The most common answer to "how long will my website take?" is some version of "it depends." Which is true — but it's also an agency protecting itself from accountability. Let's be more specific.
What the industry says
Most web design agencies quote timelines between 8 and 20 weeks for a standard marketing website. Complex e-commerce builds or custom web apps can run to 24 weeks or more. Those are real numbers from real agencies doing real work.
But here's what's baked into those timelines that nobody mentions upfront:
- Three to four weeks waiting for your content (copy, photos, brand assets)
- Multiple rounds of revision with multiple stakeholders
- Project manager handoffs between designers, developers, and account teams
- A queue — because you're not their only client
Why we can do it faster
Our process is different because our model is different. We're a two-person agency. When you work with GhostRoutine, you're working directly with the people building your site — not a project manager relaying messages between a designer and a developer you'll never speak to.
We also use AI-assisted workflows that compress the design and build phase significantly without cutting corners on quality. The result is a faster process that still produces custom, premium work.
For a standard startup marketing site, our timeline looks like this:
- Week 1: Discovery call, brief, strategy document, initial design mockups
- Week 2: Design revisions, full build, QA testing, launch prep
- End of week 2: Live site, analytics configured, handover complete
The biggest timeline killer isn't the agency — it's waiting for your content. The sooner you have your copy, logo, and any photography ready, the faster we can move. We'll tell you exactly what we need and when.
Questions to ask any agency about their timeline
Before you sign with anyone, get clear answers to these:
- What milestones does the timeline include? Vague timelines with no checkpoints are a red flag.
- What causes delays, and how do you handle them? Every project has friction. A good agency has a process for it.
- How many revision rounds are included? Unlimited revisions sounds great until it becomes the reason your site takes six months.
- Who is my main point of contact? The more people between you and the person doing the work, the slower things move.
- What do you need from me, and when? If they can't answer this clearly, the project isn't scoped properly yet.
If you have a hard deadline — a product launch, a funding announcement, a big event — tell every agency you talk to upfront. A capable agency will either commit to meeting it or tell you honestly that they can't. Both are good answers. "We'll try" is not.
Need a site launched fast without cutting corners? Tell us your deadline on a free strategy call and we'll tell you exactly what's possible — and what it takes to get there.
Book a free call →