9 September 2026 / 5 min read
How long a website takes to build, honestly
One to three weeks for a builder site, four to ten for a custom build, eight to twenty-four for a system. The delays are rarely the code.
- process
- websites
- timelines
Every timeline slips for the same three reasons, and only one of them is the developer.
The short answer
| Route | Realistic timeline |
|---|---|
| Builder site, up to six pages | 1–3 weeks |
| Custom-coded WordPress | 3–8 weeks |
| Custom-coded website | 4–10 weeks |
| Bespoke CMS | 4–8 weeks |
| System or web app | 8–24 weeks |
What actually causes delay
Content. Nine times out of ten, the thing holding a launch is copy, photography or product data that nobody was assigned to produce. Decide who writes what in week one.
Decisions. A design waiting three weeks for sign-off does not cost three weeks — it costs three weeks plus the time to reload the context.
Scope added mid-build. Every "while you are in there" is a small, reasonable request that lands on a critical path.
What a sensible schedule looks like
For a £5,000–£10,000 custom site: one week of discovery and structure, two weeks of design, three to four weeks of build, one week of content loading, one week of testing and search setup. Nothing heroic, no all-nighters.
Can it be rushed?
Yes, at a cost of roughly a tenth more, because work runs in parallel instead of in sequence, and parallel work needs more coordination. Being flexible on dates saves a little in the other direction.
The faster route nobody suggests
Launch a smaller thing. A three-page site that is live and being found beats a fifteen-page site that is eight weeks from done. Add the rest once real visitors tell you what they were looking for.