The moment we know something new and fresh is coming into our lives, we become impatient, we can’t wait for it. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, but in reality, it’s only been a few days, a week maximum. This is what it’s like when you’re waiting for your developer to build your website. We constantly ask ourselves “how long does it normally take?” The answer to this is not so easy as it depends on many factors and the features you want. To make matters harder on yourself, you might also be stressing about the cost of building the website, was this investment really worth it?

This venture, we say, is almost certainly worth it. In our previous article, we wrote “Nowadays, everything is online, whether or not we like it, and with the current start-up culture and small-business creation trends, adding a website to compliment your venture is essential. Freelancers, innovators, and even your local handyman down the street can benefit from an online presence.” So, rest assured, you’ve made the right decision, you just need to be patient and await the delivery of your fresh new website. The time needed to build and launch a website is time well spent.

How long does it take?

This really depends on many factors, but it can be broken down into three overall questions during the website build process. When can you start? When can I see/test it? When can we launch it? 

Good in-demand developers are often booked out months in advance so can’t start right away, or the developer might just need to finish the project they’re working on before they can take on yours. Beware, you might find a developer out there claiming to have your website built and working in 3-4 weeks, yes this is possible, but the only guarantee is that it’s working, not that it’s optimized or functioning properly, nor as you would like. As with all things, do your research and make sure you’re not being scammed.

Website development goes through a few stages, the beginning of which is consulting with you about what you want and expect, they will also be considering if they can do it. This process can take a few days to weeks, it really depends on if you have done your research before contacting the developer and already know what you want. 

As we wrote about in 19 Points to Consider When Designing Your Website, having a detailed plan ready with your needs and ideas will help speed up this initial stage. Next comes the design and development stage where your website is being built, the time frame could be just four weeks or much longer, only your developer can give you a more accurate estimate.

Next comes the stage where you get to see it and test it. Yes, we’re sure it looks beautiful and you’re all excited, but do make sure to test it properly yourself because now is also the modification time. Take this time to thoroughly test your website functions, responsiveness, as well as its aesthetic appeal. This stage can take only a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on what you want to change or what needs fixing.

The big day is finally here and you get to launch your new website, remember though, just because you’ve passed the testing and modification stages, this doesn’t mean that you’re website is perfect and will remain so, periodic checking and maintenance is required.

So in the end, if you only need a small and somewhat basic website of no more than ten pages, you could expect it to take 6-8 weeks. If you want to add more pages, a good baseline is to add another 3-4 days for every increase in the number of pages by ten. As an example, if it takes six weeks to get the base of your website ready, and now you want to add 50 pages (50 divided by 10 is 5, and 5 multiplied by 4 is 20) you should expect to add another 20 days.

Unique page design and e-commerce integration should also be taken into account if this is something that you want. As stated above though, your chosen developer is the best person to ask about a time frame.

How much does it cost?

A quick search online about the cost of a custom-built website and you’ll see numbers between €2,000 and €50,000 being thrown around. These prices are for anything from your small business website to your larger e-commerce site. Remember though, these prices are just an average and many developers are cheaper. As mentioned previously, it all depends on what you want your website to be, how many pages you would like, and which extra functions you want to include. 

This table below gives a brief overview of estimated costs, we don’t mention everything because it is rather tricky to adequately estimate the cost of website development. This is mainly due to there being a multitude of factors to take into account, so it is best if you reach out to developers yourself and find out their rates. Just remember, cheaper isn’t always better.

You may be wondering if you need all of these options, and the truth is, you don’t. The top three are a must though, they are the core of your website. The other two are recommended, but if you’re trying to keep costs down then you can certainly do it cheaper by yourself.

The advantage of having professionally written copy and content is that it’ll be SEO based and worded in such a way that it’s easier for search engines to read, as well as being informative to your audience. Yes, most people can write, but there is a difference between just writing, and creating engaging and descriptive copy that leads to better readability and understanding by your visitors.

Marketing is also something that is completely up to you. It is advisable to invest some money into getting your name out there, and with how easy it is now to pay for ads on all the social networks, why wouldn’t you? Ads have always been a great customer generation link, now it’s just much simpler and relatively cost-effective.

AH-Design. Custom-made websites

Here at AH-Design we strive to be competitive and offer cost-efficient and customer-centric services to our clients. We are passionate about our job and do our best to increase our knowledge within the ever-changing digital sector. We have over six years of experience, but to us, this doesn’t mean we’re experts, it means that we must continually grow and adapt as times change and new technology emerges.

Our basic web design package begins at 300€, but the overall price depends on what you need and what you expect from your website. You can view our packages here, and get in touch with us through our contact form for a consultation.

Because website development doesn’t just stop at building it, there’s much more involved. We offer web design services, advertising solutions, business development, and all your content and copy needs. Our vision is one of constant innovation and growth, to be recognized for our integrity, commitment, quality, transparency, and customer-centricity.