Most people asking how long a website takes are really asking when they can stop worrying about it. The honest answer is a range, and what moves you within it is less about the designer's typing speed than about how smoothly decisions get made.
How long does it take to build a website?
It depends on the size and on who is doing the work. Studios publish very different figures. One agency says a custom website might typically take 2 to 6 weeks, varying a good deal between designers; another puts the minimum at around four weeks because of the design and development stages. Those are their figures for their own way of working, not a rule.
Ours are published. A Basic Site, three well-made pages, takes one to two weeks. A Signature Site of up to twelve pages, designed from a blank page, takes two to three weeks. A Full Commission, which adds an AI assistant behind the site, takes three to four. You can see all three on our pricing page.
What happens during those weeks?
A well-run project moves through the same stages whoever builds it:
- A first conversation, where the designer learns what the site is for and who it should reach.
- Writing and photography, either yours or created for you. This is the stage most likely to stall.
- A design to review before anything is built, so you can react to something you can see.
- The build, tested on phones and on slower connections.
- Revision rounds, a fixed number agreed in advance.
- Launch, including the domain, the contact form and the search basics.
If a designer cannot tell you how many days each stage should take, the schedule is a guess.
What makes a website take longer?
Almost always, waiting. The words are not ready, the photographs have not been taken, the logo is still being redrawn or three people each want a different change. A site that grows from five pages to twelve halfway through also takes longer, and so it should.
You can shorten a project a great deal by deciding up front who has the final say on each page, and by handing over your text and images promptly. A good designer will help with both; our Signature Site includes copywriting in your voice and photography direction for exactly this reason.
Is a template or builder faster?
The first draft appears faster, which is the appeal. But the writing, the photography and the dozens of small decisions do not go away; they become your evenings. We compare the two routes in How much does a custom website cost compared with Squarespace or Wix?
What should you ask a designer about timing?
Before you sign, ask for these in writing:
- A start date and a launch date, with the stages between them.
- What the designer needs from you, and by when.
- How many revision rounds are included, and what a further round costs.
- What happens to the date if your materials arrive late.
- What launch includes, and what support you get afterwards.
A fixed-price proposal that names these is a good sign. One that says "about a month" and nothing else is not.
How we handle it
At Bay House Digital in Annapolis, every site ends in a fixed-price proposal with the timeline set out, and the stages above are how we work. If you are comparing studios, what the best sites do and how people find you afterward are worth reading alongside the schedule.
Common questions
How long does a website take to build with a designer?
It depends on the number of pages and how quickly you reply. At Bay House a three-page Basic Site takes one to two weeks, a Signature Site two to three, and a Full Commission three to four. Other studios publish ranges of two to six weeks or longer.
What makes a website take longer than planned?
Mostly waiting: for copy, photographs, a logo or a decision. A page count that grows halfway through and feedback from several people who disagree do the same. Agree who approves what before the work starts.
Is it faster to use a template or a website builder?
The first draft appears faster, but writing, photography and decisions still take time, and they are usually your time. A designer who has done it before carries that work for you.
