How long does it take to build a website?

Every website goes through the same stages, whoever builds it. Knowing them helps you see where the time goes.

1. Scope. Agreeing what the site needs to do, which pages it has and what it costs.
2. Content. The words, photos, prices, service details, reviews and logos.
3. Design. How it looks, usually shown to you as a first page or layout to approve.
4. Build. Turning the design into working pages, forms, tracking and any booking or follow-up tools.
5. Review. You check everything on your phone and computer, and ask for changes.
6. Launch. Pointing your domain name at the new site, testing forms and submitting the sitemap.

Stages 2 and 5 are yours, and they’re where most delays happen.

These are my own typical build times, taken from the same place my prices live. Other designers will differ, but the order of size is similar.

One line sits under every one of those: “Timelines are estimates that start once the scope is agreed and content is received.” That isn’t small print. It’s the honest reason timelines slip.

A DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace can be live in a weekend if your words and photos are ready. If they aren’t, it can take months of evenings.

In my experience it’s rarely the code. It’s usually one of these:

• Content. Service descriptions, prices and an “about” section that nobody has time to write. If your designer writes the words, they still need the facts from you.
• Photos. Real photos of your work, team and premises do a better job than stock images, but someone has to take them.
• Decisions. Which services to lead with, what to say about prices, which areas to cover. The more people who need to agree, the longer it takes.
• Sign-off. A design waiting a fortnight for a reply adds a fortnight to the project.
• Logins. Access to your domain, old hosting, email settings or Google Business Profile. Often a previous designer or a relative set it up and nobody has the password.
• Third parties. Some steps run on someone else’s clock. Google says profile verification reviews take up to 5 business days, and a postcard code can take up to 14 days to arrive.

You can take weeks off a project before it starts.

1. Find your logins first. Work out where your domain is registered and make sure you can log in. Do the same for your Google profile and any old hosting.
2. List your services and prices. Even rough notes or voice notes are enough for a designer to write from.
3. Take photos now. Your phone is fine. Recent jobs, your van, your team, your premises.
4. Collect your proof. Qualifications, memberships, insurance details and a link to your reviews.
5. Pick one decision-maker. One person approves the design and the words.
6. Book review time. Put an hour in the diary for when the first version arrives, and reply in one list rather than bit by bit.

Launch day isn’t the day people start finding you. Google has to crawl and index the new pages first. Google says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and that asking it to recrawl doesn’t mean a page will be included. Setting up Search Console and submitting your sitemap helps Google find the pages.

Ranking for competitive searches takes longer again, and nobody can promise when or where you’ll appear. Your Google Business Profile, reviews and clear service pages matter more than launch speed. The guide to showing up on Google covers the checks.

Every M1 project starts with a fixed-price proposal, so the scope is agreed before work begins. For the Enquiry Page, the words are written for you, which removes the biggest delay.

• Enquiry Page, £800: typically 1 to 2 weeks, paid £400 to start and £400 at launch.
• Foundation Build, from £3,500: typically 3 to 4 weeks, paid half to start and half at launch.
• Growth Build, from £6,500: typically 4 to 6 weeks, paid in 4 stages as the work is done.

Timelines are estimates that start once the scope is agreed and content is received. Not sure which you need? Take the Scorecard first.

Build times in the table are M1’s own typical times, not market figures.

• Ask Google to recrawl your URLs, Google Search Central, accessed 30 September 2026
• Verify your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help, accessed 30 September 2026