'How long will it take?' is one of the first questions any business asks when commissioning a website — and one of the hardest to answer with a single number. A simple brochure site might launch in a month; a complex ecommerce platform can take half a year. The difference comes down to scope, complexity and, more than anything, how quickly you can supply what the project needs.
Here are realistic UK timelines, what drives them, and how to avoid the delays that catch most businesses out.
Typical timelines by project type
| Project type | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Simple brochure site (5–8 pages) | 4–8 weeks |
| Larger custom business site | 8–14 weeks |
| Ecommerce store | 10–20 weeks |
| Bespoke web application | 4–9 months+ |
These assume content is ready and feedback is prompt. In practice, projects of the same size can vary widely depending on how smoothly each stage runs.
The stages a project moves through
Understanding the phases helps you see where time goes:
- Discovery and planning (1–2 weeks): defining goals, structure and requirements.
- Design (2–4 weeks): creating and refining the look and layout.
- Development (2–8 weeks): building the designs into a working site.
- Content population (ongoing): adding your text, images and pages.
- Testing and launch (1–2 weeks): checking everything works across devices before going live.
If your project involves bespoke functionality, the development phase stretches considerably. Our overview of web development explains why custom features take longer than standard ones.
The build is rarely what slows a project down. Waiting on content, feedback and decisions is. The client controls more of the timeline than they think.
What speeds a project up
You have real influence over how fast things move. The biggest accelerators are:
- Having content ready early. Finished copy and images at the start prevent the most common bottleneck.
- Giving prompt, consolidated feedback. Reviewing within a day or two, with input gathered from all decision-makers at once, keeps momentum.
- A clear, agreed scope. Knowing what is in and out from the start prevents mid-project changes that reset the clock.
- A single point of contact. One empowered decision-maker on your side avoids approval gridlock.
What slows a project down
Equally, a few things reliably cause overruns:
- Late or missing content. A finished design with no words or images cannot launch.
- Scope creep. 'Could we just add…' requests pile up and push back the date.
- Slow or conflicting feedback. Multiple stakeholders pulling in different directions stalls progress.
- Underestimating complexity. Integrations and custom features almost always take longer than they first appear.
Plan for a realistic deadline
If you have a launch date in mind — a trade show, a product launch, a busy season — share it at the very first conversation. A good agency will work back from it and tell you honestly whether it is achievable, rather than promising the impossible and disappointing you later. There are more planning tips in our guides.
Find an agency that delivers on time
Reliable delivery is as important as good design. When comparing providers in our directory, ask about their typical timelines and how they keep projects on schedule. Browse and compare UK web design agencies, and shortlist those with a track record of launching on time.