How long does it take to make a website?
A done-for-you website can be live in minutes; a website you build yourself usually takes a few weekends. The honest answer is that the building is rarely the slow part — deciding what to say, and finding the time to say it, is.
The short answer
- Done for you: live the same day, because someone else writes and publishes the site from the details you give.
- A DIY builder such as Wix or Squarespace: an evening for one page, and two to six weeks for a proper five-page site if you work on it after hours.
- A local agency: usually several weeks, because you are one project in a queue behind other clients.
If your only question is "how long until it is online", the answer is: as long as it takes you to make the decisions.
What actually takes the time
Building software is fast. The hours disappear into four things:
- Writing the words. Most people rewrite the home page three or four times.
- Choosing photos. Waiting for the right shot, or for someone to send one.
- Deciding the structure. Which pages, in which order, with which menu.
- Setting up the domain and email. A small job, and easy to postpone.
None of that is difficult. All of it is easy to put off, which is why a website can sit in draft for months while the business carries on without it.
How long a done-for-you site takes
With Sorted Online, you give your business name, your trade, the area you cover, and a few details. The site is written and published for you, and your own domain is connected. Email on that domain is included as forwarding, so your address looks like you@yourbusiness.co.uk.
There is nothing to design, nothing to configure, and nothing to pay at sign-up. It is £15 a month by UK Direct Debit through GoCardless. If you want to be found this week, this is the shortest route.
See done-for-you website vs Wix for how that compares with building it yourself, or what to put on a small business website if you would rather do the writing first.
What slows a DIY build down
If you build it yourself, the delays are predictable:
- Switching templates after you have already added content.
- Rewriting the same paragraph in different words.
- Waiting for a free weekend that never arrives.
- Trying to make it "finished" before anyone sees it.
A live site with one typo beats a perfect draft nobody can visit. You can fix the typo later; you cannot fix a site that does not exist.
How to make any route faster
Whatever you choose, four moves cut the time:
- Write five answers first: what you do, where you do it, who for, why you, and how to start.
- Use photos from your phone. Clear and real beats polished and borrowed.
- Pick one layout and stop comparing.
- Set a date to be live, and treat it like a job you have booked.
The honest comparison
| Route | Typical time to live | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| Done for you (Sorted Online) | The same day | Us |
| DIY builder | 2–6 weeks of evenings | You |
| Local agency | Several weeks | An agency, with you waiting |
The market ranges above are typical; check current offers before you decide.
The short version
The website itself does not take long. The waiting does. If you would rather skip the waiting, start your website and it is handled for you.
For the other half of the decision, see what a small business website costs.