How Long Does a Website Project Take?
Realistic timelines for corporate websites and e-commerce stores, what happens in each phase, and the common delays that turn a six-week build into twelve.
Most business websites take somewhere between a month and four months from kickoff to launch. Where a project lands in that range depends less on the agency’s speed than on scope, content, and how quickly decisions get made. Here are the typical timelines, what happens in each phase, and how to keep a project on schedule.
Typical timelines
These are common industry ranges, from kickoff to launch:
| Type of website | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Simple informational site (a few pages) | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Corporate website with a CMS | 4 – 8 weeks |
| E-commerce store | 8 – 16 weeks |
| Custom platform or web application | 12 – 20+ weeks |
What happens in each phase
1. Discovery (1–2 weeks). Goals, audience, pages, features, and integrations are agreed. This is where scope gets locked — the most important week of the project.
2. Design (1–3 weeks). The look and key pages are designed and reviewed. Each round of revisions typically takes a week or so.
3. Development (2–8+ weeks). The site is built, content is loaded, and integrations — payment gateways, couriers, CRMs — are connected. This phase grows most with complexity.
4. Testing (1–2 weeks). Every page, form, and checkout is tested across devices and browsers, and issues are fixed.
5. Launch (a few days). The site goes live, redirects from the old site are switched on, and tracking is checked. See the website migration SEO checklist if you are replacing an existing site.
What slows projects down
Content not ready. The single most common cause of delay. A site can be built in six weeks and then wait six more for copy, product details, and photos.
Scope that keeps growing. “Can we also add…” mid-build pushes everything back. Park new ideas for a phase two.
Slow feedback. Each review round that takes two weeks instead of two days adds up quickly.
Too many approvers. When five people must sign off on every page, decisions stall. Name one decision-maker.
Third parties. Payment gateway approvals, domain transfers, and API access from other vendors often take longer than expected. Start them early.
How to keep your project on schedule
- Prepare content early — or agree up front who writes it.
- Lock the scope in discovery and keep a list for phase two.
- Agree review deadlines before design starts.
- Name one decision-maker with authority to approve.
- Start third-party applications in the first week.
How long it takes with O2O
Every project is different, so we set the timeline once we understand the scope — the pages, features, integrations, and how much content is ready. A short conversation is usually enough to give you a realistic schedule. Tell us about your project, or see the website design and e-commerce website design services.