How long does it take to build a website, and what determines the cost?

Anyone planning a new website asks the same two questions first: "How long will it take?" and "How much will it cost?" The honest answer to both is "it depends on the scope". On its own, though, that answer doesn't help much. In this post we break the scope down piece by piece, so you can compare the quotes you receive and see why each item affects the price.

How long does a corporate website usually take?

A corporate website built to present your business, with a handful of pages and an admin panel, can usually go live within 2–4 weeks. That time roughly breaks down into these steps:

• Discovery and scope: Talking through your business, your audience and what the site needs to achieve. This takes a few days.
• Sitemap and content: Deciding which pages the site will have and what each page will say.
• Design: Designing the home page and inner pages and getting them approved.
• Development: Building the site and the admin panel, adding the content, testing.
• Launch: Setting up the domain, hosting and SSL, and introducing the site to Google.

What delays a project most is usually not the software but the content. If the copy and images aren't ready, even the fastest team has to wait. Agreeing at the very start on who is responsible for content shortens the timeline directly.

What determines the cost of a website?

Two websites can look similar from the outside while the work behind them differs enormously. These are the factors that drive the price most:

Number of pages and content structure

A one-page brochure site and a site with a detailed page for every service are not the same job. Every page means its own design, its own content and its own SEO work.

Admin panel

If you want to update everything on the site yourself, the scope of the panel grows. Managing only the blog and announcements is different from also managing services, team members, FAQs and images.

Number of languages

Every additional language means more than translation: a separate page structure, separate search engine settings and separate content upkeep. For businesses that serve patients or customers from abroad, this item matters.

Custom features and integrations

Features such as appointment requests, a product catalogue, filtering, user accounts or a connection to another system (CRM, email marketing, maps) widen the scope.

Content support

How much help you need with copywriting and preparing images also adds to the cost. If you already have content ready, this item gets smaller.

Why do ready-made templates look cheaper?

Off-the-shelf themes look like a quick and cheap solution at first. But because a theme is designed around its own structure rather than your business, these problems often follow:

• Dozens of unused features weigh the site down and slow your pages.
• You hit the limits of the theme even for small changes.
• Plugin updates carry the risk of security holes and incompatibilities.

A custom-built site contains only what you need. The initial cost may be higher, but maintenance and growth costs are usually more predictable.

What should you ask when getting a quote?

Comparing quotes on the total figure alone is misleading. The answers to these questions should be written into the quote:

• How many pages and which sections are included?
• What can be updated from the admin panel?
• In whose name will the domain, hosting and SSL be registered, and what are the yearly costs?
• Is the SEO groundwork (page titles, sitemap, speed) included?
• For how long are bug fixes free after launch?
• Can the source code and accounts be handed over if you ask for them?

Once the scope is clear, we give a fixed price and spell out line by line what is and isn't included. If the scope grows later, we talk first and price it afterwards.

Conclusion

What determines a website's timeline and price is what the site needs to do. Get that clear first; the page count, panel requirements, languages and integrations all follow from the answer. We describe this process step by step on our corporate website service page. Tell us briefly about your project and we'll come back within 24 hours with a scope and timeline proposal.

We list what to prepare before you start in I want a website built: where to start.