If you ask, "How long does it take to build a web site?" you should be prepared to receive a wide variety of answers. The length of time will vary widely depending on whether a site is developed from scratch with a programmer, uses a simple one-page website builder, or is somewhere in between.
The website building process
The overall web site development process includes a number of common steps necessary to successfully launch a web site:
In total, you're looking at 10 to 14 weeks from idea to completion. These time frames are estimates, and your process may take more or less time depending on how complex your site is.
The details of each step:
This initial phase lays the groundwork for your website. What is your target demographic? Will your website include a blog? What color scheme and design elements will work?
The development time here depends on a few factors:
You want to make sure that the planning phase addresses all of your concerns before moving forward. While the actionable window of website development gets a lot of attention (i.e., creating a design or writing content), this is also when problems can arise because they were not addressed during the planning phase.
Consider that the average lifespan of a website is two years and seven months. It is highly doubtful that when these sites were created, the plan was to abandon them after a couple of years. That's why when planning your Web site, you should be aware of the problems that generally contribute to the dissolution and abandonment of Web sites. Here are a few examples:
By addressing common problems during the planning step with a long-term strategy, you could help extend the anticipated lifespan of your website after launch.
It's not a good sign to wait until after a launch to start planning content. It's not enough for a site to look complete when it goes live; content is part of your long-term strategy. It should be checked periodically for accuracy, and if your site includes a blog, you should have a content calendar.
In terms of the type of content on your website, considerations should go beyond how long or short a blog post is. Studies also show that video and audio content can increase the time visitors stay on a website. One study showed that up to 57% of website visitors stayed longer when video content was available.
Due to the nature of writing, recording and editing video or audio for the web, you may need more extensive preparation time before launch. Taking the time to create excellent content for your website is an important step.
In this phase, your website should begin to take visual form. Often, that means deciding whether it consists of a single landing page, a complex system of pages, or perhaps you even need a mobile app.
This stage can seem incredibly daunting if you don't have the time or resources for a comprehensive design team. However, it's worth considering web design software options, such as mockup tools or website builders.
Create a mockup
If you had to explain what a website looks like or how it works to someone who has never heard of the Internet, how would you do it? Sometimes words only go so far; a complete visual impression can be the best solution to convey the desired look and feel.
Once a web site is completed, a period between completion and planned launch should be set aside for review and testing. Items to check before allowing the site to go live:
After testing and making the necessary changes, you can finally move on to the most exciting part: the successful launch of a website.
For many businesses and entrepreneurs, the biggest obstacle to creating a website is simply not having the time to do it themselves. In this case, hiring a developer or team might make sense. Going this route has advantages and disadvantages.
| In favor | En contra |
|---|---|
| They understand the process of creating websites and are much less likely to make mistakes. | The process could become more costly than your budget will allow. |
| They are able to deliver an optimized end product. | You are not in direct control of the process, as you are now dependent on the developer's schedule and speed of work. |
| You are free to concentrate on managing your business while they take care of the website creation. | The developer may not be able to deliver the product you had in mind, but you'll still have to pay them |
| They are capable of creating a complex and professional website. |
As you can see, working with a developer or agency could be a good decision that takes the website creation process to the next level. That said, the negatives may outweigh the positives for some users, especially if the concept is difficult to convey and the final product runs the risk of not meeting expectations.
Prior to hire a developer, if you have a web design budget in mind, be sure to have a concise web design budget in mind and make sure you have an agreement as to the expected timeline of work. As part of the initial process, be sure to explain your exact vision.
En cuanto al pago, es posible que se requiera un pago por adelantado y luego una serie de pagos por cada hito alcanzado. Construir su sitio web a través de un desarrollador o agencia puede costar cientos o miles de dólares. El tamaño del equipo, la complejidad del sitio web y varias funciones se tendrán en cuenta en el costo total.
