarchy, you don’t waste time during the development process and focus only on the implementation.
Regular reviews
Don’t forget to review your site at every stage of the website development as it helps you identify any missing elements and gaps and lets you improve them. Identifying any potential issues also saves time and contributes significantly to determining the website development timeline.
Use a content management system
The content management systems have made it easier to streamline a website structure and speed up the development process. By using pre-built templates of WordPress or even buying premium, you can cut down the need to develop a page from scratch which saves time and extra effort.
Stick to the plan
Don’t go overboard when implementing different ideas on your website as it can prolong the development time. It is recommended to stick with the original plan and don’t implement major changes during the development process. Rather save these changes for the future and ensure to minimize the timeline of the web development project.
Using AI site builders
The use of AI tools has revolutionized the web development process by automating website development. By using AI builder tools, you can create a simple website within 5 to 10 minutes while for a customized website, it will take a day or two to develop it.
Final words
The website that you want to create mainly depends upon the specifications of the platform or tool that you are using. The time it takes to build a website with a website builder, a professional developer, or a CMS largely varies due to the specifications of each one. Once your planning is strong and you have all the required tools and content in hand, it becomes relatively easier to build a website.
If your website is basic and has a small size, it is better to use a website builder to create it. If you are planning to build a large e-commerce site, it is suggested to hire a website developer. If you have a little coding knowledge and want to build a website on your own, you may utilize a CMS for website creation.
No matter which method you choose to build a website, the most important thing is to ensure the responsiveness, compatibility, and reliability, of your website. It is crucial to give your targeted audience a smooth website experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long it takes for a beginner to develop a website?
If you are a beginner and have no coding knowledge, it is suggested to use a website builder by Kemo SaaS which comes with a drag-and-drop editor to make website creation very convenient. It takes only one to three days to build a small website using a website builder.
How long does a website developer take to build a website?
A website developer takes one to three weeks to develop a single-page website, two weeks to one month for a small e-commerce site, and three to six months to develop a large enterprise website.
How can I save time in the process of website development?
With proper planning of your website size and structure, every web element, and the required tools, you can save significant time in developing a website. You can save time by choosing a pre-built template rather than starting from scratch. Break the entire web project into smaller, manageable parts to save time and confusion.
What is the most time-saving way of developing a website?
If you are short on time and want to create a website quickly, a website builder by Kemo SaaS is the right solution. It has a drag-and-drop editor and niche-specific pre-designed templates that you can choose according to your business theme.
Can I build a website in a month?
Yes, it is possible to create a website in a month if you have strong planning and the right resources in hand. There are several website builders and website-building platforms that can help you build a basic to mid-sized business website within a month or even less.
