How long does a simple business website take to build?

A simple business website with 3-5 pages takes 1-2 weeks from start to launch. This includes design, development, content integration, mobile optimisation, and testing. At Babayagas, a starter package site is typically ready within 7-10 business days.

How long does an e-commerce website take?

An e-commerce website with product catalogue, payment processing, and shipping integration takes 4-6 weeks. Complex stores with hundreds of products, custom filtering, and inventory management can take 6-8 weeks or more.

What slows down a website project?

The biggest delays come from slow content delivery (waiting on text, logos, and photos from the client), unclear requirements, excessive revision rounds, and scope creep where new features get added mid-project. Having your content ready before development starts can cut timelines in half.

Can I get a website built in a few days?

A basic landing page or single-page site can be built in 2-3 days if you have all content ready. A full multi-page business site in under a week is possible with rush pricing, but quality suffers when timelines are too compressed. Plan for at least 1-2 weeks for a proper job.

How Long Does it Take to Build a Website?

A simple business website takes 1-2 weeks. A professional site with database, admin panel, and e-commerce takes 3-5 weeks. The biggest factor isn't the coding — it's how quickly you can get me your content.

I've been building websites for a while now, and the timeline question comes up in every single conversation. So here's a genuinely honest breakdown of what to expect.

Simple Business Sites (1-2 Weeks)

This is your typical small business site — homepage, about page, services page, contact page, maybe a gallery. Think a tradie in Murray Bridge who needs an online presence that looks professional.

Day 1-2: We chat about what you need, I look at your branding and content, and I put together a design concept.
Day 3-5: I code the site — structure, styling, mobile responsiveness, contact forms.
Day 6-7: Content goes in, we do a review, you tell me what to tweak.
Day 8-10: Final tweaks, testing across devices, SEO setup, and we go live.

At Babayagas, this is the $1,500 starter package. If you've got your content ready to go (text, photos, logo), I can often have it done in 7 business days.

Professional Sites (3-5 Weeks)

These sites have more moving parts — a database backend, content management, custom forms, maybe user accounts or a booking system.

Week 1: Planning, design concepts, and architecture decisions. What data needs storing? What does the admin panel need to do?
Week 2-3: Building the frontend and backend. This is where the heavy development happens.
Week 4: Content, testing, and revisions. Making sure everything works across browsers and devices.
Week 5: Final polishing, SEO, and launch.

This is the $3,500 professional package territory. Most local businesses with specific functionality needs — real estate listings, service booking, membership areas — fall into this bracket.

E-Commerce Sites (4-8 Weeks)

Selling products online adds a whole layer of complexity. You need product pages, shopping cart, checkout flow, payment processing, shipping calculations, inventory tracking, and order management.

Small store (under 50 products): 4-5 weeks. Straightforward catalogue, Stripe or PayPal checkout, basic shipping options.
Medium store (50-500 products): 5-6 weeks. Category filtering, search, multiple shipping zones, discount codes.
Large or complex store: 6-8+ weeks. Custom product configurators, bulk ordering, wholesale pricing, inventory sync with POS systems.

What Slows Things Down

In my experience, 80% of project delays come from one thing: waiting on content. Here are the common bottlenecks:

No content ready: "I'll get you the text next week" turns into three weeks. This is the single biggest delay on every project. Write your content before we start — or let me help you with it.
Too many cooks: When decisions need sign-off from multiple people, things grind to a halt. One decision-maker keeps things moving.
Scope creep: "Oh, can we also add a blog? And a booking system? And a member portal?" Each addition extends the timeline. Nothing wrong with adding features, but let's plan them upfront.
Slow feedback: If I send you a draft and it takes 2 weeks to hear back, that's 2 weeks added to the timeline.

What Speeds Things Up

Want your site done faster? Here's how:

Have your content ready: Text for every page, your logo in high resolution, and at least 5-10 good photos of your business. This alone can shave a week off the timeline.
Know what you want: Show me 2-3 websites you like and tell me why. That gives me a clear direction from day one.
Respond quickly: When I ask a question or send a draft, a same-day response keeps the momentum going.
Trust the process: Hired me because I know what I'm doing? Let me do it. Micromanaging the pixel placement of every element adds time without adding value.
Keep the scope tight: Start with what you need, launch it, and add features later. A live website that's 90% done is better than a perfect website that's still in development.

Every project is different, so if you've got something specific in mind, get in touch and I'll give you a realistic timeline — not a sales pitch.