Is there anything more frustrating than waiting for a project to be completed? It’s especially annoying when you don’t have a clear timeline, or you’re waiting for the project to get completed before you start working on other projects.
Whether you’re building a website for your start-up business or you’re redesigning an existing website, it’s important to get some facts on the table before you start. The first question you need to answer is, “how long does it take to design a website?” Getting a website project time estimate from your website designer will help you plan other aspects of your business’ marketing campaigns.
For example, you can’t start a pay-per-click campaign until you have a website to direct customers to. Many businesses use their website as the main point of contact for customers, which is another reason why it’s so important to get a timeline on your website project.
In the article below, you’ll find some information on how long it usually takes to design a website and some content you’ll need to gather to finish the site. Read on to learn everything you need to know about website timelines.
You Need Certain Content Before You Can Expect a Website
If you want a well-designed website, you’re going to need to provide the website design team with some content. This content includes words, images, video, and any animations you might need on the site.
You should have your most powerful images on the homepage. If you’re going to use video on your site, it may be a good idea to have a pop-up video that appears when people land on the website.
Some small business website design firms will be able to help you with videography and photography. This is a great way to get custom images and videos and avoid relying on stock images. Once you’ve gathered your videos and images, you’re going to want to provide the website design firm with some copy for your website.
You’ll need headlines, subheadlines, body paragraphs, and a list of features, products, or services. Whether you do this yourself or hire an outside copywriter, it’s important to make sure the website design firm understands the messaging you want to have on your website.
Your Website Won’t Be Done Until You’ve Taken Care of SEO
Creating a website without thinking about search engine optimization (SEO) is like opening a store without putting up any signage. Your website won’t be an effective business tool unless prospective customers can find it in search results. When you’re considering how to design a website, make sure the website design firms also specialize in search engine optimization.
One of the best ways to make your website SEO-friendly is to add a blog page. Websites that have fresh, original content tend to do better in search results than websites that stay stagnant. The blog page provides you with a place to add lengthy articles that are targeted towards specific keywords.
Different types of websites require different levels of search engine optimization. A one-page website should use keywords in the headlines and subheads while also having optimized metatags.
A website with many pages should have strong internal linking. That means each page has links to other pages on the site. No matter what type of website you’re building, it’s important to pay attention to the speed of the website.
So How Long Does It Take to Design a Website?
Designing a website well takes months, and you should be prepared to wait if you want a high-quality website. The design process timeline also depends on what you need in a website.
If you just need a place to showcase your services or products and provide a way for customers to get in touch, you shouldn’t have to wait more than three months. If you need a detailed website with several different pages and unique features like animation or other functionality, you may have to wait four to five months.
The best website design firms should be able to complete most websites in 90 to 120 days, but this timeline also depends on how much input you want to have. The sooner you can provide the web design firm with all the relevant content, the sooner your website will be completed.
It’s also important to make sure the website design firm knows all your needs upfront. Website designs tend to take longer when the client asks for new features halfway through the project or they’re unclear about what they want the website to look like.
If you’re trying to speed up the website design process, the best thing you can do is develop a clear outline for your website needs and provide the website design team with all the content you’d like featured on your site.
Now You’re Ready to Start Your Web Design Process
One of the most important parts of the web design process is the initial meeting with the design team. To prepare for this meeting, you should identify the pages you’d like to have on your site and the message you’d like the website to project.
Hiring a website design firm will provide you with experts who can answer questions about your site. If you’re ready to build a new website, you can get in touch with the expert web design team at Harris & Ward.
