Nearly 90% of customers are less likely to return to a website if they have a bad experience.
Building a website isn’t a simple matter of adding some images and text. It takes careful planning, thoughtful design, and time to craft the perfect site that your visitors will enjoy.
The question is, how much time?
This article answers the question of how long does it take to design a website.
Read on to discover the five phases of building a website. Learn the benefits of a professionally designed site versus doing it yourself. And estimate the time needed to create a site that will best promote your West Coast brand online.
The Process of Designing a Website
When asking how long does it take to build a website you must consider the various phases of design to launch:
- Discovery phase
- Design phase
- Development phase
- Alteration phase
- Launch
The discovery phase is the foundation of any design project and involves researching how the site will best serve your needs. That includes researching your customer base, their expectations, and competitor sites.
Discovery results in a project specification, the first step of which is the design phase.
Design and Development
User Experience or UX measures how users interact with a website and if they enjoyed their visit.
Fundamental to UX is structured navigation and pleasing aesthetics.
Users want a professional image that inspires confidence. They must be able to find the content they’re looking for and benefit from it.
Professional website designers like Enfuse will create wireframes to steer this process. You’ll see how your site will work and mockups give a taste of the end result.
The real work begins during the development phase when coding and image editing takes place. This includes responsive design so your site will work on a mobile device or any size of a screen.
Alterations and Launch
During the alteration phase, you have the ability to fully test your site and make any changes.
We show you how to edit the content yourself through the WordPress CMS platform. When you’re happy, we set the site live and you can track your visitors through the analytics tools.
How Long Does It Take to Design a Website?
Now you know the different stages of designing a website, how long before launch?
The answer depends on your own unique requirements and how quickly you can provide content.
Our clients typically see their sites go live within 4-6 weeks. That time period covers all phases of development including alterations to mockups.
Don’t forget that once your website is online you need to market and promote it. That will continue throughout your site’s lifecycle and will help push you up the search engine rankings.
DIY vs Professional Website Design
You might be wondering why you couldn’t just create a website yourself. Online services state that building a website takes a few hours so why invest in weeks of work?
The difference between DIY vs professional website design is the end product.
Customers can spot a professionally designed site as soon as they arrive. It will inspire them to do business with confidence and will better promote your brand.
That takes time but it’s time well spent.
Building a Website That Works
How long does it take to design a website?
At Enfuse, we average around 4-6 weeks for a custom-built site that will draw visitors and keep them coming back. We work alongside our clients to ensure they receive the website they deserve.
If you’re local to Orange, Los Angeles, or the Riverside areas of California, start a project by contacting us today.