When launching your small business online, you’ll inevitably wonder, “How long does it take to build a website?” While many claim that with a website builder, you can complete the process in a week or less, the reality is that timing varies significantly based on multiple factors.

This comprehensive guide will help you understand exactly how long it takes to design a website and build it from start to finish. We’ll also explore the time differences between DIY platforms and working with professional website developers, plus cover how long it takes to redesign a website when you’re ready for an update.

General Timeline: How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?

Building a website typically takes anywhere from one to six months, depending on your specific goals and available resources. While “it depends” might seem like a frustrating answer when you’re eager to launch, understanding the variables will help you set realistic expectations.

Having built multiple websites during my tenure at Wix and for personal projects, I’ll share insights and expert advice to break down the timeline for each stage of website creation. This will give you a clearer picture of what to expect and how to plan your time effectively.

Several key factors determine how long it takes to design a website:

By Hand vs. With AI

If speed is your primary concern, artificial intelligence offers the fastest route to completion. AI can either assist with building your site or create it entirely from scratch.

There are many tools such as Bolt, for example, that can generate your complete site autonomously. Simply describe your business and website goals to the AI, which then designs a complete website including initial copy, images, and essential pages for your business. This approach can eliminate weeks or even months from the traditional development timeline, delivering a fully functional website in minutes.

Alternatively, you can use AI tools to accelerate specific aspects of web development rather than having AI work completely independently. This option works well if you prefer maintaining control throughout the process or want to collaborate with a professional web designer.

However, AI-generated websites often come with significant limitations. These tools typically produce generic designs that lack brand personality, may have poor SEO optimization, limited customization options, and often result in websites that look similar to countless others. The content generated is frequently bland and doesn’t capture your unique value proposition. Additionally, many AI builders create websites with performance issues, accessibility problems, and limited scalability as your business grows. You’ll still need to learn important aspects of website publishing, ongoing maintenance, security updates, backup management, and troubleshooting technical issues—tasks that can be overwhelming for business owners who simply want to focus on running their business.

DIY vs. Developer

Beyond AI builders, how long it takes to design a website largely depends on who handles the development. Creating a site with a web designer or developer might require less effort from you but typically takes longer due to increased complexity. Conversely, the learning curve for DIY website building requires significant time investment. However, user-friendly website builders like Squarespace, Wix, and Elementor and AI tools can significantly streamline this process.

Website Size and Complexity

The number of pages directly impacts development time. Simple landing pages and single-page websites can sometimes be completed in one to two days, while multi-page or multilingual websites may require months of work—during which you might need under-construction website templates. Larger websites also demand more time for brainstorming and creating content, including text, images, and decorative elements.

Static vs. Dynamic Websites

When building a website, choosing between static and dynamic design significantly affects completion time. Static websites can be assembled relatively quickly, especially when using pre-designed WordPress templates. With ready-to-use layouts and elements, you can create an attractive static website in minimal time.

However, websites requiring dynamic content—such as interactive features, user-generated content, or real-time updates—take considerably longer to develop. Dynamic websites often involve custom development work, including coding, database design, and integration. The process also requires extensive testing and debugging to ensure proper functionality across various devices and browsers.

Budget vs. Time Considerations

Consider both website costs and your available time when choosing your approach. Your availability and budget may naturally point you toward a specific direction. When evaluating options, carefully review all upfront costs plus ongoing fees associated with any platform or contract.

How Long Does It Take to Build a Website Using a Website Creation Platform?

Based on my experience as a WordPress developer, building a website typically takes four weeks to three months to get fully operational. In some cases, you can feasibly design a website in one day—but only when working directly with a template and requiring minimal custom features.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of approximately how long it takes to design a website with a website builder:

Devising a Concept: One to Two Weeks

Before creating your website, develop a clear concept. During this initial stage, you’ll map out your website blueprint and define your site’s purpose. When planning your website, outline additional required functions and design elements.

Consider what type of website you need and its intended purpose. For instance, if you want an online store, plan for an eCommerce website with integrated purchasing solutions. For service-based businesses, design a site with built-in booking functionality.

Selecting a Website Builder: One Day to One Week

With numerous sophisticated website creation platforms available, business owners and freelancers commonly choose DIY development. This approach offers multiple benefits including cost efficiency, design ownership, and enhanced website security.

Choosing between a no-code platform like Wix or more advanced low-code design software like Wix Studio depends on your experience level, needs, and budget. Research thoroughly and test options before making your decision.

Preparing Your Content: One to Two Weeks

After outlining your website’s concept and goals, prepare your content. Consider what web pages your site will include and how they’ll communicate your message while enabling visitors to achieve their goals. This includes written copy, photographs, imagery, call-to-action buttons, and branded elements like logos.

Defining Website Layout: One to Three Weeks

With your concept, chosen website builder, and content ready, it’s time to map out your site’s layout. Decide how many pages to include and outline each individual section.

Unless you have a clear vision, experiment with different formats. Test asymmetrical versus symmetrical layouts, or multi-page versus single-page websites. When starting from scratch, draft layout ideas on paper before beginning the drag-and-drop process. Many professional designers create wireframes for each page—a method you can try yourself.

Tip: For a simple, time-saving option, start with a professionally designed website template. Browse until you find a pre-made layout you love, then customize it to match your brand.

Customizing Your Design: Two to Four Weeks

Customization truly brings your site to life. Research shows that 75% of consumers judge a brand’s credibility based on website design, highlighting how visual language engages visitors.

Whether starting from scratch or working with a template, website builders allow you to add, edit, and customize essential design elements including website menus, color schemes, scroll effects, buttons, imagery, photo galleries, video, text, and mobile design.

Enhance your creation with decorative web design features like website gradients. Take time to establish branding elements such as color scheme, imagery, logo, and tone of voice, then implement these consistently throughout your design for cohesive visual brand identity.

Editing with What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) software like Elementor allows real-time viewing of changes. As you continue developing and reviewing your site, ensure the design and content complement each other to tell visitors a clear story.

Testing and Publishing: One to Two Weeks

You’re nearly finished. Once your website meets your standards, test whether other visitors feel the same. Share your site’s domain with trusted friends and colleagues, asking them to navigate as average visitors would.

Take their feedback seriously, noting both compliments and criticisms. Make necessary changes and resolve any issues these users encounter. This ensures your site provides an excellent user experience before going live publicly. Testing with people you know is less risky than with new potential customers. Overall, testing typically lasts one to two weeks.

When confident in your design, follow a website launch checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked. Ready for takeoff? Press the “publish” button to share your creation with the world.

How Long Does It Take for a Professional Developer to Build a Website?

Overall, creating a website with a professional takes anywhere from two to five months. Understanding how long it takes to design a website with a designer, developer, agency, or team helps you decide whether to complete the process independently or hire professionals.

Review this timeline to set appropriate expectations for your project and prepare for a smooth process:

Setting Goals: One to Two Weeks

You likely understand the “why” behind your site, whether building an online presence, selling products, or creating a blog.

Whatever your website’s purpose, narrow down specific goals before starting. For example, you might want an online portfolio website to attract new clients and build your online presence.

Specific goals might include getting your website live in three months, landing your first sale one week after launch, building strong social media presence to drive traffic, or increasing website traffic by 10% within one month.

This stage should last one to two weeks. Take time to understand what you want to achieve with your website. This helps you consider design details and determine what qualifications a designer or developer needs to meet your goals.

Finding a Developer: One to Four Weeks

Time to research and find the perfect designer or developer for your project. Ask trusted friends and colleagues or search well-known job posting sites like the Wix Marketplace.

You’ll likely need a front-end developer or web designer who can collaborate with a back-end coder or uses a platform with integrated back-end coding.

You’ve found the perfect professional match when you find a developer or agency who will handle back-end functionality and manage front-end development and web design, work within your budget, has a reputation for timely delivery, matches your desired skill set, and shares a similar aesthetic.

Don’t hesitate to interview multiple designers, developers, or agencies. Review their work and compare candidates. Take time researching—approximately one week to one month to find a qualified and trustworthy collaborator.

Outlining Your Needs: One to Three Weeks

Once you’ve hired a website professional, brief them on your project’s full scope. Over one to three weeks, meet with your designer, developer, agency, or team to develop vision, set deliverable expectations, and establish content creation timelines and deadlines.

Come prepared with specific content and requirements decided during goal-setting. Your collaborator will likely ask for direction regarding site design and needed functionality. They’ll also want to understand what your site must display—from logos to written copy and product photography.

Designing Mockups: One to Three Weeks

With a clear vision established, the designer or developer takes control and begins building your website. They’ll present wireframes and design mockups, plus individual web pages. These drafts provide your website’s basic structure, functionality, visual design, and user flow.

As the site owner, you must review mockups, which can take one to three weeks to complete. Carefully examine each page’s layout, aesthetic, design elements (such as images and buttons), and provide feedback to your collaborating designers and developers.

Main Development: One to Two Months

Your website developer leads at this point. Converting mockups into a functioning website takes at least one to two months, sometimes longer depending on your site’s complexity.

Generally, developers overestimate project length and leave cushion for unexpected changes. They understand the iterative process requires back-and-forth communication between developers, designers, and you as the client.

As a client, stay involved during this phase. Be proactive, request updates, and identify potential site issues—it’s better for designers and developers to integrate changes during development rather than waiting until completion.

Final Review: One to Two Weeks

Just before publishing your site, your collaborator sends a completed and tested product for review. Since you’ve worked together from the beginning to devise clear plans and provide feedback, they likely won’t need time-consuming changes.

Take one to two weeks to inspect your site independently and with your team, friends, and colleagues. Extra eyes can immensely help your design. From overall user experience to small details like colors, font sizes, and micro-animations, developers anticipate making minor changes at this stage.

Once all parties are satisfied, you can publish the final product. However, your website will never be truly finished. Over time, you’ll want to perform website maintenance, update visual style, and tweak content. Discuss with your designer or developer whether they can perform future tasks or grant you CMS access for independent adjustments.

How Long Does It Take to Redesign a Website?

If you’re wondering how long it takes to redesign a website, the timeline is typically shorter than building from scratch since you already have established content, branding, and a clear understanding of your goals. Website redesigns generally take two to four months, depending on the scope of changes needed.

The redesign process follows similar stages to new website development but with some key differences. You’ll spend less time on initial concept development since you understand what works and what doesn’t from your current site. However, you may need additional time for content migration, SEO preservation, and ensuring smooth transitions for existing users.

When considering how long it takes to redesign a website versus starting fresh, remember that existing brand recognition and user familiarity can actually work in your favor during the redesign process.

Key Redesign Considerations: Content migration, SEO preservation, user experience improvements, and maintaining existing traffic and rankings require careful planning and execution.

How Long Does It Take to Build a Website Using AI?

The short answer: as quickly as a few minutes. AI has revolutionized web design and provided quick, easy ways to create websites.

However, not all AI solutions are identical. Beware of AI tools that prioritize speed over quality. Ensure you trust your chosen platform and find solutions with both creative vision and technical expertise to build sturdy sites.

For this example, we’ll discuss creating a website with Wix’s AI website builder. Born from decades of web design experience and cutting-edge AI technology, this website builder makes site creation as simple as having a conversation.

Chatting with AI: One to Five Minutes

Get started with Wix’s unique, chat-based AI experience. Simply provide basic business details. The AI will ask about specific items before delivering a site brief. If everything looks good, you can generate a site immediately or continue chatting with Wix to further refine your vision.

“Making a chat-based experience was our way of creating a very intuitive flow for users to know what to ask for and how to get the best results,” says Wix’s Head of Product Yaara Asaf. “AI relies on people being able to articulate what they need. The chat is designed to guide conversation so it fills knowledge gaps needed to build the best possible result.”

Reviewing the Design: One to Five Minutes

Once you’ve approved the site brief, preview your site in the same window as your chat conversation. If it’s not entirely to your liking, regenerate your site for more options or make minor design changes to the existing version. Request changes to color theme, layout, or text (among other aspects) and apply changes instantly.

“I think the biggest game-changer is the fact that you can easily create a stunning website without needing to understand layout, design, or anything to get a great working website right from the start,” adds Yaara. You can get creative juices flowing with AI’s help and Wix’s expertise until you get exactly what you want.

Customizing Your Design: Zero to One Hour

Should you choose, continue tweaking your AI-generated website through the Wix Editor. From the Editor, input custom content including images, text, videos, animations, or designs.

The Wix Editor includes various AI-powered capabilities to help throughout this process. For instance, when creating an eCommerce site, use AI to write compelling product descriptions or automatically create bespoke images for your site’s background.

Remember to pay attention to your site’s mobile version. Toggle views to the Mobile Editor in Wix and make tweaks as needed (such as excluding certain elements from mobile view to declutter your site or rearranging content as desired).

Publishing Your Site: One Minute

If everything looks good from either the chat window or Editor (wherever you left off), proceed to publish your site. You’ll need to connect your custom domain or use one of Wix’s free domains provided by default.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take a beginner to build a website?

As a beginner, you might want to create a website as quickly as possible, which is achievable with AI or DIY website builders. These tools make it possible for someone new to website creation to build a website within minutes. The timeline depends on your desired website type—a simple personal website could take very little time, while sites with more functionality like eCommerce will take longer, requiring hours or days to complete. Understanding how long it takes to build a website as a beginner helps set realistic expectations for your first project.

How long does it take to design a website with different approaches?

The time to design a website varies significantly by approach: AI builders can create sites in minutes, DIY platforms typically require 4 weeks to 3 months, and professional developers usually need 2-5 months for complete projects. Each method for how long it takes to design a website offers different benefits depending on your goals, budget, and timeline requirements.

What factors most impact how long it takes to build a website?

The primary factors affecting build time include website complexity (static vs. dynamic), number of pages, custom functionality requirements, content preparation time, and whether you’re using DIY tools, AI builders, or professional developers. Understanding these variables helps you better estimate how long it takes to build a website for your specific needs.

How long does it take to redesign a website compared to building new?

Website redesigns typically take 2-4 months, which is generally shorter than building from scratch since you already have established content, branding, and goals. However, additional considerations like content migration and SEO preservation may add complexity. Knowing how long it takes to redesign a website versus creating one from scratch helps you plan your project timeline and budget accordingly.

Ready to Build Your Professional Website?

Don’t let your small business miss out on the 97% of consumers who search online for services like yours. Your outdated or non-existent website could be costing you valuable customers every day.

At Noble Digital, I create custom, search engine optimized WordPress websites that help small businesses grow their online presence and drive real results. Each project receives my personal attention from start to finish, combining stunning web design with powerful SEO to help you stand out in search results.

Let’s create more than just a website—together we’ll build a dynamic digital storefront that actively works to grow your business 24/7.

Get Your Free Consultation Today

Complete the form and I’ll respond within the next business day to discuss your goals, needs, and budget.

Understanding these timelines helps you make informed decisions about your website development approach, whether you’re building your first site or planning a redesign. Choose the method that best balances your timeline, budget, and desired outcome.

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