How Much Time Should You Spend Making A Website?
What Is The Difference Between A Template Website and a Custom Website?
Should You Hire and Pay Someone To Make Your Business Website?
Let's get into the answers to how long it takes to make a website...
AMOUNT OF TIME TO MAKE A BUSINESS WEBSITE
How long should a website take?
With all creative creations - there is a vast array of options.
Yes, you can certainly make a website yourself. Yes, you can hire a teenager to make one for you. Yes, you can pay a freelancer to build you a website on a template. Yes, you can hire a small company to design a website for you. Yes, you can retain a marketing agency to develop a robust and custom-function coded website.
How long does it take to build a website? It could take 3 years or one day...
The correct question to ask is: How long will it take to create MY business website?
Start by defining your parameters and goals.
What is the timeline?
No Deadline, No Timeline
ASAP
"I Need A Website Quickly..." before a pitch / PR / Event / product launch, etc
What is our budget? (3-8 page website - start multiply below $, for more!)
$0 (make a website yourself, ask a favor of friends or family)
$0 - $5k (freelancer or small agency, site built on a template)
$5k - $10k (freelancer or small agency, template / custom website)
$10k - $20k (experienced website agency, custom website)
$20k - $30k (experienced agency, custom website, fully responsive site)
$30k - $50k (experienced agency, custom, responsive, advanced functions)
$50k+ (experienced agency, advanced functions, creative, custom, responsiveness)
The time it takes to build your website will be a combination of your timeline, build, and budget requirements.
A general guideline for creative work is that you can pick 2 of the below 3:
FAST, GOOD, CHEAP.
If you want it FAST & GOOD, it won't be cheap. If you want it GOOD & CHEAP, it won't be fast. If you want it FAST & CHEAP, it won't be good.
WEBSITE DESIGN VS WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
Define The Scope of Work Needed To Build Your Business Website.
We have a thorough, helpful info page dedicated to web dev VS website design you can check out.
In brief:
WHAT QUALIFIES AS WEBSITE DESIGN?
The look and the surface interaction (aka "user experience" aka "UX") of your website.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT?
More tech (aka "user interaction" aka "UI") and custom feature-centric.
All websites will be a mix of website design and website development. Read a thorough breakdown about the difference between website development and web design HERE.
DETERMINE YOUR EXPECTATIONS and NEEDS
Budget, Website Design Partnership, Brand Development, Marketing Messaging, Tech Needs, Timeline Requirements
Create a list of:
DESIGN NEEDS (total overhaul? improvement on existing? style guide exist?)
COPY NEEDS (rewrite existing? rewrite new? heading & subheading help?)
BRANDING NEEDS (fonts and colors defined, already?)
BUDGET SCOPE (what range can you afford?
TIMELINE NEEDS (in a hurry? time doesn't matter?)
DOES THE WEBSITE PLATFORM MATTER?
Wordpress, Squarespace, Shopify, BentoBox, Wix, Webflow, EditorX
There are many options of website platforms - some are more user friendly, others require advanced expertise. At Lovage, we mostly design on Wix (and EditorX is an advanced Wix Platform). This is because of its robust suite of backend business tools, flexible visual designer, and front-end accessibility for editing for YOU (our customer).
Different website designers and developers will have different (sometimes strong and heated!) opinions about platforms.
As of 2021, The Professional Lovage Web Development Recommendations are:
• E-Commerce Website SHOPIFY
• Restaurant Website BENTOBOX
• Small Business / Artist / Portfolio SQUARESPACE or WIX
• Established Business, want to make in-house updates WIX
• Established Business, leave in hands of developer WIX, EDITORX, WEBFLOW, WORDPRESS
Please note that open-source platforms (such as Wordpress) are less secure (i.e. more hackable) than closed-source such as Wix and Squarespace.
As with all creative services - do your research, ask questions, read reviews. Figure out the aspects of website design and development which are most important and relevant to you and interview several options.
Best Wishes On Your New Business Website!
Want to talk to Lovage about designing a custom website for you? We thought you'd never ask - Book A Website Chat HERE.
More confused and uncertain before you read this article? We got you - We offer an hour-long screenshare strategy session during which we can help you break down your needs, formulate a plan, and review / audit your current website, live during the meeting. Buy a Live Strategy Session HERE.