Answer
How long does a website take to build?
A small trade website takes two to four weeks from approval to launch. With YXU Studio you see a free homepage within a week of a twenty-minute call, and once you approve the quote and pay the deposit, the rest of the site usually takes two to three weeks. Photos are the usual delay.
The four stages, and how long each one really takes
Nothing here needs a project manager. The whole thing is four steps, and you are only needed in two of them.
- Talk: twenty minutes, on the work you want more of and where you drive
- Preview: within a week, your homepage built and free to look at
- Build: two to three weeks after the deposit, for the rest of the pages
- Launch: same day the balance is settled, and the domain switch takes a few hours
What actually causes delays
Almost never the building. The three things that stretch a two-week build into two months are photos that never arrive, approval that waits for a quiet evening, and a domain nobody can find the login for.
So the process is built around that: the homepage is made from whatever you already have, feedback is collected in one round rather than five, and the domain check happens on day one rather than launch day.
Can it be faster?
Yes, if the site is small and you already have photos and text. A one to three page Starter site can go live within a week of approval.
What cannot be rushed is your part. A site launched without your review reads like it was written by someone who has never done your job, because it was.
Typical timeline by build size
| Build | Approval to launch |
|---|---|
| Starter, 1 to 3 pages | About one week |
| Standard, 4 to 6 pages | Two to three weeks |
| Pro, 7 to 10 pages | Three to four weeks |
| Free homepage preview | Within a week of the call, before any payment |
| Domain switch at launch | A few hours, usually unnoticed |
Questions people ask
Will my current site go down while you build?
No. The new site is built at a temporary address and the domain is only pointed at it when you say go, so the old site stays up until the moment it is replaced.
What do you need from me, and when?
Twenty minutes on a call, then photos and any existing text. After that, one round of feedback on the preview and one on the finished site. That is it.
What if I do not have photos?
The site is built to look right without them and to take yours later without a redesign. Photos taken on your phone of your own finished work beat stock photography, so it is worth a few minutes on the next job.