The ongoing pandemic and the resultant lockdowns have changed every facet of online retail, from consumer behavior and demand prediction to retention. According to the latest State of Online Marketplace Adoption report, 70 percent of consumers find online marketplaces to be the most convenient method to shop.
Moreover, a GlobalData analysis revealed that about 90 percent of eCommerce companies globally experienced double-digit growth in 2020 as the consumer trend shifted to a digital-first approach. So if you own a business, this is the right time to start an eCommerce website.
With more users spending time shopping online now, your business will have a better chance to reach a wider audience. As BigCommerce blogger Leigh-Anne Truitt points out in a recent post, eCommerce websites allow businesses to reach new markets and become resilient should their physical store be forced to close.
But small businesses often put off creating an online store because of the costs and time involved. Let’s take a look at how long it usually takes to actually build a website from scratch with the help of a developer in different phases – and how quickly you can finish building a website.
Creating a Plan
This is the first step in website creation and may take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on how clear you are about your plans. Consider what steps are necessary to achieve the goals you have set for your website.
Figure out what you want your website to accomplish for the business, what kind of website you want, and whether the homepage will be oriented around your company or selling products online, among other considerations.
Next up, align the website’s goal to the brand’s requirements. This can be done by studying the competition and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. With a little market research, you’ll have a better understanding of what you need to build a successful website.
Typically, you’ll have to spend at least a couple of weeks outlining your website creation plan. The more detailed and well-researched your plan, the faster it’s going to be to implement the subsequent steps, and the fewer mistakes you’re likely to make down the line. That is why it is advisable to spend as much time as you need to outline a plan for the creation of your eCommerce website. This investment will save you time in the long run.
Get Started on Design
The next step in website creation is to decide on a design that will accomplish the goals you have set for the website. This step may take up to a month to finish, provided you have a good creative brief. A creative brief helps developers and designers work on mock-ups for the website.
When the first drafts are ready, make sure that the design used can achieve your goals. Look at the mockups from the point of view of the customer and figure out if it works. Look for details like whether the homepage is appealing and navigable, is a responsive design, the integrations and APIs you’ll need to bring it to life, and more.
The time required to design your website depends on how you’re going to build it. If you’re using an eCommerce website builder, your website could be up and running within a few weeks.
On the other hand, developing a custom-built website from scratch will take longer.
Create Content
Creating quality content is not easy, and it may take up to two months to get content created and gathered. It’s a must to dedicate some time to quality content, as it makes your website look legit, builds trust, and impacts your SEO authority.
Quality content is like a foundation to your website. The stronger the foundation, the stronger the online presence.
This content includes headlines, titles, product descriptions, blog articles, and more. Use concise, consistent, and to-the-brief content across the website.
Hiring a team of experienced copywriters, bloggers, photographers, and content creators will help expedite the process.
Website Development and Coding
This is where the heavy lifting begins and may take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Start the main development only when you have clearly defined your goals, have a creative brief ready, gathered content, and designed a sitemap.
A sitemap for the website is simply the list of web pages that your website will contain. It usually includes visible listings of the pages on the website and structured listings meant for search engines. Once the sitemap is ready, website development and coding can successfully take off.
With an eCommerce platform, you don’t have to delve into the intricacies of web programming. Instead, you can build your website using a simple drag-and-drop interface. This ensures that your website is ready for testing and deployment within a few weeks.
On the other hand, a custom-built website will need extensive coding. That, in turn, will increase the time required to build your website.
Beta Testing and Review of the Website
This is a crucial step in building a website and can take up to three weeks. This is where you’ll need to beta test and review the pages being designed to ensure a seamless user experience.
The testing phase involves locating individuals from the target market of the website and seeking feedback or suggestions. This feedback will provide you with the intel required to ensure your website is ready for launch.
To be doubly sure, get a trained UX professional to review the creative brief and sitemap, and whether they are aligned with the goals you have set.
Once the beta testing is over, take a few days to review the progress and make any final changes if required. Take into account the marketing plan for the launch day, content publishing plan, and website maintenance.
How Long Does It Take to Build an eCommerce Website?
There isn’t a straightforward formula to answer that question. It depends on a wide array of factors, including your business goals and design requirements.
As you can see, the eCommerce website development process may take up to twelve months to complete, which is reasonable when you consider that the website is essentially a digital extension of your brand.
Using an eCommerce website builder with drag-and-drop editors, themes, templates, and plugins can stave off a significant amount of time. It eliminates the need to write lengthy code snippets for each web page.
With the right eCommerce platform, your website could be ready in less than a month or two. But make sure you spend adequate time outlining your plan and testing the website before launching it.
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