The time taken to build a website depends on a number of factors. Customisation Websites which are designed using templates or website design packages do not usually take much time to build. However, if the website is a custom design, and the build needs to start from scratch, then it could take much longer. Number of pages Building a site with lots of pages will not take a long time if all of the pages have more or less the same style and type of content. However, if there are a lot of different styles, and if the content varies a lot, then the build time will increase. Complexity of content Sites which have a lot of different content and content types will take longer to build. Examples include sites with video and audio streams, extensive photo galleries, large download areas, password-protected sections or registration requirements. E-commerce If the site has an online shop, particularly one where the products or the prices change regularly, the build time will be longer. If the online shop is specially created, or requires extensive adaptation of a standard design, that will add further to the build time. Other types of interactivity There are other kinds of interaction with websites, apart from e-commerce. Sites with forums, blogs or comment sections take extra time to build. Technical complexity If the site design is particularly complex or innovative, the website creator might need to spend time writing entirely new coding or other programming to achieve the right result. Changes during the build As the site is built, the client and/or the designers might want to make changes, which may mean more work or work being done again. Skills of the site builders A major factor in the time taken to build the site is the skill levels of the people who do the work. People who are not experienced in particular technologies such as Javascript or XHTML will take longer to build a site. Testing and de-bugging Each stage of the website will be tested, but final testing can only be done when everything is in place. Time will also be needed to correct things which don’t work properly.
