How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?
How long does it take to build a website? At Ziwi, three days from kickoff to live, because the build starts from a designed site and follows one conversion checklist. This guide covers what a small business site actually needs, the template and custom build paths, the process, and the add-ons. Done for you: small business website design.
This guide covers what you actually get, the difference between our two build paths, a designed template and a fully custom design, what makes a small business site convert, how the build process works, and the add-ons most clients add on top. For the exact price of every option, see website design pricing. For the marketing that drives traffic to the site once it is live, see small business marketing.
What do you actually get?
Ziwi builds small business websites on WordPress, and you own the site outright: your own login, your own domain, your own hosting account information, from the day it goes live. Every build includes copy written for your business, mobile-first design, and the tracking needed to see where your leads actually come from, tied into your ad accounts if you run paid traffic alongside it.
There are two ways to build: start from one of our designed templates, or build fully custom.
Need it fast? Every build goes live in 3 days as standard, with no rush fee.
Why do we build on WordPress, and why does ownership matter?
We build on WordPress because it is widely supported, easy to hand off to another developer or agency if you ever want to leave, and does not lock your content into a proprietary site builder you cannot take with you. Some website companies keep your login, your domain, or your hosting account under their own control, so leaving them means starting over. Ziwi's builds do not work that way.
Your login, your domain, and your hosting account information are yours from the day the site goes live, whether you stay with us for ongoing support or not.
Template or custom: which is right for you?
The core difference is where the design starts. A template starts from a site we have already designed and refines it around your business, your copy, your photos, your service area.
Custom starts from a blank page and is designed around your business from scratch. Neither path is the "cheap one" in a way that cuts corners; both are built to the same conversion standards below.
| Designed template | Custom design | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,000 | $2,500 |
| Starting point | One of our existing designed sites, made yours | Built from scratch around your business |
| Best for | Businesses that want a proven layout, fast | Businesses with specific brand or layout needs a template cannot fit |
| Ownership | Full ownership | Full ownership |
Website photo guide
Six pages: how to shoot website photos of your business on a phone. Room prep, the habits that make phone photos look professional, the full shot list and a photo release.
Read the guideWhat makes a small business website actually convert?
A website that looks good and a website that brings in customers are not always the same thing.
The things that separate them are consistent across industries:
- Speed. A slow site loses visitors before they see what you offer, especially on mobile, where most local searches happen.
- Mobile-first design. A site designed for mobile first, not adapted from a desktop layout after the fact, converts better.
- A clear, single call to action. A visitor who has to hunt for how to contact you usually leaves instead. Every page should make the next step obvious: call, book, or fill out a form.
- Local trust signals. Your service area, real photos, reviews, and licensing or certification info where relevant, placed where a visitor actually looks for them.
- Tracking from day one. Call tracking and form tracking so you can see which pages and which traffic sources actually produce leads, not just visits.
Want it done for you instead?
Ziwi runs the whole engine: the site, the ads, the follow-up, and the reporting. Published pricing, month-to-month.
How does the build process work?
- 01
Discovery and copy. We learn your business, your service area, and what makes you different, then write the copy.
- 02
Design and build. Your site is designed and built on WordPress with the conversion standards above baked in, on a template or fully custom, your choice.
- 03
Launch and handoff. You get your login and your domain access, and the site goes live. From there, ongoing hosting and maintenance are optional through Ziwi Care or handled on your own.
Which add-ons do most clients add?
Most clients add at least one of these to their build. Full pricing detail and every option: website design pricing.
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Logo design | $350 |
| Google Business Profile setup | $450 |
| Social launch kit | $395 |
Who is this for?
Small business website design at Ziwi works the same way regardless of industry: the site is built to convert, you own it, and the price is flat and published, not quoted after a sales call.
It applies whether you run a dental practice, a personal injury firm, a med spa, or any business that needs customers to find and contact it online.
Three industries have enough website-specific search demand that we built them a dedicated page with closer-to-your-business examples: real estate website design, contractor website design, and roofing website design. If your industry is not one of these three, the same build and the same pricing apply; talk to us about your specific site.
For the marketing that drives traffic once your site is live, from search ads to local SEO, see small business marketing. For website and landing page work outside of a full new build, see websites and landing pages. For the build itself, see small business website design.