How Long Does It Take To Build A Website With WordPress?

How long does it take to build a website, is always dependent on the spec, the level of complexity, and if you have your content and images on hand prior to starting. That being said, building a website is now really easy and accessible thanks to the growth of user-friendly website tools like WordPress.

Whilst a basic website using a pre-designed theme can be completed in as little as a few hours, building a more complicated website with unique features and content can take up to 8 weeks.

In this article, we will look at the various factors that contribute to the timeline for building a website with WordPress. We break it down into development phases, while offering a better idea as to how long it will take you to create your own professional WordPress website. (If you don’t know what WordPress is, please refer to our blog: What is WordPress CMS).

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a popular open source Content Management System (CMS) and offers a wide range of templates, themes, and plugins that make it possible for users, with little to no coding knowledge, to create a professional-looking website.

It was estimated in September 2022 , according to the W3Techs’ article, that WordPress powers 42.7% of all websites on the Internet, making it one of the most widely used open-source content management system (CMS) systems. It is a developers’ dream, as it is open source, and thousands of plugins for design and functionality have subsequently been developed specifically for WordPress, which is one of its main advantages.

With the help of these plugins, users may build a variety of websites, from straightforward blogs to intricate e-commerce sites with contact forms, live chat features, and picture galleries.

Why You Should Use WordPress

With over 60 million websites currently making use of the platform, WordPress has become the go-to choice for beginners and professionals alike.

Because of its user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, simplified dashboard, and assortment of themes, you can create a website with a distinctive style and feel that is both easy to use and manage.

However, the time it takes to build a website with WordPress depends on several factors, such as the website’s complexity, the skills and experience of the website creator, and the desired features and functionalities.

Coding-Free

One of the main reasons why WordPress is unlike other website creation platforms that require coding knowledge – is that WordPress has an intuitive interface that allows anyone to create a website without any technical expertise.

The platform offers a visual editor that allows users to see the changes they are making in real-time, eliminating the need for any coding or HTML knowledge.

Professionally Designed Templates

Another significant advantage of using WordPress is the wide range of templates and themes available. These templates are pre-designed website layouts that can be easily customized to fit the needs and preferences of the user.

With over 11,000 free templates and thousands of premium themes, users have a multitude of options to choose from to create a professional-looking website. Added to this, WordPress also offers functionality for users to add HTML coding for social media widgets and other plugins to the webpage.

Plugins

The WordPress plugin library is another reason WordPress is a useful platform to create a website. Plugins are small pieces of software that can be added to a website to enhance its functionality or add new features.

With over 55,000 plugins available, users can find a plugin for almost any website feature they need, such as search engine optimization, contact forms, and social media integration. These plugins can be easily installed and activated with just a few clicks without the need for any coding. Be aware that although the WordPress platform, in and of itself, is open source, all the plugins are developed independently by individuals and companies. This leads to some plugins being incompatible, please be certain to review plugins before installing them on your WordPress website – our blog: Incompatible WordPress Plugins provides a guideline.

Mobile-Friendly

Given the high number of users that may visit your page via smartphones, it is crucial for websites to be mobile-responsive and adapt to different screen sizes and devices. WordPress offers a vast selection of mobile-responsive themes, ensuring that websites created on the platform will look good and function well on all devices, whether it be a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Support

WordPress has a dedicated team of developers who work to improve the platform and address any issues that may arise. Regular updates and bug fixes ensure that the website stays secure and up to date.

Additionally, WordPress has an active community of WP developers and users who can offer assistance and guidance in case of any problems. Support can also be found on various forums and blogs related to the platform.

SEO-Friendly

WordPress websites also have highly optimized plugins for SEO, making it easier to rank in search engine results. The platform offers built-in features that help improve the site visibility, such as customizable permalinks, title tags, meta descriptions, and SEO plugins.

This makes it easier for websites created on WordPress to drive more organic traffic, increasing their online presence and potential reach.

How Long Does It Take To Make A Website

General Factors Affecting The Timeline

Numerous factors can affect how long the creation of your website will take, whether developed using WordPress or not. These are dependent on the type of website you are developing, the kind of functionality it will have and the purpose it will serve.

The more complex the kind of website you want will be, the more time-consuming it will become to build it.

While creating a website without the use of WordPress will include more factors such as building a user-friendly CMS and employing a team of web developers for a more complex website, these are some of the general factors that should be considered when determining how long it will take to complete:

Purpose and Scope

The purpose and scope of a website are the primary factors that determine how long it will take to develop it. These factors will define the boundaries of what your site should include. A simple business website with a few pages and basic features can be built quickly. On the other hand, a complex ecommerce website with various product categories, payment options, and integrations will require more time to develop. Similarly, if the website is intended to provide a basic online presence for a small business, it will take less time when compared to a website that needs to manage substantial amounts of traffic and data.

Design

A website with a simple and minimalist design will take less time to develop compared to a website with a complex and intricate design. The functionality of a website, such as the ability to process online transactions, user registration, and integration with third-party systems, can also significantly impact the development timeline. The more features and functionalities it needs, the longer it will take to build a website. Read our blog on the Top Ten Free WordPress Templates, if you are looking for some inspiration.

Content

Content is a crucial aspect of any website, and its creation and management can also significantly affect the development timeline. If the website requires a large amount of high-quality content, such as product descriptions, blog posts, and images, it will take longer to develop compared to a website with minimal content requirements.

Testing and Debugging

The testing and debugging phase of website’s development is often overlooked, but it is a major step in ensuring the website is functioning correctly. This phase involves identifying and fixing any bugs or errors in the website’s code, which can take a significant amount of time, depending on the complexity of the website.

How Long Does It Take To Build A Website: Stages of Development

When it comes to WordPress, there is simply no short answer to the question “How long does it take to build a website?”. Purely because the options for building a website on WordPress are just so diverse.

Now that we’ve covered the general factors that could affect the length it takes, let’s look at the development stages.

Creating a WordPress website involves several key stages of development, from conceptualization to design, and deployment. Each phase contributes to shaping your online presence, and as one could imagine, can take some time to perfect as well.

Here are the various stages of development, we recommend you follow to build a website on the platform. Please read our Knowledgebase articles to reference for installing WordPress, the first is to install WordPress from cPanel within the Hosted.com Control Panel, or install WP directly onto your laptop.

Planning

Planning a WordPress involves a thoughtful and strategic approach to identify the purpose, target audience, and desired functionalities of the site. During the planning phase, consider the following factors:

• Choose an appropriate domain name. Our blog: How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name contains valuable tips on what to consider prior to registering your domain name.
• Provide an outline of the website’s structure.
• Define the user experience – What you want your visitors to take away from your website?
• Determine goals and envision the overall design and features.

Taking the time to plan ahead will ensure your WordPress website effectively communicates and engages visitors right from the start.

Select a Hosting Plan

Hosted.com offers various WordPress Hosting plans tailored to the size and type of your WP websites. Three of our plans also offer the option of a free domain name registration*, free SSL Certificates and expert support for WordPress-built websites.

WordPress Hosting with Hosted.com brings you the best in support and features so your WordPress site can run efficiently without the technical hassle. Our servers are also optimized and specifically cater for WordPress and WooCommerce integration to ensure that your website runs on a platform that is fast, stable and secure.

Finding and signing up for hosting can take anywhere from a few hours to a day depending on how many companies you are comparing plans against.

Choosing a theme for your website

The overall look and feel of the site will make your brand or business appealing to your online audience. WordPress offers a wide range of free and paid themes, and selecting the one that best suits your needs can be time-consuming. A simple theme with basic features can take a week or less to set up, while a more complex and customizable one can take several weeks.

Structure

A website with multiple pages and custom layouts will require more time to create compared to a simple one-page website. The number of plugins used also impacts the timeline; plugins add various functionalities to the website, but they can also slow down the site’s loading speed if not used carefully. It is essential to choose only the necessary plugins and optimize them to ensure a smooth user experience with the time needed to complete this varying dependent on its structure.

Content

Website content should be carefully planned, keeping the audience and the website’s objectives in mind. Additionally, optimizing the content for search engines can improve the website’s ranking and visibility. The time it takes to create and optimize the content depends on the amount of information and images needed to build a website. This step can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Testing

Lastly, testing and launching the website is the final stage of the website building process. Testing involves checking for any bugs, broken links, or formatting errors before the website goes live. Once the testing is complete, the website can be launched, making it accessible to the public. This step can take a few hours to a day, depending on the complexity of the website. Luckily, WordPress has a Staging Site that is easily set up, allowing you to confidently publish your website on the Internet, without fear of it being seen by the public until you have sorted out any glitches.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The time to build a WordPress website can vary based on its complexity. A basic site using a pre-designed theme can be completed in a few days, while intricate websites with unique features may take up to 8 weeks.
• WordPress’s user-friendly interface, coding-free approach, and a vast library of themes and plugins make it accessible for beginners and professionals to create a website. This can take a week or less to set up.
• General factors impacting website development include the website’s purpose, scope, design complexity, content requirements, and the time allocated for testing and debugging. This process could take a few weeks to complete.
• Choosing an appropriate hosting plan is crucial and could take anywhere from a few hours, a day or so, or more than a week to complete. Hosted.com offers optimized WordPress hosting with features like a free SSL certificate and the fastest web server technology, ensuring a fast, stable, and secure website. Read our Knowledgebase article if you need to know how to Install an SSL Certificate.

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