“Hey Rebecca, How long does it take to build a website? We need a new website, so I’d like to jump on a call with you. I’d like this completed in the next couple weeks, so time is of the essence. Let me know when you’re available.”

Ah, the email every marketing agency loves to get! A request for a new service, along with a deadline that is extremely tight. Send out an email like this, and you can expect your price to jump from “reasonable” to “OUCH!”

The question we have been asked over the past few months, more than any other question is this: “How long does it take to build a website?”

The easy answer is, “It depends.”

Today, I hope to give you a better answer by explaining what a website build depends upon.
Let’s get started!

How Long Does It Take To Build A Website? Depends on the Following:

Your Goals

Are you throwing up a website to show that you are still in business?

• Do you hope to reach new customers?
• Do you hope to close deals or sell products through your website?
• Do you hope to get people applying for jobs on your website?
• Are you hoping to get found by people searching for products or services that you offer?
• Do you want to compete with others in your industry and appear to be as credible as them?

There are a number of reasons to have a website, but laying out all of the goals for your site will help us to determine what needs to be on your website. For example, if you only need a website to prove you are still in business, you’ll need a simple site with no integrations. You will need to have someone updating your site frequently to make sure it doesn’t crash as the Internet goes through its frequent changes.

A site that simply shows your business is alive can be completed reasonably quickly.
A 5-page website with no integrations will take approximately one month to complete.

This site is good for a solopreneur looking to start out.

The site will not bring in much traffic, but it’s a good place to start. A site like this should be updated regularly but can be updated by the business owner. This site should last about one year before you outgrow it and it needs to be completely rebuilt.

Your Competitors

If you are looking to start a new line of business and the industry has plenty of competitors, your site should stack up. For example, if you are starting a recruiting company, you’ll need a site with several integrations:

• A job board
• An applicant tracking system
• A customer relationship management system

VIEW AN EXAMPLE FROM OUR RECRUITING WEBSITE PORTFOLIO

For a site like this, you would have several goals, including wanting to be found through Google by those searching for your name, your competitors, your services, and your industry. You’ll need links in and out of your website to make it successful. You’ll need tracking to find out where people are coming from and what they’re looking for on your site. After the site goes live, you’ll need to identify the trouble spots, which are those pages or processes where people are leaving your website.

A site like this will be more of an investment, should last longer, and can be built upon. You’ll want a blog on this site to bring people back and to improve your search engine ranking over time, you’ll need frequent backups and updates, and someone to monitor any broken links and fix trouble spots.

This site will be between 5 and 9 pages. A site like this will take between two and four months to complete.

The website project does not include individual written blogs, but it does provide a simple layout for adding a blog. A project like this will involve a graphic designer, copywriter, and user experience designer. You may have a developer as well, and the graphic designer may double as a user experience designer.

This is the website for businesses looking for a steady stream of business.

Your Services

A website is the first introduction to your company. Even if you cold call a lead, you have to expect that they will Google your company and expect to find your website.

Every website, big or small, should appear credible and have all of the elements that are expected by visitors. A company that has more than three or four services has a different challenge. For a large website, the user experience is the most important element of building the website.

What is User Experience?

You can make a quick menu with a dropdown of all services, but what if someone is trying to decide between two services? Where should they go? What if you have two audiences: client and job seeker. How do you ensure that the job seeker is not filling in forms meant for a client? The user experience (UX) process of website design lays out every potential visitor and the path they might take. Then, the UX breaks down the previous searches and the path those searches would take through the website.

A website of 9 to 15 pages would take at least three to six months to complete.
This is the site of businesses with more than one line of business and more than ten employees.

Many business owners are amazed at how quickly a website jumps to this size. Keep in mind that a website is like a storefront. Imagine how long it would take to renovate a storefront or an office to fit your needs. That’s one way to keep it in perspective.

This website build process can be frustrating to many business owners if not explained correctly. These websites can be broken down like building a town. You don’t just jump in and start designing. There is a lot of groundwork and planning to ensure complete functionality, prior to anything looking pretty.

Sites that are bigger often have page layouts that allow the business to expand the website easily. These sites tend to last longer, involve more people during the build process and require a web team to maintain the site once complete.

Can A Website Be Completed Faster?

Of course!

By adding people to the project, you can have several elements running at once and 100% focus on your project. There are certain elements that must run one after the other, but a 5-page website can be moved from a one-month project to a one-week project if you are willing to pay the price to buy a full team’s focus.

We frequently complete website-in-a-week projects, especially during the spring and summer months when the holiday season isn’t looming, and the annual strategies aren’t coming due.

When considering a new website, it is essential to be realistic about the timeline and always consider the approval process. A simple approval process can be the difference between a three-month and one-year projects.

If you’d like to know more about our prices and processes, please contact us for a free consultation today: https://abaskmarketing.com/schedule.