How long does a website take to build?

Quick Answer

A professional services website typically takes 6-8 weeks from strategy session to launch. This includes planning, design, development, content integration, SEO implementation, and testing. Complex sites with more pages or compliance requirements may take longer.

The timeline breaks down into clear phases. Weeks 1-2 cover planning, site architecture, keyword research, and wireframe development. Weeks 3-6 cover visual design, client approval, WordPress development, and content integration. Weeks 7-8 cover QA testing, performance optimisation, and launch.

The biggest variable is client feedback speed. If approvals come quickly, the build stays on track. Delays in providing content, brand assets, or design feedback push the timeline out.

Professional services websites often require compliance review (particularly for financial advisers and legal practices), which can add 1-2 weeks depending on your compliance team’s availability.

Rush jobs are possible but not recommended. Cutting the timeline to 3-4 weeks means skipping strategic positioning work, reducing content depth, and launching with weaker SEO foundations – all of which cost more to fix later than to build properly from the start.

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