How much time before launching a site?

monk-i · 20-02-07

I thought I would start off a poll as I thought the outcome of this one would be interesting (I could be wrong).

How long do you actually spend on a website on average before you launch it?

I am expecting a varying degree and I know yes some projects take a long time to develop but I expect to see varying degrees of styles not necessarily of skill but more of business practices/models influencing it.

What do you all think? Do you agree with?

It would be great to talk about what the influencing factors are.

csn · 20-02-07

They used to take me weeks.

Now I have become proficient at coding and design work, they usually take me a couple of days.

Some of my favourite sites took less than a day to build.

My tip is once you have got something that works (be it design, layout, etc.) reuse it. Build up your own bank of coding and design work. It saves a lot of time later if you know you have already built a login interface, for example.

I am of the belief that sites are launched first then tested later. All sites go through teething problems. Some minor, some major. But you have to offset a site with problems with potential revenue lost.

I only launch a site that I am happy with. If it kept producing script errors, I wouldn't launch it. If the code validates, I launch it.

Not sure if this is what you were after but hope it helps!

monk-i · 20-02-07

Yeah my main background was as a developer/web designer/graphic designer but I have found my logic changing and I think its because of affiliate marketing.

I tend now to look at things in terms of right lets just get anything up as quickly and possible and build from there rather than lets get the biggest bang from the off with the site being absolutely spot on.

Obviously sometimes time is forced upon you because a particular unique site needs certain elements developed and that resource cannot be avoided but even then its right lets get it up straight away and iron out along the way and build the site up.

Its now seen as a good thing for those visiting to see a site constantly growing so it helps in this sense as well.

It would be great to see if others have found the same sort of thing happen.

Often sometimes the most complicated sites aren't the best sites niether and that they don't always make you money when one page could suffice.

What does everyone else think.

Great input CSN. You are right in that once you have a site with elements you can always reuse the common ones. It streamlines your process.

It would be great to see if others have seen this happen to them naturally.

kungfumobiles · 20-02-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by csn

My tip is once you have got something that works (be it design, layout, etc.) reuse it. Build up your own bank of coding and design work. It saves a lot of time later if you know you have already built a login interface, for example.

Thats basically what I've done with AffiliStore. Now takes 10-20 mins to create a new website. Once I've set up a load I can then see which one is bringing in the commissions and then maybe develop the skin design and brand it a bit better. The thing that takes the most time now is thinking of a decent domain name and choosing which product feeds to use.

csn · 20-02-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by kungfumobiles

The thing that takes the most time now is thinking of a decent domain name and choosing which product feeds to use.

For me it is waiting for the web hosting to go live. 24 hours is a long time

monk-i · 20-02-07

So perhaps some are even turning their new projects live in 24 hours

I have to say ive totally changed. Gone away from all the rules I was taught and created my own.

I have naturally adapted and come up with a whole new way of attacking it all.

HarveyC · 20-02-07

Depends on the size of the project. One took me 1-2 months, although they now often take 1-2 weeks or less than that. As csn says, it's easier as you go along, especially if you're working with similar scripts.

Yourslice · 20-02-07

If I and just doing a 4 page site 1 day.

If I am building a proper site then 3-6 months by the time I have looked at the marketing, SEO and sit site architecture.

t4tom4 · 20-02-07

Yeh - I'd say to code a site from scratch it'd take me a solid week of coding.
But of course, varies in the size of the project

monk-i · 21-02-07

Looking at the results so far alot of people turn around their websites pretty quickly.

One of my big faults is I like graphics and often try to make them perfect. Thats part of my enjoyment thing though but I do think I now try to just get anything up as soon as possible and develop it on the go now more than trying to have everything perfect from the start.

Its good to hear all views.

Marketing is like a whole other thing for a site as well and an element which has to be thought out very early in the design process for landing pages etc. How you are going to draw a client in etc.