How long does it take to build a small business website?

What is a realistic timeframe?

It depends on which kind of project you are running.

• A quick site, about 2 weeks. A focused brochure site, typically up to 10 pages, built from the logo and colours you already have.
• A custom-designed site, 6 to 8 weeks. A discovery workshop, a site plan, brand and messaging work, a custom design, then the build.

Those are our own timeframes for the Launch and Design+ website packages. Online stores and sites with bookings or memberships can take longer, because there is more to set up and test.

What happens in each stage?

Most projects follow the same five stages, whatever the size.

• Discovery. We learn what the business sells, who buys it and what the site has to do.
• Plan. The pages are listed and the job of each page is agreed.
• Design. The look is set, either from a theme or as a custom design.
• Build and content. Pages are built and filled with text and images.
• Test and launch. Forms, phones, speed and search basics are checked, then the site goes live.

A two-week project compresses these stages. It does not skip them.

What slows a website project down?

In our experience the delays are nearly always the same four.

• Content. The words and photos are not ready when the pages are.
• Decisions. Several people need to agree and nobody has the final say.
• Access. Nobody can find the login for the domain name or the old website.
• Scope. New pages and features are added halfway through.

None of these is about the technology. All of them can be sorted before the project starts.

How does AI make a website faster?

AI tools produce first drafts of page text, layouts and code in minutes. That removes much of the waiting at the start of a project.

It does not remove the checking. A person still confirms the facts, tests the enquiry form and looks at every page on a phone. That is why an AI-built website is quicker, but not instant.

A worked example: a two-week website, day by day

This is an illustration of how a quick project is paced. It is not a promise for every job, and the days shift with the business.

A mobile mechanic needs a simple site: home, services, service area, about and contact. He has a logo, a few photos on his phone and one person making decisions, which is him.

• Days 1 and 2. A short call to agree what the site has to do. He sends the logo, photos, services list and the login for his domain name.
• Days 3 to 5. The pages are planned and first drafts of the text are written. He corrects the facts: suburbs covered, hours, what he does not do.
• Days 6 to 9. The pages are built on a phone-first layout. The enquiry form and click-to-call button are connected.
• Days 10 to 12. He reviews everything on his own phone and sends one round of changes.
• Days 13 and 14. Final checks, then the site goes live on his domain.

The project kept to two weeks for three reasons. The content arrived on day two, one person approved it, and nothing was added halfway.

What can you do to speed it up?

Five things, all before the first meeting.

• Choose one person to make decisions and approve work.
• Gather your logo, colours and best photos in one folder.
• Write down your services, service area and opening hours.
• Find the logins for your domain name and any existing website.
• List three websites you like and say why.

The Australian Government's business website guide covers the set-up steps, including registering a domain name, which is worth doing early.

When is two weeks the wrong target?

A fast launch is not always the right one. Allow more time when:

• The brand is not settled. If the name, logo or message is still being decided, design work built on top of it will be redone.
• You are replacing a site that already ranks. Every existing page address needs to be kept or redirected, and that mapping should not be rushed.
• You are selling online. Payments, shipping and tax need testing with real orders before customers find the gaps.
• Other systems are involved. Bookings, memberships or a customer database each add set-up and testing.
• Several people must approve. Review rounds take as long as the slowest reviewer.

In those cases the 6 to 8 week path is usually cheaper in the end than a quick build that has to be reworked. If you are unsure which path fits, the AI-built website page explains what suits a quick start and what does not.

Should you launch small and add later?

Usually, yes. A small site that is live and bringing in enquiries is worth more than a large one that is nearly finished.

Launch with the pages a customer needs to choose you and contact you. Add articles, case studies and extra service pages once the first version is working. A website is never finished, and it does not need to be.

How long until the new site shows up in Google?

Launch day is not the day Google lists your pages. Search engines have to find and read the site first.

Google's guide on asking Google to recrawl your pages says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It offers two ways to prompt it: the URL Inspection tool in Search Console for a few pages, and a sitemap for many. It also says that requesting a crawl does not guarantee a page will be included in search results instantly, or at all.

So plan for it. Submit the sitemap on launch day, check Search Console after a week or two, and do not judge the site's search performance in its first month. Being listed is also not the same as ranking well. That takes useful pages, time and other sites linking to yours, which is what ongoing SEO works on.

Common questions