The delivery guide
These are my timings, not an industry average. I do not have a source for an average, so I will not quote one. Other designers work differently, so ask each one for dates in writing.
Working days exclude weekends. The count starts once the brief is agreed and your content is ready. A simpler site can be faster, sometimes within a week, depending on the features, whether your content is ready and how quickly you send feedback.
| Build | Pages | Delivery guide |
|---|---|---|
| One-page site | 1 | 10 working days |
| Small site | Up to 5 | 10 working days |
| Business site | Up to 8 | 14 working days |
| Custom | More pages or complex features | Agreed in the quote |
Your written quote confirms the timetable for your site.
Related: See the prices for each build
What happens between the first message and launch
Each step ends with something you approve, so the project moves at the speed of those decisions.
- Agree the brief. I talk through your business, pages and features with you. I send a fixed quote before work starts. You approve the scope and price.
- Choose your design. Choose from three homepage directions. I refine your choice and agree the words for your main pages with you. You approve the design and words.
- Review the site. Try the site and leave notes through a review link. I test the layout, the forms and the main things a customer does. Two revision rounds are included. You review the working site.
- Launch and hand over. After your approval, I launch the site and hand over your website files and account access. You give the go-ahead to launch.
What makes it faster
- Send your services, contact details, logo and photos before the brief, not during the build.
- Keep to the pages in the quote. One page and a contact form is quicker than a site with several tools.
- Decide who approves the work. Two people sending different notes add a round.
- Reply to review notes within a day or two. Time spent waiting for you is not counted in the guide.
- Have your domain sorted before you start.
What slows it down
Content is the usual cause. A site cannot be finished until its words and photos exist, and writing about your own business takes longer than most people expect. Extra copywriting is available if you would rather hand it over.
Features add time. A booking link, a connection to a tool you already use or a photo upload has to be agreed, built and tested, and it is scoped separately in the quote.
Changing direction late costs time too. Every priced build includes 2 revision rounds, each one list of changes within the agreed scope. A new page or a different design after approval is quoted separately.
Other companies can hold things up. A booking provider, a domain registrar or your existing email host may need something from you before a connection works.
How to plan around it
If you need the site by a date, say so in your first message and work backwards. Allow the delivery guide, then add time for your own content and a few days to review and approve. I reply within one working day, and I tell you before you commit if I cannot meet a date.
Launch is not the end of the work. I check in a few days after launch, and small changes to your existing text, photos or layout are free for 4 weeks afterwards.
Related: Plan your website, Ask for a fixed quote