How long does it take to build a website for a small business?

What sets the timeline

Three things decide where a project falls in that 3 to 6 week range.

The first is how many pages the site needs, and how different they are from each other. A home page, an about page, a services page and a contact page is a small site. Ten service pages, each written for a different job, is a bigger one.

The second is how ready your content is. Content means the words on every page, your photos, your logo, your service list and anything you want to show off, like reviews or past work. If it exists, I'm editing it. If it doesn't, I'm writing it, and writing takes longer than editing.

The third is how quickly feedback comes back. Every project has review rounds, and a round that takes two days to come back keeps a project moving. A round that takes two weeks adds two weeks.

Anything with extra moving parts adds time too: online booking, a quote form that sends to more than one person, a move from an old site where the old addresses need to keep working, or a site that has to connect to a tool you already use.

What happens week by week

Every project is a little different, and this is the typical shape.

• Kickoff: I need access to two things first, usually the account where your domain is registered and the current site if you have one. I'll send a short list of questions only you can answer, and we'll talk through color palettes and layouts before I start, so the first draft already looks like your business. Scope and price are set at this point, before any build work begins.
• Design and page plan: I lay out the pages, what goes on each one and the order a customer reads them in. This is where your service list turns into actual pages, and where we decide what the home page has to say in the first few seconds.
• Build and writing: the pages get built and the words get written or edited for each page. Your contact form is wired to land in your inbox, and I test it like a real customer would.
• Revisions: you review the site on your own phone and computer, and send back what you want changed. My projects include two rounds of revisions, which is enough for almost every small business site when the feedback comes back together in one list.
• Launch: the domain gets pointed at the new site, the old addresses get redirected if we're replacing a site, and the sitemap goes to Google Search Console so Google can find the new pages. DNS changes can take a day or two to settle everywhere, so launch week needs a little room.

If you're replacing an existing site, the redirect step matters a lot. It's how your old pages keep their place in Google and how old links keep working. That process is covered in how to migrate a website without losing SEO.

What slows a project down

Delays usually come from one of four places.

Content that isn't ready yet. If photos and service details are still coming, the site can be built around placeholders, but it can't launch on them.

Domain access. Many owners don't know where their domain is registered, or the login belongs to someone who built the last site years ago. Finding it and getting it transferred into your name can take a few days on its own, so it's worth doing first.

Feedback in pieces. Five separate emails over a week, each with one change, is slower than one list with all five. One combined list per round keeps things moving.

Too many people deciding. If three people need to approve the site, it helps to name one of them as the person who sends the final list.

What you can do before the first call

You can shorten most timelines by gathering a few things before kickoff.

• Where your domain is registered, and the login
• Your logo, in the best quality you have
• A list of every service you offer, with a sentence or two on each
• Photos of your work, your team or your space, even phone photos
• Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them
• The one thing you want a visitor to do, like call, book or request a quote

None of this has to be polished. A rough list in an email is plenty, and it saves a round of back-and-forth. If you're not sure what a site should include, what's included in a small business website package is a useful checklist.

After launch: when Google catches up

Launch day is when the site goes live. Search is a separate clock. Google has to find your new pages, read them and decide where they belong, and for a new site that can take days to weeks. Submitting the sitemap at launch speeds up the finding part. Rankings for competitive searches build over months.

If customers find you on Google Maps, keep your Google Business Profile pointed at the new site and make sure the phone number and address match it exactly. How to get your business on Google Maps covers that profile from the start.

How cost and time connect

Time and price usually move together, because both come from the same things: the number of pages, the work still to write and the extras. If you're also trying to figure out a budget, how much a small business website costs in St. Louis breaks down what changes the price.

If you have a date in mind, like a launch, a busy season or a grand opening, tell me a little about your project and what you want to walk away from the call knowing. I'll give you a realistic timeline before anything starts. Get in touch here.

How long does it take to build a website for a small business?

Most small business websites take 3 to 6 weeks from kickoff to launch. The biggest factors are how ready your content is and how quickly feedback comes back.

How long does a website redesign take?

A redesign usually takes 2 to 4 weeks if your content is ready. A full rebuild takes 4 to 8 weeks, depending on complexity, content and rounds of revisions.

What slows a website project down the most?

Waiting. Waiting on page content and photos, on logins to the domain and the current site, and on feedback between revision rounds.

Will my site show up on Google the day it launches?

Usually not. Google has to find and read the new pages first, which can take days to weeks. Submitting your sitemap in Search Console at launch helps.