How Long Does It Take to Build a Website? Realistic Timelines for 2026

"How long will this take?" is one of the first questions every business owner asks when starting a website project. And the honest answer is: it depends.

But "it depends" isn't helpful when you're trying to plan a launch date, coordinate with a marketing campaign, or open a new location.

So here are real timelines based on hundreds of website projects, broken down by project type. These aren't optimistic sales estimates. They're what actually happens when real businesses build real websites.

The Quick Overview

Now let's dig into what each timeline actually looks like.

DIY Website Builder: 1-7 Days

If you're using Wix, Squarespace, or a similar drag-and-drop platform, you can have a basic website live within a day. Pick a template, swap in your logo and text, connect your domain, and you're technically online.

A more realistic timeline for a decent-looking DIY site is 3-7 days, once you account for:

• Browsing and choosing a template (surprisingly time-consuming)
• Learning the editor and how blocks work
• Writing your actual page content
• Finding and placing images
• Setting up your contact form and other basics
• Tweaking things that don't look quite right on mobile

The catch: "Done" and "effective" are different things. You can have a site live in a day, but whether it actually attracts customers and generates leads is another question entirely. Most DIY sites look like DIY sites, and they lack the SEO structure and conversion optimization that makes a website a business asset rather than just a digital brochure.

For a comparison of what these platforms actually deliver versus a professional build, see our guide on Wix vs Squarespace vs custom.

WordPress with Premium Theme: 1-3 Weeks

Buying a premium WordPress theme and building your site yourself is a step up from a website builder, but it takes more time because there's more to set up.

Week 1: Setup and Configuration

• Install WordPress on your hosting
• Choose and install your theme
• Install essential plugins (SEO, security, forms, caching)
• Configure basic settings, menus, and site structure

Week 2: Customization and Content

• Customize the theme to match your brand (colors, fonts, logo)
• Create your core pages (Home, About, Services, Contact)
• Write or paste in your content
• Add images and optimize them

Week 3: Refinement and Launch

• Test on mobile devices
• Fix layout issues and spacing problems
• Set up Google Analytics and Search Console
• Create your sitemap and submit it to Google
• Final review and launch

This timeline assumes you're spending 2-4 hours per day on it. If you can only work on it evenings and weekends, double the timeline.

Many business owners start this process and end up at week 4, still tweaking things. WordPress has a learning curve, and customizing a theme to look the way you want takes patience. If you're planning your website project, factor in this learning curve.

Custom-Designed Website: 4-12 Weeks

This is the most common timeline for businesses working with a freelancer or agency on a professionally designed website. Here's how the phases typically break down.

Phase 1: Discovery and Strategy (1-2 Weeks)

Before any design work begins, a good developer or agency needs to understand your business:

• Kickoff meeting: Goals, target audience, competitors, brand guidelines
• Sitemap planning: What pages you need and how they connect
• Content strategy: What content exists, what needs to be created, who's writing it
• Technical requirements: Integrations, forms, booking systems, special functionality

This phase is often underestimated, but it's where the foundation gets laid. Skipping or rushing discovery leads to revisions later, which costs more time than doing it right upfront.

Phase 2: Design (2-3 Weeks)

The designer creates visual mockups of your key pages. Typically this includes:

• Homepage design: The most important page, sets the visual direction
• Interior page template: How service pages, about page, etc. will look
• Mobile layouts: How the design adapts to smaller screens

You'll review the designs, provide feedback, and go through 1-2 revision rounds. This is where your responsiveness directly affects the timeline. If you take a week to review designs, the project slips a week.

Phase 3: Development (2-4 Weeks)

Once designs are approved, the developer builds the actual website:

• Converting designs into functional pages
• Setting up the CMS (content management system)
• Building forms, integrations, and interactive elements
• Implementing SEO fundamentals (meta tags, schema, sitemaps)
• Performance optimization

Development time scales with complexity. A 5-page site with a contact form takes less time than a 20-page site with a booking system, portfolio gallery, and client portal.

Phase 4: Content Population (Ongoing)

Content creation often runs in parallel with design and development, but it's the phase most likely to cause delays. We'll cover why in the next section.

Phase 5: Testing and QA (1 Week)

Before launch, everything gets tested:

• Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
• Mobile and tablet testing on actual devices
• Form submissions and email delivery
• Page speed testing
• Link checking
• SEO review (titles, metas, schema, sitemaps)
• Accessibility basics

Phase 6: Launch (1 Week)

The actual launch includes:

• DNS changes and domain pointing
• SSL certificate verification
• Google Analytics and Search Console setup
• Final content review
• Client training on how to update the site
• Post-launch monitoring for issues

Total realistic timeline for a custom 5-10 page business website: 6-8 weeks. Larger or more complex sites can extend to 10-12 weeks.

If you're about to start this process, our guide on preparing to meet a web designer will help you make the most of that first discovery phase.

Complex or E-Commerce Website: 8-20 Weeks

Websites with significant custom functionality need more time:

• E-commerce stores with 50+ products: 8-14 weeks
• Membership or subscription sites: 10-16 weeks
• Custom web applications: 12-20+ weeks
• Multi-location business sites with many service pages: 8-12 weeks
• Sites requiring custom integrations (CRM, ERP, booking systems): 10-16 weeks

These projects have longer discovery phases, more complex development, and more extensive testing requirements. They also typically involve more stakeholders, which means more review cycles.

What Takes the Most Time (It's Not What You Think)

Here's what actually delays website projects, based on patterns across hundreds of projects:

The #1 Bottleneck: Content

Content creation causes more delays than design and development combined. Specifically:

• Writing page copy takes longer than people expect. A single service page can take 2-4 hours to write well.
• Gathering photos of your team, work, and office is always "next week."
• Getting bios, testimonials, and case studies requires coordinating with other people.
• Deciding what to say often reveals that the business hasn't clarified its messaging yet.

Many web projects go like this: design is done in 2 weeks, development is done in 3 weeks, and then the project sits for 4-6 weeks waiting for content. Content is the invisible timeline killer.

The #2 Bottleneck: Client Feedback

Every round of design or content review that sits for a week adds a week to the project. Two rounds of slow feedback can turn an 8-week project into a 12-week project.

This isn't a complaint about clients. Running a business is busy, and reviewing a website design isn't usually the top priority on a Tuesday. But it's important to understand how your response time directly maps to your launch date.

The #3 Bottleneck: Scope Changes

"Can we also add..." is the sentence that extends timelines the most. Adding a blog, or a portfolio, or an extra service page mid-project isn't inherently bad, but each addition needs to be designed, built, and populated with content.

The Client Side: How You Affect the Timeline

Your involvement as a client has a massive impact on how fast your website gets built. Here's what typically happens at each level:

Highly responsive client (project finishes on time or early):

• Reviews designs within 2-3 business days
• Has content ready or provides it within a week of being asked
• Designates one decision-maker (not a committee)
• Responds to questions within 24-48 hours

Average client (project takes 25-50% longer than estimated):

• Reviews designs within a week
• Content trickles in over several weeks
• Multiple stakeholders weigh in with different opinions
• Responds to questions within 3-5 business days

Slow client (project takes 2-3x longer than estimated):

• Design reviews take 2+ weeks
• Content isn't started until the site is built
• Decision-makers disagree, requiring multiple revision cycles
• Communication gaps of a week or more

This isn't about blame. It's about setting expectations. If you know you'll be the "average" client, plan for a longer timeline and tell your developer that upfront. They'll appreciate the honesty.

How to Speed Up Your Website Project

Want your site live faster? Here's what actually moves the needle:

1. Have Your Content Ready Before Design Begins

Or at least in progress. The single best thing you can do for your timeline is start writing content before the project kicks off. Even rough drafts help. Don't wait for final designs to start thinking about what your pages need to say.

2. Designate a Single Decision-Maker

If three partners need to approve every design decision, your project will take three times as long. Choose one person who has final authority on website decisions. Others can provide input, but one person decides.

3. Prepare Your Brand Assets in Advance

Before the project starts, gather:

• Your logo in vector format (SVG, AI, or EPS) and PNG
• Brand colors (hex codes if you have them)
• Preferred fonts
• Existing photos and headshots
• Competitor websites you like (and what you like about them)

4. Define Your Scope Clearly and Stick to It

Before signing a web design contract, agree on exactly what pages and features are included. Review the scope document carefully and resist the urge to add things mid-project. Additions can go into a "Phase 2" list.

5. Respond to Feedback Requests Within 48 Hours

You don't need detailed feedback within 48 hours. But a quick acknowledgment and a rough timeline for your full review keeps the project moving and helps your developer plan their schedule.

Red Flags: When a Timeline Seems Wrong

Too Fast

Be skeptical if someone promises:

• A custom-designed website in 3-5 days
• A full website redesign in one week
• Any project timeline that doesn't include a discovery phase

Fast usually means corners are being cut. Templates being sold as custom design. No strategy phase. Minimal testing. You'll end up with something live, but likely not something effective.

For more warning signs, check out our guide on questions to ask a web designer before hiring.

Too Slow

Also be cautious if:

• A simple 5-page site is quoted at 4-6 months
• There's no clear phase breakdown or milestone schedule
• The timeline doesn't account for your content timeline

Extremely long timelines sometimes indicate that the developer is overcommitted, padding for uncertainty, or doesn't have a clear process.

Typical Website Project Phases and Durations

Here's a condensed reference chart for a standard custom business website (5-10 pages):

Planning Your Website Timeline: A Realistic Checklist

Use this checklist to plan your project timeline accurately:

• Set your target launch date and work backward, adding buffer time
• Start content creation now (even if you haven't hired a designer yet)
• Gather brand assets in a single folder before the project begins
• Identify your decision-maker and confirm their availability during the project
• Block time for reviews in your calendar (30-60 minutes per review round)
• Plan for 2-3 revision rounds in design and at least one in development
• Add 2 weeks of buffer to whatever timeline you calculate
• Communicate proactively with your developer about any delays on your end

The best website projects aren't necessarily the fastest ones. They're the ones where expectations are clear, communication is consistent, and both sides understand what's needed and when.

For more on getting started, our guide on how to plan your business website covers the full preparation process, and our website cost breakdown helps you understand the budget side of the equation.