The time it takes to create a website depends on three primary factors: the size and scope of the site, the capabilities of the developer, and the preparedness of the organization whose site is being built. Thus, a website can be created in a matter of days or it can take more than a year, but in most cases neither is an optimal amount of time.

A typical website, if planned and developed properly, will take anywhere from one to six months from start to finish.

Here are some things you can do to help speed up the process:

• Understand the process that the developer will be using, and prepare accordingly. Your developer will periodically need feedback and information from you, and if you’re ready for this it can help keep things moving. A good developer will explain in advance the process that will be used in creating your site, and what to expect for each step along the way.
• Know what you want before the project starts. Of course, nobody has all the answers, and in some cases the scope of a project might change along the way, but the fewer revisions that need to be made, the sooner your site will be ready. Sometimes a seemingly minor modification can set a project back several days or even weeks.
• Provide all materials, including text and photos, to the developer as soon as possible. Preparing content for a website is a time-consuming task, but if it’s ready ahead of time, you can not only speed up the delivery of your site, but also get valuable feedback from the developer regarding changes that could be made to improve the site.
• If you encounter any errors on the site during testing, help the developer fix them by providing as much information as you can about the nature of the error and what may have caused it. This is particularly important for database-driven applications or sites with sophisticated interactive features, which require more advanced programming and will undoubtedly have a few kinks that need to be worked out.

Above all, expect the unexpected—sometimes a project can end up taking a bit less or more time than originally anticipated. But if you hire the right professional, you’ll end up with a great website regardless.

If you’re in the planning stages of a new web project, please feel free to contact us to learn more about how long your project might take.