If you’ve never built a website in your life, you might think it takes months or even years, depending on your experience. But in truth, a website can be built in hours, sometimes minutes. It totally depends on the kind of website and how much you’re willing to spend.
This article will explain how long it takes to build a website in 2024; we’ll go through everything from the time frames of different website-building methods to the average cost and difficulty.
By the end of this article, you should accurately be able to predict how long it takes to build any kind of website in NZ (and anywhere else).
Here's a quick overview of the timeframes for various web-building methods:
We’ll discuss each of these website-building methods in detail later in the article. For now, let’s look at things to consider before building a website, as they can affect the timeframe.
Before building a website, there are a few important things to consider. These factors determine the kind of website-building option to choose and how much time would be required.
Website Functionality — The features you plan on adding to a website can increase the time required to build it. Before you choose a website-building platform, it is important to note all the functionality your website would have and make a decision based on that. Make a list of all the features you want for your website and choose an option that supports all of them; this will help avoid headaches and help you accurately estimate how long it would take to complete your website.
Website Budget — Your website budget is also another factor that affects how long it would take to build your website, most agency owners in New Zealand work based on an hourly payment. Inexperienced web developers and agencies charge less, and if your budget is not high enough, you might have no choice but to work with them. The reason why this affects your website build time is that with inexperience comes a ton of mistakes, and you would need to brace yourself for multiple revisions and fixes throughout the project's lifetime, which adds more time to the website’s completion.
Site Management Knowledge — Managing a website is as important as building one, especially for non-technical users. Business owners should opt for user-friendly platforms over custom-built sites, which require coding skills and can be costly and time-consuming to maintain. If constant updates are necessary and no in-house team is available, a maintenance plan from an agency may be a good option.
With all these factors considered, let’s discuss in detail how long building a website should take.
Now, let’s dive into the specifics of each method of building a website.
Website builders like Wix, Duda, Squarespace, or Weebly offer AI assistants and drag-and-drop interfaces that make the web-building process simple and fast. Typically, it takes about 10-20 hours to create a basic website using low-code platforms. These user-friendly platforms don’t require coding knowledge, making them ideal for beginners.
With AI-dedicated website builders like Vzy, development time is drastically cut down even further, from hours to just a few minutes (30-50 minutes on average). These AI builders can help build a website in minutes by automating many aspects of the process, including design and content generation.
The main drawback is the website's quality and customisability. It’s quite difficult to get the website to look exactly the way you want and even harder to implement custom features, not to mention the high cost of hosting your website.
That said, if you’re on a low budget and have minimal technical expertise, low-code website builders would a good option to go with. You can find more details on how to create a website using these platforms on our blog.
You can think of Content Management Systems like WordPress and Webflow as a balance between website-builders and custom development. Content management systems allow for more customization and flexibility compared to basic website builders. However, they also require extensive technical knowledge to work with, this increases the barrier to entry and increases website build time. A CMS website's build time usually ranges from 20-60 hours.
This includes selecting and installing themes and plugins, configuring theme or page builder settings, and adding website content. You can also go for a custom-built Webflow or WordPress site, which usually takes 30-200 hours, depending on the expertise of the Web developer.
For a detailed guide on going the CMS route, check out our article on making a website using WordPress, you can also read our guide on Webflow and why it might be better than Webflow for your website.
Custom development involves building a website from scratch tailored specifically to your requirements. This method offers the highest level of customisation and flexibility but is also the most time-consuming, typically taking 50-200 hours depending on the scale of your website. Custom development is ideal for complex projects that require many unique features and functionalities that website builders and content management systems lack.
Unlike freelancers, agencies provide comprehensive web development services and handle everything from design to launch. They normally have specialists for each stage of the website building process, which cuts down development time.
The timeframe for agency-built websites ranges from 50-200 hours, depending on the scope of the project and the agency’s process. After development is complete, you canrest assured that they’ll always be around to fix things up and keep your site alive.
Here's a comparison of different web-building methods, their timeframes, and their difficulty levels:
Method
Timeframe
Difficulty Level
Description
Using a Website Builder
10-20 hours
Easy
Drag-and-drop interfaces with pre-designed templates. Normally has a lot of limits and high platform fees.
Using a CMS (WordPress)
20-60 hours
Intermediate
Customisable with plugins and themes, but requires some learning and technical skills to maintain.
Custom Development
50-200 hours
Advanced
Tailored solutions built from scratch to meet specific needs. High cost to build and maintain and requires the most time to build.
Using an Agency
50-200 hours
Advanced
Full-service from concept to launch, ideal for simple to complex sites, but comes with a high cost.
The time it takes to build a website depends on the method you choose and the complexity of your project. Whether you opt for a DIY approach or hire professionals, understanding the process and planning ahead can make the journey smoother.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure about the best approach for your needs, Take2 Elevate can help.
Our team specialises in web development and can assist you in estimating the timeframe for your project. We’ll recommend the best platform based on your specific requirements and goals.
Feel free to contact us for a consultation. We're here to make your web-building journey as smooth and efficient as possible.
It usually takes about 1-5 hours to build a website using Squarespace, depending on the complexity and customization. All you have to do is pick a template, add your website content, and test the experience across known devices then launch.
Due to its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, building a website on Wix typically takes 1-5 hours. If you’re building from scratch without a premade template, it takes 10-20 hours to go from development to launch.
Setting up a Shopify store can take 15-30 hours, considering the need to add products and customise the store. If you need custom functionality that requires existing or custom apps, the build time might extend to 60 - 100 hours. For more information, see our guide on how to build a Shopify store.
An eCommerce website, depending on the platform and complexity, can take 30 to 100 hours to build. For simple ecommerce websites, it takes 10 - 20 hours, and for more complex ecommerce websites with multi-vendor capability, it can take anywhere between 60 - 300 hours. If you're interested in starting an eCommerce business, check out our article on how to start an eCommerce business.
