Launching a website for your business? Not sure how long it will take to design and then test it before taking it live?
Remember that content and web design have a big impact on your business and customers. Designing a website will take some dedication and thorough planning.
The question remains: How long does it take to design a website?
We’re here to provide answers! Check out our in-depth guide below to learn more:
The Five Design Phases That Impact Your Timeline
Let’s divide the design process into a few key stages. This will help you identify where you are in the process and how much longer it might take to finalize your site. It starts with the basic discovery phase:
Discovery Phase
The first thing you need to do is ask and clarify what you or what your client. You want to discover the following:
- Who are the targeted customers?
- Why should they go to your website?
- What experience should they have on your website?
- How do you address their needs?
- What kind of design matches them?
These questions will serve as your foundation to move the project forward much sooner. Take the time to understand who you’re trying to reach and how to reach them.
Planning Phase
If you’re planning to focus on the design over the content, that’s a big mistake. Content is always a priority. Your website needs to talk about how your products and services can benefit them.
The content needs to remain persuasive and compelling. It makes your customers want to stay longer and explore the website.
Keep in mind the content and how to arrange the content to your customer’s liking. Research on what graphical elements will excite buyers and support your website’s message. Know what mood, layout, and design that works best for your customer and the overall business.
Development Phase
This is the phase where all designers will put your ideas together to create a prototype website. Once you’ve finished writing the content, you need the best SEO to have it rise to top rank sooner.
You should also have the best website’s initial wireframe. These are the blueprints for building a website and it acts as your practical map for everyone on your team to see.
The prototypes are then checked by you or the client to get approval. The team relies on the response to set in motion some changes and revision before moving forward.
Coding Phase
This is where the design moves toward an almost finished website. Each page has codes where all the content will go into the Content Management System(CMS). This is the system that allows developers to create, design, and publish websites like Wix or WordPress.
It takes a while for developers to troubleshoot and debug every page. It also depends on how big and heavy the content and designs will be and if it adds more time if it has dynamic content.
Launch Phase
Before launching your website, let the people know that you will have a website for all their needs. Be sure to review and test the website yourself and schedule the launch in your calendar. Consider having a content strategy and copywriting for your website’s content updates.
How Lengthy Does It Take to Design A Website?
Not sure how to navigate through these phases? You can break it down by creating a flowchart or linear timeline of your design process. It begins by filling up a questionnaire:
1. Start Out Filling Up A Website Questionnaire
Your team needs all the details to simplify the creating process. Outsourced designers need to know your preferences, prepositions, offers, and many more. It’s a great way to learn about the business, what they do, and what is their selling process.
The questionnaire should list the brand style like the color palette and typography. Your team should have access to your logos and images that they should use. You can also list down some websites to better understand your style and preferences.
Filling out the questionnaire should be well thought of, so it can take 2 to 3 days.
2. Meeting and Review
Schedule a call or video chat with designers or developers. It’s the best way to remove any questions and confusion when designing a website. Clarify your specific goals and critical design elements that they need to keep in mind.
3. Designer Creates a Wireframe, Mockup, and Final
Your designer will start making the blueprint for your website. It shows boxes and fake texts of where they’ll place images, CTAs, and color.
Once you approve the layout, they start building the website with your brand style. It won’t be completely functioning, but it gives you an idea of the final look. Creating the wireframe and mockup can take up to 3 weeks or more depending on the approval.
The coding then starts, so read over your content and check for any mistakes. Request progress updates to how the website is turning out. This process can take 2 to 3 weeks to develop a fully functioning website.
Review, Revise, and Launch
Once your developers finish coding, they usually send a preview link. Review it well, pay close attention to the navigation, responsiveness, and animated elements. Proofread the content and remove any grammatical errors.
Your answer to how long does it take to design a website depends on the approval. It can take a few days, weeks, months, and even years! Once everything is good to go, recheck everything from top to bottom and your website ready to go live.
Some Issues That Can Cause A Delay
Don’t skip on the discovery phase and set your goals right. Take your time to research and understand what you or what your customers need and want. If you rush building a website, the project may keep getting delayed for adjustments.
Communication is key when working with designers and developers. Once that’s lost, the approval procedure will delay the projects and it’ll be hard to nail the details. The process becomes slow once there are too many conflicting opinions.
Know what you want and need in the quantity and style of your content. Developing writing and media adds value to your site, or you can get help from a website design company. Your team is more likely to keep going back on requirements if you don’t check in with them.
Start Planning Your Design Process Now!
How long does it take to design a website?
With the right website design company, the whole process can take a few weeks up to a full year. Building a website takes time, but it’s worth the effort for the best user experience and represents your brand to its fullest potential. Always consider the content, page number, each page design, and functionality.
Of course, designing is only the start. You have to keep updating it and fixing issues. The good news is you can check out more of our in-depth guides right here to learn how to keep your business site in tip-top shape!
