How long a website takes depends on its type: a corporate site of 5–15 pages is typically ready in 3–6 weeks, an e-commerce site takes 6–16 weeks depending on scope, and custom software projects start at around two months and can exceed six for larger systems. The single biggest factor that stretches these timelines is content arriving late.
You may come across offers promising a website 'in two days'. Dropping a logo and some text into a ready-made template really can be quick; but for a project involving strategy, original design, SEO foundations, content and testing, those timelines aren't realistic. The ranges below are typical averages based on common projects in the industry; every project still needs to be assessed on its own scope.
How many weeks does a corporate website take?
A corporate website with a typical scope of 5–15 pages usually goes live in 3–6 weeks, provided the content is ready on time. That timeframe covers discovery, design, development, content entry and testing. Adding multiple languages, custom animation or extensive copywriting can extend it by a few weeks.
- —Week 1: discovery meeting, goals, sitemap, content list.
- —Week 2: homepage and inner page designs, first feedback round.
- —Week 3: design revisions and approval; development starts.
- —Week 4: development, content entry, basic SEO setup.
- —Week 5: mobile and browser testing, speed optimisation, final fixes.
- —Week 6 (buffer): final approval, launch, Search Console and analytics setup.
How long does an e-commerce site take to complete?
An e-commerce site built on an existing platform with limited integrations typically takes 6–10 weeks, while custom-built stores or projects with ERP, accounting and marketplace integrations take 10–16 weeks or more. In e-commerce, the real drivers of the timeline are how ready the product data is and how many integrations are involved.
- —Weeks 1–2: discovery, category structure, payment and shipping choices, integration list.
- —Weeks 2–4: design of homepage, category, product, cart and checkout screens.
- —Weeks 4–8: development, payment gateway and shipping integration.
- —In parallel: product photos, descriptions, variants and prices.
- —Final 1–2 weeks: test orders, return and cancellation scenarios, distance sales agreement and legal texts, launch.
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How long does a custom software project take?
In custom software, duration tracks scope directly: a first version with core features (an MVP) typically takes 2–4 months, while comprehensive business software with multiple roles, integrations and reporting takes 4–9 months or longer. That is why phased releases are usually healthier than a single big-bang delivery for custom software.
- —Analysis (2–4 weeks): mapping business processes, user roles, data model, prioritisation.
- —Design (2–4 weeks): screen flows and interface, clickable prototype.
- —Development (6–20+ weeks): working increments delivered in two-week cycles.
- —Testing and pilot (2–4 weeks): trial with real users, bug fixing.
- —Launch and training: data migration, user training, support period.
What phases does a web project go through?
Every web project, whatever its type, goes through discovery, content and structure planning, design, development, testing and launch. The length of each phase varies, but the order doesn't; if approval of one phase slips, every phase after it slips too. So the timeline is set not only by the agency's speed but by how fast approvals happen.
- —Discovery: clarifying goals, audience, competitors, budget and scope.
- —Planning: sitemap, content list per page, keyword mapping.
- —Design: wireframes, visual design, revision rounds.
- —Development: coding, content management, integrations, SEO foundations.
- —Testing: mobile and browser compatibility, speed, forms, redirects.
- —Launch and after: domain and SSL, indexing, first-week monitoring and small fixes.
What delays web projects the most?
What delays web projects most is content the client needs to provide arriving late: page copy, product information, photos, reference lists and legal texts. Design and development usually progress on schedule, but without content, pages can't be tested, approved or launched.
- —Copy being written at the last minute, or stuck waiting on several people's approval.
- —Too many decision-makers, with new people adding new feedback each round.
- —Scope growing mid-project (a new page, a new language, a new integration).
- —Domain, hosting or old-site access details that nobody can find.
- —Feedback left waiting for weeks.
How can you speed up a website project?
The most effective ways to speed up a website project are to start preparing content before design begins, to appoint a single decision-maker and to give feedback within two business days. Those three habits cut weeks off most projects and keep progress predictable regardless of how fast the agency works.
- —Get the content list in week one and write copy in parallel with design; hand copywriting to the agency if needed.
- —Plan photography early; real product and team photos build more trust than stock images.
- —Appoint one project owner and one approver.
- —Cap revision rounds by number in the contract and give consolidated feedback.
- —Share domain, hosting and existing-site access at the start.
- —Launch in phases if needed: core pages first, then the blog and extra sections.
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What should you ask about timelines when getting a quote?
The key question to ask about timelines when getting a quote is which assumptions the schedule rests on: who provides content and when, how many revision rounds are included, whose approval is needed at each phase, and how the schedule is updated if something slips. Written answers to these questions align expectations on both sides.
- —Is the schedule written out phase by phase, and what does each phase deliver?
- —Are copywriting and photography in scope, or expected from you?
- —How many revision rounds are included, and how do extra rounds affect the schedule?
- —How many weeks of free post-launch fixes are included?
- —Who will work on the project, and through which channel and how often will you communicate?
At 404 Ajans, before a project starts we break the schedule into phases and share in writing what is expected from whom at each stage. A realistic timeline is always worth more than one that promises to be 'very fast', because launch dates are set by process discipline, not by promises.