Key facts
- dijitul Starter sites (up to 5 pages, from £250 + VAT) are typically live in 3 to 4 weeks
- dijitul Business sites (up to 15 pages, from £500 + VAT) typically take 5 to 6 weeks
- Content is the most common cause of delay: text, photos and product data
- Each round of feedback adds days, so collect comments in one list
- Domain access and DNS changes need to be sorted before launch day
- Ecommerce timelines depend on catalogue size and integrations
Typical timelines by type of website
Most of the time in a web project is not coding. It is agreeing what the site needs to say, writing it, designing it, and waiting for feedback. As a guide:
| Project | Typical time to launch |
|---|---|
| Landing page or one-page site | One to three weeks |
| dijitul Starter, up to 5 pages | 3 to 4 weeks |
| dijitul Business, up to 15 pages | 5 to 6 weeks |
| Online shop | Depends on products, delivery rules and integrations; agreed in the quote |
| Membership site, web app or large migration | Fixed quote and project plan |
These are working timelines once the brief is agreed and content is moving. A project with no text ready at the start can easily double.
The stages of a website build
- Brief and quote. Pages, features, examples you like, deadline. A good web design brief saves a week of back-and-forth.
- Structure. Agree the sitemap: which pages exist and what each one is for. See what pages a small business site needs.
- Content. Text, photos, logos, testimonials you are allowed to use, product data.
- Design. Usually the home page and one inner page first, then the rest once the look is agreed.
- Build. Mobile-first templates, forms, tracking, schema markup and speed work.
- Review and fixes. You check it on your own phone and computer and send one consolidated list.
- Launch. DNS switch, redirects from old URLs, Search Console submission and checks. Our pre-launch checklist covers this step.
What slows a website down
- Waiting for content. The single biggest cause of delay. If you are writing the words yourself, start before the design begins. Our Business package includes copywriting for this reason.
- Scattered feedback. Comments arriving one at a time from three people by email, text and phone. Agree one person who collects and sends feedback.
- Changing the brief mid-build. Adding a booking system after the design is signed off means redesigning pages.
- Domain access. Nobody knows the login for the domain, or a previous designer holds it. Sort this early; our guide to moving to a new designer explains how.
- Third-party accounts. Payment providers, booking platforms and Google accounts that need verifying can take days.
How to get your site live faster
Gather your logo files, photos and any existing text in one shared folder before the project starts. Decide your main call to action: phone call, form, booking or purchase. Book the time to review designs in your diary when the project starts, not when the email arrives. Keep version one focused; extra pages such as a blog or case studies can follow after launch without holding up the whole site.
If you have a hard deadline, such as a trade show or an opening date, tell us at quote stage. We can plan the build around it and, if needed, launch a smaller first version on time and add the rest afterwards.
Timelines for redesigns and migrations
Replacing an existing site adds a few steps that a brand new site does not need. Before the switch, every old URL that gets visits or has links pointing at it should be listed and mapped to a page on the new site, so 301 redirects can be set on launch day. If the old site has a blog or a product catalogue, that content has to be exported, cleaned and imported. And if a previous designer holds the domain or hosting logins, recovering them can take longer than the build itself.
None of this needs to delay the design work. We plan redirects and content moves alongside the build, so launch day is a switch rather than a scramble. Our guide on whether to redesign or start again explains the choice.
When to call us
If you need a site live by a certain date, get in touch with the date and a rough list of pages. We will tell you honestly whether it is achievable and what needs to be ready from your side. Call 01623 650333 or email info@dijitul.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Can you build a website in a week?
A simple landing page can be done quickly if the text and images are ready. A full multi-page business site in one week usually means cutting corners on content, testing or SEO setup. We would rather launch a smaller first version on time and add pages afterwards.
How long does a dijitul Starter website take?
Starter websites, up to 5 pages from £250 + VAT, are typically live in 3 to 4 weeks. That assumes the brief is agreed and your content and feedback arrive promptly. Business websites, up to 15 pages from £500 + VAT, typically take 5 to 6 weeks.
What causes the most delay in a website project?
Content. Waiting for page text, photos, prices or product data holds up more projects than any technical issue. Starting your content early, or choosing a package that includes copywriting, is the most effective way to keep a project on schedule.
Will my old website go offline while you build the new one?
No. We build the new site on a private staging address while your current site stays live. On launch day we point the domain at the new site and set up redirects from old page addresses, so visitors and Google find the right pages.
How long does it take for a new website to appear on Google?
Google can crawl a new site within days once it is submitted in Search Console, but ranking well for competitive searches takes longer and depends on content, links and competition. Our guide on why a website is not on Google explains the checks to run.
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