From paying to previewing is usually the same day. From paying to being live on your own domain is usually two to three days, and most of that is waiting on you rather than on us.
The realistic timeline
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Filling in your brief | 20 minutes of your time |
| Pages designed and written | A few hours |
| Human review of every page | Same day, usually within a few hours |
| You preview and respond | However long you take |
| Revisions, if you want any | Same day for small changes |
| Going live on your domain | Under an hour once you approve |
| DNS finishing everywhere | Up to 48 hours (see below) |
Why “a few hours” and not “instantly”
Two reasons.
Every page is designed individually rather than dropped into a template, which takes real processing time. And every page is then read by a person before you see it. That review is the part that catches the odd sentence or the layout that has not quite worked, and it is not something we are willing to skip to shave an hour off.
What usually causes delays
Waiting for you. By far the most common. Your site sits ready to preview until you look at it.
A thin brief. If you have told us very little about your business, the first draft has less to work with and is more likely to need a revision round.
Domain transfers. If you are moving a domain from another registrar, that process has its own timescales set by the registrar you are leaving — usually five days, and outside our control. See using a domain you already own.
DNS propagation. After we point your domain at your new site, it can take up to 48 hours for that change to be visible everywhere in the world. Usually it is minutes. See my domain isn’t working yet.
Can it be rushed?
The design and review stages, not really — the review is the quality control and rushing it defeats the point.
But if you have a hard deadline, tell us when you sign up. We will tell you honestly whether it is achievable and, if it is not, what the realistic date looks like.