How long does a website redesign take? Inside the reLaunch process

How long does a website redesign take? Search for it, and you’ll find answers from 1 day to 16 weeks. Some come from vibe-coding kids, others are written for large companies, not solopreneurs.

So here’s the answer for The reLaunch, my website redesign for solopreneurs who sell their own expertise: The actual redesign takes 3 to 4 weeks—depending on your availability—once we know what pages your website needs and the copy is ready.

Don’t know what pages you need? That’s what you have me for. We figure it out together on the VIP Strategy Day.

No copy yet? Read on: this post covers your routes to professional copy.

The website redesign process at a glance

After the VIP Strategy Day come three phases. For a 5-page website:

That’s a typical relaunch in the Established Stage. What can make it take longer:

• Messaging strategy and client interviews with your copywriter
• Writing your copy yourself, on your own timeline
• Custom illustrations or social media templates from a partner brand designer
• More pages or features, a blog migration, or a second language
• More time for feedback, which we plan for in the contract

Size alone changes a lot. Here’s how 3 typical websites play out, copy included:

Full image description

In all 3, copy starts in week 1. The brand reFresh runs in the last week of copy, then come 1 week of website design and the WordPress build. Small website, 3 pages: copy in weeks 1 and 2, brand reFresh in week 2, website design in week 3, WordPress build in week 4. Medium website, 5 pages and a portfolio: copy in weeks 1 to 3, brand reFresh in week 3, website design in week 4, WordPress build in weeks 5 and 6. Large website, 6 pages, a blog, and a portfolio: copy in weeks 1 to 4, brand reFresh in week 4, website design in week 5, WordPress build in weeks 6 and 7.

Copy varies most, so let’s start there.

Copy phase: 3 ways to get it, and what each means for your timeline

Your copy can come from three places: you already have it, so design and build start right away; you book a partner copywriter through my studio, usually 2 to 4 weeks; or you take care of it yourself, on your own timeline.

Here’s how each route plays out on your calendar:

Option 1: You already have copy

If you’ve worked with a copywriter, your copy and page plan are ready. On the VIP Strategy Day, I review it from a UX designer’s perspective and point out any friction for your visitors. You decide what changes.

It’s the fastest route. The tradeoff: your copy was written before I joined, so some big decisions are already made. When copy runs through my studio, strategy, copy, and design come from one plan.

Option 2: You book copywriting through my studio

reThink the Web works as a studio, and partner copywriters are who I bring in most often. It’s the easiest route for you: I check availability and manage the project, and you get one price for everything. Your copy starts as soon as your copywriter is free, which isn’t always right after VIP Strategy Day.

My partner copywriters work in two ways:

Copy only: written from our strategy and a questionnaire or intake conversation. Usually 2 to 4 weeks, revisions included.

Messaging and copy: the copywriter also interviews your clients for voice-of-customer research and refines your messaging and positioning. It costs more and takes longer, but gets better results.

Option 3: You take care of your copy yourself

You take our plan and handle the copy yourself. Most bring their own copywriter, who uses the plan as their brief. With the Ethics.Coach project, the copywriter was already on board when I joined, and our strategy changed which pages they wrote.

If you have copywriting experience, you can write it yourself. If you don’t, don’t DIY it, and AI can’t put your business into words for you either. No design can make up for copy that doesn’t sell your work.

Once it’s done, we book your design and build phases.

Design phase: from branding to page and section layouts

Design has two parts: your branding, then the layouts for your homepage and key sections. A brand reFresh takes 1 to 2 weeks, alongside your copy. A full rebrand with a partner brand designer takes longer.

Branding: reFresh for most, a rebrand for some

Most of my clients only need a brand reFresh. Their brand is DIY or belongs to an earlier version of their business, and they want it to show how they’ve grown.

As a solopreneur, you are the brand. So a reFresh focuses your existing visual identity on your personality. With my Expert Identity Compass, I map your personality, see where your visuals pull away from it, and change only those details: maybe your fonts, color palette, signature shapes, or logo. Everything that fits stays, so people still recognize you, and your other channels don’t need an update all at once.

Some clients want a bigger step. Especially solopreneurs entering the Authority Stage ask for a brand-new identity, custom illustrations, or social media templates. Then we do a full rebrand with a partner brand designer, which costs more.

Either way, you get a brand style guide for your website and every other channel. Then I design your layouts.

Layouts: a different approach to save time and money

I design first in Figma, not WordPress, because it’s quicker to try on layouts there. You see your brand on real pages, give feedback, and get one revision round before anything is built.

I only design key sections, and only for desktop, instead of every page in three screen sizes, which makes your project faster and more affordable. “Mobile-first” comes from apps, where it’s all about tapping and swiping. On websites, bigger screens are harder to lay out, and on my clients’ B2B sites, only 15 to 20% of visits come from phones and tablets.

The rest, including mobile, happens in WordPress, in the next phase.

Build phase: from WordPress to launch day

The build takes about 2 weeks for a 5- to 8-page website, longer for larger ones. You review it twice, and then we launch together.

Building and optimizing in WordPress

I start with your homepage in WordPress, and you get a revision round. Once you approve it, I build the rest.

I spend as much time testing and optimizing your website as building its pages. Anyone can click a nice layout together and drop in images. Making it work for search engines, screen readers, and mobile phones takes experience. It’s the part you don’t see, and the part that makes your website work.

Then you get a link to your finished website. It’s live, just not on your domain yet and hidden from Google, so you can click through every page on your laptop and phone. The technical testing is done. You bring a fresh pair of eyes for things like a button without a link. Any changes go into the final revision round.

Launch day

We meet for about 30 minutes. I hand the website over, you sign the hosting contract in your own name, and we connect your new site to your domain.

If you’re new to WordPress, I walk you through the basics live. Everything you won’t need on day one, like adding a case study, comes as recorded videos. For the first week after launch, I’m there for support.

That’s the whole process. Which leaves your calendar.

How much of your time does The reLaunch need?

It depends on you. For calls and feedback, plan at least 8 hours, with 1 hour per feedback round. Preparing your materials comes on top.

• Materials: links to a few competitors or websites you like, and a short intake questionnaire. A brief or mood board is optional, and a photo shoot if you need new images.
• Calls: two on the VIP Strategy Day, an intake call with your copywriter if you book one, and 1 hour on launch day for the launch and training.
• Feedback: after each phase, I send a walkthrough video, and you reply with your feedback. Same with a copywriter.

Everything except the calls happens on your own time, between client work. Just block some time in your calendar for feedback.

Questions about the website redesign process

What you get to skip with The reLaunch

In a typical reLaunch, your new website is live in about 4 weeks, and your part takes at least 8 hours of calls and feedback. That’s a fraction of the time you’d spend building it yourself, or finding and coordinating several professionals.

What makes that possible:

• Professional project management: I bring in the right partners, plan around everyone’s availability, and keep the project moving.
• Feedback without meetings: after each phase, you watch a walkthrough video and reply when it suits you.
• A website you can run yourself: live training and recorded videos, so you don’t need me for every change.

Still have questions about The reLaunch? Book a free 30-minute Clarity Call. We go through them and see whether it’s a fit.

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