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Website project timeline calculator for agencies
Pick the size, design and content situation, add how long your client takes to review, and get a phase-by-phase timeline you can put in a proposal.
1
The project
2
The client side
Sign-offs across design, content and the build.
How long this client usually takes to send feedback.
Optional. Shows the launch window on a calendar.
Estimated timeline
9 to 15 weeks
- Discovery and planning
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Design
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Content
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Build
- 2 to 4 weeks
- Testing and launch
- 1 to 2 weeks
Waiting on client reviews
0 weeks
- Share of the timeline
- 0%
- Launch window
- Add a start date
Planning ranges, phases run back to back. Real projects overlap some phases and slip on others. Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Need the build side covered?
Send us the scope and John sends back a fixed white-label quote within 2 business hours, Monday to Friday, so the build side of your plan starts from a firm number.
Get a fixed partner quoteThe phase ranges are planning assumptions, laid out in full further down this page so you can see exactly where the number comes from. The client review time is yours to enter, because it’s the part of a timeline no model can guess.
How long does a website project take?
A typical business website takes about 10 to 14 weeks from planning to launch. Forbes Advisor breaks that into planning (two to three weeks), content creation (four to six weeks), design (two to three weeks), and testing and review (one to two weeks). Smaller sites with ready content move faster, and larger or more custom builds take longer.
2 to 3 weeks
Planning
4 to 6 weeks
Content creation
2 to 3 weeks
Design
1 to 2 weeks
Testing and review
Phase ranges from Forbes Advisor, How Long Does It Take To Build A Website? (audited June 2024).
Notice which phase is longest. Content, not design or code, is where most published timelines put the biggest block of time, and it’s the phase an agency controls least because the client usually owns the words and images. That’s why the calculator asks where the content stands before it gives you a number.
What planning assumptions does the calculator use?
Each phase has a range in weeks that grows with page count, plus separate ranges for design approach, content readiness and extra features. The phases are added back to back, then client review time is added on top. For a 6 to 15 page semi-custom site with content partly written, that comes to 9 to 15 weeks before review time, in line with the published range above.
| Phase | 1 to 5 pages | 6 to 15 pages |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and planning | 1 week | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Design (semi-custom) | 2 to 3 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Content, not started | 2 to 3 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Build | 1 to 2 weeks | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Testing and launch | 1 week | 1 to 2 weeks |
Design runs 1 to 2 weeks for a template, 2 to 3 for semi-custom and 3 to 5 for fully custom, with a week or more added on large sites. Features add build time: an online store 2 to 4 weeks, custom functionality or integrations 1 to 3, membership or booking 1 to 2, and multiple languages 1 to 2. These are planning ranges for your own schedule, not a promise from anyone. Real projects overlap some phases and slip on others.
Why do client reviews stretch website timelines?
Because review time multiplies. Four review rounds at five business days each is four weeks of waiting, which can be as long as the entire build on a small site. None of that time shows up in a phase plan unless you put it there.
That’s the number the calculator surfaces separately, as a share of the whole timeline. Put it in the proposal and agree the review turnaround in writing, and a slow round of feedback becomes a schedule change the client can see rather than a delay your agency absorbs. Our website project workflow for agencies shows where the review points sit, and the web design questionnaire gets content and decisions moving before the clock starts.
Ways to protect the schedule
- Collect content before design starts
- Agree the number of review rounds up front
- Put a feedback turnaround in the contract
- Name one decision-maker on the client side
- Quote changes before they join the schedule
What if your team doesn’t have room for the build?
Then the build phase waits for capacity, and the whole timeline moves with it. A white-label partner takes the build off your team’s plate while you keep the client, the discovery and the reviews.
The phases in this calculator don’t change when a partner does the build, but the queue in front of them does. If you’re weighing that option, our guide to scoping a website project covers what a partner needs to quote accurately, and the scope creep calculator shows what happens to the plan when changes arrive unannounced.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a small business website?
Forbes Advisor puts a typical build at 10 to 14 weeks from planning to launch. A small site with ready content and a template design can be much quicker, while a larger custom build with content still to write takes longer.
What is the longest phase of a website project?
Content creation, in Forbes Advisor’s breakdown, at four to six weeks. Design and planning each run two to three weeks. If the client has their content ready before the project starts, the whole timeline shortens noticeably.
How do I estimate client review time?
Multiply the number of review rounds by the business days this client usually takes to reply, then divide by five to get weeks. Use your own history with the client if you have it. It’s often the biggest single variable in the schedule.
Should I give clients a timeline range or a fixed date?
A range early, and a date once scope, content and review turnaround are agreed. Tie the date to those conditions in writing, so a late round of feedback moves the launch rather than your team’s weekends.
Does a white-label partner make the project faster?
It doesn’t shorten the phases themselves, but it can remove the wait for your own team to free up. The planning, content and client reviews still set the pace.
Does this calculator save or share my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us or stored.
Plan the build side with a firm number
Send us the scope and John will reply with a fixed white-label quote within two business hours, Monday to Friday. You run the client relationship, and our white-label WordPress team builds under your brand.