How Long Does It Take to Build a Website? A Five-Day Build, Day by Day

Ask ten agencies how long a website takes and you'll hear anything from two weeks to three months. Most of that time isn't building. It's waiting: for meetings, for sign-offs, for content, for the next person in the chain.

I build a complete business website in five days from kickoff. Not because I cut corners, but because I've built this kind of site many times and I'm the only person in the chain. Here's what the five days look like.

Before day one: the call

Everything starts with a free strategy call. I learn what you do, who your best customers are, where your work comes from now and what's getting in the way. If I don't think I can help, I tell you then.

Day 1: structure and words

I plan every page and write the text: what you do, for whom, why they should pick you, and what they should do next. The words come first because the design has to serve them, not the other way round.

Day 2: design

The look of the site, built around your photos and your brand. Every section is designed for a phone first, because that's where most of your customers will see it.

Day 3: build

The site is built properly: fast, clean and set up to be found in local search. The enquiry form is connected so every request lands where you'll see it.

Day 4: details

Photos are prepared so they load quickly. Every page is checked on real phones. Your Google Business Profile is connected. I go through the site as a customer would and fix anything that slows them down.

Day 5: review and launch

You look through it, we make your changes, and it goes live on your domain. You own it outright from that day.

What I need from you

The five days only work if the material arrives at the start. That means:

• Photos of your work — as many as you have, straight from your phone is fine.
• Your logo, if you have one.
• A list of your services and the areas you cover.
• Any reviews you'd like to show.
• Access to your domain, or I help you get one.

Send that across on the first day and the clock is honest. Wait three weeks to send the photos and the site waits with you.

Fast doesn't mean rushed

Speed comes from having done it before, not from skipping steps. The same five days also mean you're not paying for weeks of meetings, and you start getting enquiries a month or two earlier than you otherwise would.