This is one of the most common questions I hear. It’s also one of the key factors in the success of your project.
The short answer is: longer than you would expect, but don’t rush it. There are three main factors in a project’s timeline:
- How soon can they start?
High quality WordPress developers are usually booked, so can’t start on your website immediately. There could be some delay from when you first hire the developer to when they actually get started. - How long before a website is ready for review?
Most designers and developers have a clear process for building a website, and can describe roughly how long it will take to get a website in your hands. - How long before you can launch?
This final factor is the biggest variable and depends largely on you, the client. It involves reviewing the website, making change requests, and finalizing content.
This information applies to the creation of a custom WordPress website. If you don’t need a custom website, there are faster and more affordable options. Here’s how to setup a WordPress website yourself. With a few hours of work you could have a basic website up and running.
How soon can they start?
If your initial inquiry contains something similar to “…and I need the site live in the next month”, you’ll get fewer responses. You’ll eliminate many great designers and developers because they are booked up so can’t begin immediately.
A better approach is to share your needs and let them describe how they would solve it and in what timeframe. You can then make your selection based on many factors, including their recommended solution, quality of past work, timeline and cost.
There’s no “standard” amount of time that developers are booked up. It completely depends on the individual (or company) and their current workload. My team is typically booked 1-3 months in advance, but it varies. Right now, we’re scheduling projects starting Apr 22nd, 2024.
Last year an agency I’ve worked with before reached out to discuss another project. The client was in a rush and they were trying to accommodate. They ended up using a different developer who was available a few weeks before me. When I followed up a few months later, I heard they ran into many issues with their developer, launched later than they would have using my timeline, and are unhappy with the quality of work. My agency contact said: “We so missed your expertise on our last website. I won’t make that mistake again.”
How long before a website is ready for review?
My team uses a three stage approach to website development. We begin with discovery to examine your needs and define a solution that meets your goals. This includes a sitemap to identify the overall content structure, and documentation describing the features and user experience on all key pages. For existing websites we also perform a technical site audit.
We then move to design, where we mock up exactly how all the pages will look across all devices. The completed designs are like pictures of your future website. Finally, we move to development, where I build a website that matches the approved designs and functionality described in the discovery document. The completed website is then sent to you for review, beginning the modification period.
The three stages typically take twelve weeks. Here is a sample timeline:
Discovery Phase
(3 weeks)
Design Phase
(6 weeks)
Development Phase
(3 weeks)
Modification Period
(2 weeks)*
Migration and Launch
dependent on Modification Period*
How long before you can launch?
The final item in the timeline above is “Modification Period”. We don’t limit it to a certain number of weeks – it can take as long as you need to perfect your website. This typically includes change requests for minor bugs or design inconsistencies. I recommend budgeting at least two weeks for modifications.
The best way to get your website launched in a timely manner is to be prepared. This means:
- Block out time in your schedule to review and test your website. You know when it will be delivered, and it’s obviously a high priority for you. Schedule it like any other work in your day. The quicker we can iterate through changes, the sooner the site gets live.
- Know what content will be needed and have it ready. Planning to have 10 case studies on your website? Write the content while we’re designing and developing the site so they can be added immediately.
The number one cause for delayed launches is incomplete content. No one wants to launch a half-finished website, and content creation is difficult. Consider including content strategy and copywriting in our project’s scope.
Summary: How long to build a website?
A typical website will take 14 weeks at a minimum from start to launch. This includes 3 weeks discovery, 6 weeks design, 3 weeks initial development, and 2 weeks of modifications. It could take much longer if you wait until the end to start writing content.
We will provide a list of dates we will have deliverables ready for review, and the date by which we’ll need your feedback to stay on schedule. Add these to your calendar so you’re ready. If there will be any conflicts (ex: you’re gone on vacation), let us know as soon as possible so we can adjust the schedule accordingly.
The time estimate above doesn’t include the time you spend selecting your WordPress developer, nor the potential delayed start due to their availability. You should be actively researching and hiring your designer and developer team 4-6 months before your desired launch date.
David G says
Wow this is great, I have already forwarded it to a client that i do probono work for, this will help them get a better understanding of the effort we put into there site for them. As we don’t charge them anything and were building a 350 page site. The comment about content is so true, I clearly state that the site will not go live until “all” the content is ready.
The client will always push to go early however we must remain clear in our descision to be properly prepared and no go off half cocked as its better for everyone
“So missed your expertise on our last website. I won’t make that mistake again.”
I knew this was going to be the case the second I read “They ended up using a different developer” hahah I just knew it
Bill Erickson says
It wouldn’t have been much of a story if it ended with “and they loved the new developer who’s faster and cheaper than me!” 🙂
What I’ve done in the past with pro bono work is provide a fixed bid just like a normal project, and then discount it.
Website Cost: $5000
Friends and Family Discount: -$5000
Amount Due: $0
That way they can see the actual value they are getting.
Gloria Barr says
Great idea.
Ivan says
That is a great idea, Bill.
I wander how people would react when they see the actual price?
Will most of them appreciate the discount or will they think the price was bumped.
Sean Vandenberg says
That’s a fantastic way to communicate price, Bill. Definitely going to use that approach in the future. Thanks!
DLS says
I do the same. Whenever I give a discount, or pro-bono…I always send a bill with the actual am9unt, and an appropriate credit. It’s important they know what they got…or they will take advantage of you. This way they tend to appreciate you more I think. I hope anyway.
Jehanzeb Anwer says
I wonder why a lot of freelance wordpress developers offer to complete a wordpress website in just 2-3 days. You’ve done the right analysis, a proper and functional website does take time to build and goes through different phases before you can consider it as “complete”
Bill Erickson says
It depends what the developer is offering. If you’re just making a few tweaks to an existing theme then yes, you can complete it in a few days.
The end client often doesn’t know the difference between the service offerings. They see one company offering websites in 2 days for $500 and another offering them in 8 weeks for $5,000. Part of my sales process is describing what I actually do and how it’s different from lower cost options they’ve seen or used in the past.
Stephanie says
Great read, I was getting impatient with a few of my projects. I do all the work myself besides maintaining servers etc…
Now, I can relax, knowing the time to complete a website varies but I’m well within my timeline, so that’s good!
Dan says
Why are you not charging them anything? You’re truly missing out on a chance to make good money
Andrea says
Great stuff! Thanks! I’ll be sharing on my (still very limited) Facebook page & FAQ.
Bill Erickson says
Thanks!
Joshua Nelson says
Bill,
This is great! I wonder what that modification graph would look like if you factored it against the size of the project? Perhaps as “weeks of modification over total cost” or “weeks of modification over number of templates”, etc? Somehow tying that period to the size/scope would be a interesting metric.
Great post.
Cheers,
Joshua
Bill Erickson says
Surprisingly it’s the smaller projects that are more likely to go on forever, at least in my experience. I took the list of projects, sorted them by price, and then graphed the smallest 50% and largest 50%.
See the updated data above, directly below the big graph.
Joshua Nelson says
Nice!
As initially surprising as this revised graph is, I think it makes sense for the point you made – the larger the project, the more invested the client. I would also imagine that projects with larger budgets have the staff-power to review and generate content more quickly than the smaller projects.
Thanks for the updated graph and great post.
Cheers,
Joshua
Anca says
This is great! Thanks for posting. I use a similar system, but some of my projects aren’t always straighforward.
I work on a lot of sites where we are moving a large amount of content from 1 system into another (from HTML to WordPress, from Joomla to WordPress, etc), and the time it takes to review and make revisions for this is definitely taken into account when the site starts. It can take as much as 3 months for an organization of 2-6 people to review a 100-200 pages and determine if they are needed, based on the high-level sitemap we create during discovery.
As a developer, I also don’t enter the “development” phase until we’ve received “final” content for at least 75% of the pages (excluding the homepage).
This means that, for migration projects, we stop after design until the client has identified the pages they want / don’t want, and for new site projects, we stop after design until we get the written content and graphics for those pages.
I usually make my clients do most or all of their content entry (so that they are better trained to maintain their websites after we’re done), and have a section in my projects specifically for that.
Salah alkwhlani says
great !
Sue Surdam says
This is great article for anyone who is planning a website to those of us who create them. The modification process time frame was enlightening as I had never thought to allow that kind of time for clients to look through their site. You said you don’t limit the time, but I am sure that you would like to finish a site and get final payment at some point. How do you motivate clients towards completion? Particularly when all the site needs is content?
Bill Erickson says
The key is to not tie payment to launch. I bill 25% upfront to get scheduled, and 75% due one week after site is ready for review. So if a project is scheduled for 2 weeks of initial development, when I get started I send an invoice due in 3 weeks.
The client gets to see a working website before paying, and I get paid in a reasonable timeframe.
Your compensation should be tied to your deliverables (ex: website ready for review). If the client doesn’t have to pay the final invoice until going live, that disincentives them to launch. “If I approve the website now I’ll owe $x. I should wait until next month when I have more funds available”
And while I don’t limit the modification period, if they aren’t actively working on the website (which I define as sending me change requests within 3 weeks of me completing the last round of changes), the modification period ends and the only thing remaining in scope is migration. So if they disappear for 6 months, then have changes they want done, those are all out-of-scope and billed separately.
I describe my process in more detail here: Structuring Payments to Align Stakeholders
Sue Surdam says
Again, a new concept. I have always thought of launch as completion. But, it makes sense to tie payment to deliverables. The time frame on when the modification period ends make sense too. Thanks also, for the link to the article, it was super helpful too.
Matt Whiteley says
This is such a great way to handle the billing process. I’ve been hung up in the ‘waiting to launch’ with many past clients and you’re point is spot on. If they are short on funds they will most certainly push back launch. All new sites payments are due prior to launch, but I’ve never done it within a period of final review – excellent idea and I will certainly implement this in the future.
As always – great article Bill.
Jon Brown says
Glad you’re writing again, really missed your insight.
Pankaj Dhawan says
Having a website is like purchase a domain and host it, no big deal. But to have a business started, it takes time. A website is a blank plot which means nothing unless you create it into a beautiful business place and then you say it is “work done”
You nailed it! This takes time if it is something awesome that you are creating.
Sabbir H says
My clients always want to get their site live ASAP. Now I know how I can convince them 🙂 Great post. I have already shared this post with my private Facebook client groups.
Temitayo Boboye says
This is so cool @Bill you are always awesome with the way you write. Now better payment structures for my clients I will make sure to update my contract form with these ideas.