You’re sifting through a lot of conflicting advice on how long it takes to build a website. Some say it takes a few days, others say weeks. So, who’s right?

The truth is, most website development timelines are just guesstimates. 

These generic timeframes don’t factor in variables that could make or break your development process.

That’s why we spoke to our partners at WordPress.com to get realistic timelines for building a website. Drawing on their years of experience, our website development experts also share key factors to consider when estimating these timelines.

Here’s how long it takes to build common types of websites

• Small site (five pages or less): ≤ 1 week
• Dropshipping ecommerce site (<1000 products): 2-4 weeks
• Large education website (school/university): 3-4 weeks
• Government website: 4-6 weeks
• Large media website: 6-8 weeks
• Enterprise website: Several months to over a year

When hiring a professional, you have two main options:

• Freelancers: They’re perfect when you need quality work without a hefty price tag. You can hire specialists for design, development, and copywriting. 
• Agencies: They bring an entire team to cover all bases for your website design project. Work with an agency for complex sites with tight deadlines. You can choose a small or a big agency based on your budget.