According to statistics, over 80% of shoppers check a company’s website before making a purchasing decision. For this reason, a company’s website acts as the first point of contact for potential customers. Having a fully functioning website is, therefore, essential for the success of any business today.
Commissioning a business website is not an easy task. It can take a few months to get even the most basic-looking website off the ground.
Are you trying to figure out how long it takes to design a website? Our guide right here covers the key things you need to know.
How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?
If you’re looking to launch a website for your business, you probably want it to be done in the shortest time possible. However, if this is your first website, it can be hard to estimate how much time the developing process should take. This can lead to assigning the job to the wrong website development contractor.
Building and designing a website requires a lot of time and patience. It can even take a few months, depending on your preferences and needs. Every web design project is different, and there are multiple variables involved in the process.
How Does the Process of Designing a Website Work?
Before understanding how long it will take for your website to be up and running, you must understand what goes on before and during the development process. Below are the fundamental steps of creating a website and their estimated timeline:
1. Evaluating Your Website Needs-First Two Weeks
This is where you do the preparations, come up with a plan and a mental picture of how you would like your website to look. If you have no idea of what you want, you may end up hiring the wrong company to develop the website.
Your website should be built depending on your business needs. However, you can also consult with the developer to understand if what you have in mind is feasible for your business. A well-experienced web designer will be able to explain how certain features could impact the overall user experience.
This is also the stage where you will be communicating with the web designer. You can converse over email, phone, or schedule an in-person meeting to explain your needs.
2. Coming up With a Design
This stage can take 1-3 weeks, depending on your project. Your website developer will schedule a meeting with a web designer to show you exactly how the website will look like. They do this by presenting you with dummy samples and sketches based on your needs and preferences.
Before approving any design, ensure it is up to your satisfaction. You can make as many changes as possible; the development process hasn’t begun yet. Below are things you should ask during this stage:
- Full dummy representations of every page on your site
- How the mobile version of the website will look like
- How the layouts of each page will look like
During this stage, it’s essential to remain actively involved in the development process. If you don’t understand something, be sure to ask for clarification.
3. The Website Development Stage
This is where the developer converts your dreams into reality. They will use all the information you gave them, including the approved design samples, and turn it into a fully-functional website. The process can take 1-2 months.
This stage takes time due to the many obstacles and setbacks faced. Your developer might fall ill, or you may decide to make changes to a critical element of the website.
Ensure you are actively involved in the development process as well. While most developers always keep their clients informed about the project’s progress, others are often too busy and forget this step. Ensure you also contact them regularly for updates.
4. The Final Step
This is the website review stage, where you go through the whole website checking if there are final revisions to be made. The developer will show you how every page of the website works. If it meets your expectations, you can proceed with the launch.
If your website is a complex one, there will always be a few adjustments and revisions to be made. Your developer will be happy to help you through this process. However, in most cases, more significant modifications will be done in the earlier stages of the development process, and only minor adjustments will be needed.
It’s Now Time to Launch Your Website!
Congratulations! You now have a fully functioning website ready for your clients to experience. The last step is ensuring that the website is closely monitored, adjustments and improvements are made to boost customer experience, and new content is added regularly.
Additional After-Service Support
A website development process doesn’t end with the launch. Your developer should also be able to offer after-service support to make sure everything is working correctly. Sometimes, problems might arise after the website’s launch; and you will need the developer to help you fix them.
Post-launch support is one of the most important aspects of web development. Your developer should be flexible and agile enough to help you change any aspects of the website depending on your client’s feedback.
What to Ask Your Web Developer
A website development project requires a lot of preparation. Before starting the actual development, the web developer must have all the necessary information to ensure they bring your dream to life. Below are questions you should ask when commissioning a website:
- How long will it take to get the website working?
- Do you offer all other services related to the design and development of the website?
- How much will you charge me for the job?
- What additional information do I need to provide?
- Are training and after-service support included in the package?
While it’s essential to ask the above questions, it’s also equally important to do some background research about the company you hired. Their past interactions with clients and their online reviews will answer some of the above questions. With the right amount of preparation, these website design services can help you get a well-designed, professionally-looking website in the shortest time possible.
Are You Ready to Get Someone to Design a Website?
You are now equipped with how the design process works and the expected estimated timeline. The more advanced your website is, the longer it might take to be developed. Being well-prepared is essential before contacting a web development agency.
While it’s not an easy process to design a website, it’s essential to make sure you have hired the right agency for the job. Having a well-built website is the best way to improve customers’ interaction with your brand.
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