It is one of the first questions almost every client asks, and the honest answer is: it depends on scope, but there is a real range you should expect from any agency that is being straight with you.
The short version
A focused marketing site (5 to 8 pages, no custom functionality) typically takes 3 to 5 weeks from kickoff to launch. A larger site with custom features, e-commerce, or a content migration can run 8 to 12 weeks. Anything promising a full custom redesign in 48 hours is either using a generic template or skipping steps you will pay for later.
Where the time actually goes
- Discovery and content planning, about 1 week — figuring out what the site needs to say before anyone touches a design file.
- Design, 1 to 2 weeks — wireframes, then visual design, with a real review round in between.
- Build, 2 to 4 weeks — the actual development, most of it invisible to the client until it is ready to review.
- QA and launch, about 1 week — cross-browser and mobile testing, redirects, and a controlled go-live.
Why rushing costs more later
Skipping discovery is the single biggest predictor of a redesign that needs a second redesign within a year. The projects that go fastest end to end are usually the ones that spent real time up front getting the plan right, not the ones that jumped straight to design.
When we quote a timeline, we would rather tell you 12 days and mean it than promise 5 and slip to 15.