Hey guys.. out of curiosity how long does it take you to make a website from start to finish?

 

Lets say its strictly a information page, fairly basic layout with 5 pages and a contact form how long would a website a long those lines take you?

Tough question.

 

Info-sites generally are much quicker to make (as you alluded to), but it depends how enhanced the interface is. If it's just a basic template with little attention to detail and not much to look at design-wise, then a couple of days working 8/9 hours to perfect it, check for bugs, make it browser cross-compatible and so forth. If the design is more advanced and been made to impress then a week, I would say.

 

Creating the design itself would be the biggest time consumer, writing up the content and creating a bog-standard contact form would take a matter of hours (assuming, as you say, it's strictly for information purposes).

Quick and broad answer: if it's client work, by/before the deadline, if it's personal work/side project - ages.

 

Of course it depends on the site really. A rough estimate would probably be a week. That includes the majority of what was mentioned about; testing, etc. If the client provides a style guide and content, then perhaps shave a day off or two, but testing takes up quite a bit of time in general. For sites that require content written, that can take up as much time as the design work - especially if it is an area you're not familiar with (research and all). That time mostly comes from editing rather than plucking words from out of the air.

 

I've been working on a handful of 3-5 page projects since January. Then again, they don't take priority over work but designing for yourself is one of the tallest hurdles.

 

How long does it take you, Herr Roberts?

That would be dependent on the design. Even then, a couple of days. I always go back to my work fresh and check it thoroughly. Even at a code level, occasionally I'll refactor it slightly if there's a better method of doing things or, if I haven't quite thought something through properly.

Oo okay great responses... I know its a pretty tough question as there are so many factors that determine the time spent etc etc. Was wanting to see what the 'optimum time' as it were in fact was when making a basic website as I am currently making websites for myself(for a portfolio) and it is roughly taking say a week and a half each website... so got some more work to do before im there yet aha however I must give credit to the guys on the forum the time it takes me has shortened loads through getting help so thanks guys aha every time I learn a new way to 'efficiently' code it definately helps

Edited September 16, 201313 yr by connorroberts

Glad the forum is helping you along in getting things done. Try not to compare yourself to others so much. We all have different workflows - some more efficient than others. I can spend an age on typography, but clients neither realise or care. If you're producing sites each week/week and a half, that's great. Depending on your client, some like to see a reasonable size portfolio, others variety. Either way, sounds good. It was nice to hear what others have said too.

Id say it depends on how good the site is going to be designed and coded. A really good design should take 2/3 days at least, especially taking into account ux. Coding should probably take 4/5 days solid to make sure the code is clean and even the very basic seo meta tags and alt tags are included and all bugs and browser compatibility is all ok. This is a good approach especially if your getting paid by the hour so a week and a half is probably minimum in my opinion. Although as stated above if this is a personal project most web guys will tell you it takes a lot longer lol.

Edited September 16, 201313 yr by 4li4s

@ 4li4s Ah yeah of course if I compared too much I would be slightly worried that Im crap at web design compared to some of the wizzes on here lol . Its interesting to see opinions from everyone and a pattern seems to be around a week and up to ensure its been tested properly etc. Must say thanks to you as well mate as im pretty sure every query/problem I have had you have managed to help me with which has been awesome

 

Yeah at the minute im literally just making up sites to test myself then putting into a portfolio... now that could be why I do take a long time aha and the fact that the way I work is no-where near as efficient as it could be which is something I will try work on in times to come aha

Same here - there is a lot excellent stuff being posted in the 'What are you working on' thread. If I looked at that all the time, I'd most likely give up doing web stuff to some extent. The mere talk of some of the code posted here makes me wince From the replies you've had, I think it's fair to say that all of us do this full time. There are a handful of people on here that juggle their web ventures on top of other commitments and still blow a lot of us out the water.

 

 

Must say thanks to you as well mate as im pretty sure every query/problem I have had you have managed to help me with which has been awesome

 

You're very welcome! Glad to help. Again, same here - this little community we've got on here are very encouraging. It's a nice support network from your peers. The amount of times I've been helped out by others too is countless - really really helpful peeps on here and what goes around...

 

When building your portfolio, try churn out a variety of things to showcase your skills. Others may disagree, but don't worry about testing anything, just get a batch of stuff i.e. showcase your design skills, your understanding of current trends, simplicity, complexity, etc.. When you've got half a dozen or so, then go back and start to edit. That will be the time factor. Test thoroughly and get it live. If you spend too much time on one amazing site, your portfolio may suffer.

 

Apologies if I'm teaching you to such eggs, but I just fall into the trap all the time and it's a big time waster. Also, get a portfolio site for the clients you want and what you think your clients want. If you want to do small and simple sites, putting your time into Magento may not be necessary at first.

 

Anyways, that's enough for the lecture. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing your portfolio in due course

It is crazy indeed... As I do a computing degree I don't soley do web design as its quite a generic course (didn't know what I wanted to do before I studied web design) I decided to teach myself using codeacademy, youtube the lot and mostly these forums... just through looking at peoples code/getting help etc I have managed to learn sooo much about different ways to code and everything else.

 

 

At the minute im just making myself a portfolio basically for next year as im wanting to do a year in industry so starting early in the hope that I can get a bigger web portfolio than everyone else aha

 

The only annoying thing with web design is there are soooo many different aspects/types of websites/ways to code etc and I want to learn them straight away (im fairly impatient lol) hence why I wanted to try magento.. basically wanted to get a 'basic' understanding on how to use it etc just so that in the case of family/etc wanting an e-commerce site I could say 'yeah I have a bit of experience with it' instead of 'I haven't got a clue ' lol....

 

But yeah again, thanks for all the help Can I ask... what are you a developer or designer? Or are you a freelance? aha

 

Also, what do you think of my portfolio so far? I need to change a lot in terms of the websites I have made but not entirely sure what to do with them... maybe I will have to open up another thread for that aha

I think being as proactive as possible is a good thing and keeping up to date with things. A year in the industry will be invaluable - good or bad, but worth the experience.

 

I'm not so impatient as how you describe it, but I do get frustrated in trying to learn so many skills while keeping up to date with others. If I was to put a label on things, then I'm a designer - far from a developer but I wouldn't prefix that with 'web designer'. Web design is just one of the things I do but thoroughly enjoy. Yes, I am freelance. For my sins

 

There are a few things I'd change on your site, bearing in mind that this is my preference, etc... so take with a pinch of salt. I'm not a fan of the font - just don't like the x-height on it. Your line spacing looks nice and all but watch out for lining things up such as your bullet points. Without straying too far off this thread (it would be better to start a new thread under website reviews) I really think you need to address your copy.

 

Who are you targeting with this website - is it a project, or do you want freelance work? If it's the latter, you need to 'withhold' some of the information you share as it would come across that you are a little inexperienced. I'm sure that's not the case - we're all learning but I'll try to give a comparison. If you wanted to have some cosmetic surgery and the write up on your surgeon said 'I've operated on loads of cadavers and I'm always learning' people would be put off. Same with web design. You get hired for your experience and ability. I'm of the honesty school and would advise against lying about anything you can't do, but there's nothing wrong with not mentioning things. Perhaps drop lines about designing for yourself and friends - let the work speak for itself.

 

My replies are either doubling or tripling these days! It might be worth starting a new thread for reviews. Alternatively drop me a PM if you need any pointers. I can't guarantee anything, but if I have the time to reply and you want a more detailed review and advice, I'll see what I can do

The time you spend on something isn't necessarily related to wether you know how to build it either. The most productive teams usually have a really good workflow, time management and tools (not only on the computer, but mentally) that they use to get stuff done. It takes a while to find the right rhythm when your balancing learning and speed, but you will get there. There's never a time where your not going to have to dive into something new, so it's worth looking at some of the processes top designers and developers use to 'get stuff done'.

 

For example, a developer at work showed me the Pomodoro Technique, which has improved my productivity massively. I have a Google Chrome extension that blocks all distracting websites for 25mins and allows me on for 5 mins after that (then it starts again). Every hour I take a slightly extended break and make a coffee or go for a fag. It's helped me stay focused on huge projects and tight deadlines, when it sometimes feels like your brain is going to collapse.

 

Basically, knowing how to code fast won't help you massively, unless you know how to use your time effectively. Some agencies have dedicated project managers that help keep people on task and focused so that they can hit deadlines.

@ 4li4s - Yeah most definately hopefully if I can get a placement I reckon I will learn the same if not more than I have about design/development than the 3 years at university as I will know the pressure/detail needed to be successful so fingers crossed aha . And yeah I would say im very much a 'I want to learn everything now' kinda person... which is a bad and good trait at the same time I guess I just have to take it slowly ;( haha...... Aw really I was well chuffed with the font lol I thought it looked good as was previously using lobster but seems that everyone has that.

 

Im gunna leave it at that before we do go too off topic lol ... going to make a new thread may aswell get some good feedback on what I can improve ... Ahh awesome.. your gunna regret saying that lol... I have too many questions surrounding web design lol, cheers man

 

 

 

 

@Jack Yeah definately I do agree with what you mean... thats definately something that will play a vital role in building a site guess thats something you learn and adapt to through experience. Ah thanks man I will take a look at that... its too easy to end up on facebook when coding and before you know it you've lost the motivation ha :<. Thanks for the reply... has been very interesting and helpful at the same time!!