As you'd imagine, aside from asking how much a website costs, the most pressing question is, “How long will it take to get our website live?”
It’s one of the most common, and reasonable, questions we hear from clients. The honest answer? It depends. But we can give you a solid sense of what a typical timeline looks like and what factors can help (or delay) your project’s launch.
At Rudder Digital, we believe in setting clear expectations so everyone knows what’s coming next. Here's how we typically break it down once we have all your content, images, and page needs in hand:
Design: ~2 Weeks
The design phase is where we shape the visual direction of your website, what your visitors will see and how they’ll interact with it. This includes layout, colors, typography, calls to action, and overall style. Once we have your branding assets and an understanding of your goals, we can usually turn around initial concepts within two weeks.
Client feedback is key here. The more responsive you are with reviews and decisions, the faster we can move to development.
Development: ~3 Weeks
After design approval, we begin building your site, turning mockups into a working, interactive experience. We code your layouts, integrate any CMS functionality, and make everything responsive and fast.
The complexity of your site can adjust this timeline. A simple marketing site may move quicker, while ecommerce or integration-heavy projects might take longer.
Review & QA: ~1 Week
Once development is complete, we go through a quality assurance phase. This includes testing on various devices and browsers, confirming forms and links work, optimizing for speed, and checking accessibility compliance.
We also invite you to review the site, test functionality, and send us any final content tweaks.
Launch: ~1 Week
With your approval, we move into the go-live process. This includes domain setup, backups, final testing, and migrating from staging to production. We schedule launches to avoid disruptions and ensure a smooth transition.
Your Timeline Drives Our Timeline
While we’ve listed “typical” timing here, the biggest factor in project speed is you. Projects move fastest when clients are responsive to emails, quick with content, and clear with feedback. Delays in content delivery, approvals, or decision-making can easily stretch a 6- to 7-week timeline into something longer.
Need Your Website Live Sooner?
We’ve helped clients meet tight deadlines before, but it requires clear communication and rapid approvals. If you have a specific date in mind (like an event, product launch, or new school year), let us know early so we can build the schedule around that.
At Rudder Digital, we don’t cut corners to go fast. We move efficiently, with a single point of contact throughout your project, and a process that’s built for clarity and quality.
