How Long Does It Take To Create a Website in 2025? [Guide]

Some say building a website is quick and easy, while others claim it's a slow, detailed process full of back-and-forth. So, what's the truth?

At some point, every business owner asks the same thing: How long does it take to create a website? The answer depends on what you're building, how you're building it, and how prepared you are. A basic site might go live in a day, while a custom platform could take months.

This guide will break down real timelines based on site type, build method, and common delays. From one-pagers to full-scale web apps, you'll get a clear view of what to expect and how to plan smarter from day one.

How Long Does It Take To Create a Website?

The time it takes to create a website can range from just a few hours to several months. The variation is due to the project's complexity, your chosen method, and how prepared you are at each stage.

While some landing pages can go live in an afternoon, a fully customized business platform may require weeks of planning, content creation, and development work.

According to Reboot, a typical website project takes between 10 and 14 weeks and covers everything from strategy and copywriting to design, development, testing, and launch.

Key elements that affect how long website development takes:

• Scope and features: You can build a one-page site quickly, but creating a 20-page site with blogs, logins, or shopping carts takes much longer.
• Content delays: Missing text or images can add weeks. Even with AI tools, creating quality content takes time.
• Design and revisions: Custom branding, layout changes, or extra feedback rounds extend the schedule.
• Team and tools: DIY is quick but limited. Freelancers and agencies offer more polish but require more coordination.

What Determines How Long It Takes to Build a Website?

Website timelines can differ greatly, depending on several important factors. There is no universal timeframe that fits every project.

So, what drives the timeline for creating a website?

Timeline by Website Type

The type of website you need plays a major role in how long it will take to build.

Here are general time estimates based on typical small business and startup use cases:

• Coming Soon or Prelaunch Page: In under an hour, you can create a coming soon page with a headline, brief message, and signup form. If your message and visuals are ready, you can launch it the same day.
• Webinar Page: A standard webinar landing page with event details, speaker bios, and a registration form can be ready in 1 to 2 days. Using templates and AI-generated content, you can move even faster.
• Landing Page or One-Page Site: Creating a focused landing page with a call to action, such as for a product, service, or event, usually takes just a few hours to a couple of days.
• Small Business Website (5–15 pages): A brochure-style website with sections like Home, About, Services, Contact, and Blog typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. Most of that time goes into gathering content, making design decisions, and reviewing drafts.
• E-commerce Store: Adding product catalogs, payment gateways, and inventory settings increases complexity. If all product details are ready, expect a 2 to 4-week timeline. With custom styling or larger inventories, 1 to 2 months is more realistic.
• SaaS or Complex Web App: Projects involving logins, dashboards, databases, and custom functionality usually take 10 to 14 weeks or more. A full-featured SaaS platform often needs 3 to 6 months, especially when backend development is involved.

Timeline by Development Method

Who builds the site matters as much as what you're creating.

Here's a breakdown of DIY tools, professional services, and AI platforms:

DIY Website Builders

Using a no-code builder is a common DIY approach for building a website from scratch, especially for small-business sites.

Platforms like WordPress (with visual builders) or similar tools let anyone drag and drop pages without writing code. You choose a template, add your content, and adjust the design to fit your brand.

Timeframe:

A few hours for basic sites and 1 to 2 weeks for a fully polished small business website with multiple pages.

Pros:

✅ No coding needed

✅ Instant preview of your changes

✅ Plenty of tutorials and support available

✅ Ideal for blogs, portfolios, personal sites, and small business websites

Cons:

❌ Customization is limited to what the platform allows

❌ You still need to write your own content and find images

❌ Beginners may need extra time to learn the tool

Freelancers and Web Agencies

Hiring a professional developer or agency usually takes the most time and is more expensive, but it delivers a fully custom website tailored to your business needs.

Experienced teams manage everything from research and design mockups to development, testing, and launch. The process includes multiple phases and feedback rounds, which adds time but helps ensure quality and attention to detail.

Timeframe:

Typically, small and mid-sized business sites take 4 to 12+ weeks. E-commerce or feature-rich platforms often take longer.

Pros:

✅ Full design and feature customization

✅ Professional look and performance

✅ Experts handle all technical aspects

✅ Ongoing support, SEO, and performance optimization

Cons:

❌ Higher cost compared to DIY options

❌ Longer timelines due to reviews and revisions

❌ More coordination is required, especially with multiple stakeholders

AI-Powered Website Builders

AI website builders like Codesi offer the fastest ways to launch a professional-looking site.

By entering a short description of your business and goals, the AI generates layouts, writes copy, and creates a full site draft, often in minutes. This approach removes manual design or coding, making it ideal for fast turnarounds.

Timeframe:

Minutes to a few hours. You can publish a live site in under an hour with minimal input and quick adjustments.

Pros:

✅ Extremely fast setup

✅ No coding or design experience needed

✅ AI-generated copy and layout included

✅ Great for landing pages, prototypes, and small business websites

Cons:

❌ Some manual review and editing are still required

❌ May not cover highly specific or complex functionality (though Codesi allows exporting to WordPress or custom code if needed)

Common Reasons Creating Websites Takes Longer Than Expected

A number of common setbacks can extend your website timeline, even with good planning and support.

Here's what to expect and how to avoid unnecessary delays:

Content and assets

One of the biggest delays is waiting for written content, images, or videos.

Everything stalls if the copy isn't ready or the visuals aren't high quality. AI tools can help quickly generate drafts, but polishing that content takes time. In most cases, expect to spend at least a few weeks preparing and refining your site's copy.

Tip:

Create a content checklist before the build starts. Gather all text, images, and branding elements in one place to keep things moving.

Feedback and approvals

Every round of feedback adds time.

Reviewing designs or page layouts usually leads to changes, and multiple stakeholders often extend this cycle. The more people involved in approvals, the longer the process tends to be.

Tip:

Assign one person as the primary decision-maker. Streamlined feedback helps prevent delays and conflicting revisions.

Unplanned additions

Changing the project scope mid-build, like adding a blog or member area, causes delays and extra work. It often means reworking layouts, features, or content.

Tip: Define your must-have features before development starts. Save "nice-to-haves" for future updates or phases.

Technical setup and testing

Tasks like integrating email signups, analytics, forms, or SSL take extra time. Thorough testing across devices and browsers can also reveal issues that need fixing before launch.

Tip: Set aside time specifically for final setup and testing. Use a pre-launch checklist to ensure all integrations and pages work correctly.

AI vs. Traditional Website Builders: Which Is Faster?

Your chosen method greatly impacts how quickly your website goes live and how much hands-on work is involved.

AI website builders are significantly faster, often reducing a process that usually takes weeks down to hours.

Here's how traditional and AI website builders compare at each stage of the website creation process:

Launch Faster With Less Effort: Why Codesi Is Perfect for Modern Website Creation

Creating a website doesn't have to take weeks of planning, content delays, and endless revisions. While traditional methods still have their place for highly customized platforms, AI-powered tools redefine what's possible in speed and simplicity.

Codesi is at the forefront of this shift, making launching a professional website in under five minutes possible.

By combining AI-generated copy, innovative design templates, and one-click automation, Codesi eliminates the usual drawbacks. The result is a polished, working website in minutes, not weeks.

Here's how Codesi simplifies the process:

• AI One-Page Website Generator: Enter a brief description of your business and goals. You'll have a complete landing page with optimized text and design in minutes.
• Flexible Customization: You can rearrange sections, tweak colors, and update visuals to fit your brand without starting from scratch.
• AI Logo and Image Generation: Instantly create logos and on-brand visuals without relying on generic stock images or outside designers.
• Built-In Analytics Integration: Easily connect Google or Yandex Analytics to track traffic, engagement, and conversions.
• One-Click Publishing: Once everything looks right, publish your site instantly to a custom domain or free subdomain.

Ready to turn an idea into a live website in minutes?

Start using Codesi free today and experience how fast website creation can be.