How much of your time a website redesign needs

Key takeaways

A small business owner typically spends 15 to 30 hours over a redesign: workshops, content, photography, reviews and testing. Content takes the most time. Named deadlines for your own tasks keep the project on schedule; most redesign delays come from the client side, not the supplier.

• 15 to 30 hours is typical for an owner on an SME redesign.
• Content writing and approval take the largest share.
• Most delays come from waiting for content and sign-off.
• One decision-maker saves more time than any tool.

How much time does a website redesign take from you?

For a typical UK small business redesign, the owner or lead contact spends around 15 to 30 hours across two to four months. That covers the kick-off, providing content and photos, reviewing designs and pages, and testing before launch. More if you write all the content yourself.

• Signs your business needs a new website
• How long it takes to build a business website

Where do the hours go?

These are typical ranges from our delivery work on small business sites.

• Kick-off and goal setting: 2 to 3 hours.
• Content: writing or reviewing, 6 to 15 hours.
• Photos, case studies and proof gathering: 2 to 5 hours.
• Design and page reviews: 3 to 5 hours.
• Testing and launch checks: 2 to 3 hours.

Why does content take so long?

Because it needs decisions: what you offer, for whom, at what price, with what proof. Writing reveals those questions, and answering them takes time. Owners who outsource copywriting still need to supply knowledge and approve drafts, typically 4 to 8 hours.

• Website copywriting for small businesses

How do you reduce your time without slowing the project?

Prepare before it starts and decide quickly during it.

• Answer the planning questions before kick-off.
• Gather photos, reviews and case studies in advance.
• Name one decision-maker with authority to approve.
• Block review time in the diary at agreed dates.
• Give consolidated feedback, not a stream of emails.

• Questions to answer before a website redesign

What happens when the client side is late?

The launch slips, sometimes into peak season, and the supplier's team moves to other work, adding further delay. Agree dates for your own deliverables in the project plan, just as you would expect the supplier to meet theirs.

• When is the best time to redesign a website?

When should you not start a redesign?

When nobody can give it the time over the next three months. A redesign started in a busy period drifts, costs more and launches with weaker content. It is better to wait for a quieter window or phase the work.

• Redesign your website in phases, not all at once

Which tasks can be delegated?

Gathering photos, reviews and case study details, testing forms and pages, and coordinating feedback can all be delegated to a capable team member. Setting goals, approving the message and signing off pricing guidance usually cannot, because they are business decisions.

Delegating the practical tasks can halve the owner's time. The key is a single coordinator who collects feedback from everyone and sends it to the supplier in one consolidated message, so the owner reviews a short list of decisions rather than every detail.

• Delegate: photos, reviews, case study details.
• Delegate: testing and feedback coordination.
• Keep: goals, message and pricing decisions.
• Use one coordinator for all feedback.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern in UK professional services: design is finished in six weeks, then the project waits three months for partners to approve service page copy. Naming one partner as approver with a two-week deadline per batch would have launched the site a quarter earlier.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Owner time checklist

Set these up before kick-off.

• Block 15 to 30 hours across the project in the diary.
• Name one decision-maker.
• Decide who writes content.
• Gather photos and proof in advance.
• Agree deadlines for your own deliverables.
• Consolidate feedback into single rounds.

Next step

If you are worried about the time a redesign will take, we will plan your part of it with you in 30 minutes.