How Many Hours Does it Really Take to Build a Website?

Key Takeaways

• A simple static site can be ready in 10‑20 hours, while a full‑featured eCommerce platform often needs 200‑400 hours.
• Break the project into planning, design, development, testing, and launch - each stage consumes a predictable share of total time.
• Complexity, content readiness, and team size are the three biggest levers that swing the timeline.
• Use the step‑by‑step calculator below to get a realistic estimate for your own project.
• Stick to a clear scope, use reusable components, and set revision limits to keep the clock from running away.

When we talk about website development is the process of planning, designing, coding, testing, and launching a site that works on the web, the total time can vary a lot. If you’re wondering hours to build a website, the answer depends on three things: the type of site you need, how much custom work is involved, and how organized your workflow is.

What Kind of Site Are You Building?

Before you open a spreadsheet, define the website type you’re aiming for. The most common categories are:

• Static website - a handful of HTML/CSS pages with little or no interactivity.
• Content Management System (CMS) site - built on platforms like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla, allowing the client to edit content themselves.
• eCommerce site - includes product catalogs, shopping carts, payment gateways, and order management.

Each type carries its own baseline hour range, even before you add custom features.

Phase‑by‑Phase Time Breakdown

Think of a web project as a series of phases. Here’s a typical split for a mid‑range site (CMS or small eCommerce):

1. Planning & requirements gathering - 10‑15% of total hours. Includes stakeholder interviews, user stories, sitemap, and tech stack decision.
2. Design - 20‑25% of total hours. Wireframes, mockups, UI kit, and design revisions.
3. Development - 40‑50% of total hours. Front‑end markup, back‑end logic, API integration, and CMS configuration.
4. Testing & QA - 10‑15% of total hours. Cross‑browser checks, performance testing, bug fixing.
5. Launch & post‑launch support - 5‑10% of total hours. Server setup, DNS changes, final tweaks, and a short support window.

These percentages give you a quick sanity check. If your total estimate is 150 hours, expect roughly 15 hours for planning, 30‑35 for design, 70‑80 for development, 15 for testing, and 10 for launch.

Typical Hour Ranges by Site Type

Factors That Can Inflate or Shrink the Clock

Even within the same category, real‑world projects drift. Here are the top three variables you’ll meet:

• Scope creep - adding pages, features, or integrations after the contract is signed. Each extra feature usually adds 5‑15% of the original estimate.
• Content readiness - waiting for copy, images, or product data can stall design and development. Blocked content adds idle time that often translates to 1‑2 extra hours per day per team member.
• Team composition - a solo freelancer may need more time for tasks a specialist team can parallelize. Conversely, a larger team can finish faster but may introduce coordination overhead (roughly 10% of total hours for meetings and hand‑offs).

Knowing these levers helps you set realistic expectations with clients and avoid surprise invoices.

Step‑by‑Step Calculator for Your Project

Use the following checklist to create a custom hour estimate. Tick each item, assign the suggested hour range, and total them up.

1. Define the site type (static, CMS, eCommerce, custom app).
2. List core pages and major features (e.g., home, blog, product catalog, user login).
3. Allocate planning hours: 0.1×total estimated development hours.
4. Allocate design hours: 0.22×total (adjust up for UI‑heavy projects).
5. Allocate development hours: base hours from the table above + 0.05×hours for each extra feature.
6. Allocate testing hours: 0.12×development hours.
7. Allocate launch & support: 0.07×total hours.
8. Add a buffer: 10‑15% of the grand total for unexpected issues.

Example: A small eCommerce with 20 products, a custom checkout, and basic SEO.

• Base eCommerce range: 185hours (mid‑point of 150‑220).
• Extra features (custom checkout, email automation): 2×5=10hours.
• Development subtotal: 195hours.
• Planning (10%): 20hours.
• Design (22%): 43hours.
• Testing (12% of dev): 23hours.
• Launch (7%): 15hours.
• Total before buffer: 296hours.
• 15% buffer: 44hours.
• Final estimate: ~340 hours.

Adjust the percentages if you know your team works faster or slower than the average.

Pro Tips to Keep the Project on Schedule

• Set revision limits early. Agree on a maximum number of design and development rounds (usually 2‑3). Each extra round can add 5‑10%.
• Use component libraries. Reusing UI kits, WordPress themes, or starter code cuts development time by up to 30%.
• Parallelize when possible. While the designer finalizes mockups, the developer can start building the template skeleton.
• Automate testing. Tools like Cypress or Lighthouse provide quick regression checks, saving hours of manual QA.
• Gather content beforehand. Give the client a simple checklist (headlines, body copy, images) and a deadline. Missing assets are a major time thief.

Now that you’ve seen the typical hour ranges, the phase breakdown, and the key factors that shift the clock, you can approach any website project with a solid estimate in hand. Start with the calculator, add a realistic buffer, and watch the timeline stay on track.