Website Development Timeline Template (12 Weeks)

Which version fits your website

Find your site type below, then use its week plan. The gates stay the same in every version. Only the time between them changes.

All four versions add 2 weeks of support after launch.

• Brochure site, around 5 pages: about 7 weeks to launch. Kickoff in week 1, structure and wireframes in week 2, design in week 3, content lock and build in weeks 4 to 5, testing and acceptance in week 6, launch in week 7.
• Standard business site, 10 to 25 pages: about 12 weeks to launch. This is the main template below.
• Online store: about 13 weeks to launch. The extra time goes to product data, payments, shipping and test orders.
• Real estate website: about 13 weeks to launch. The extra time goes to the listing feed, search filters and lead routing.

The six client gates

A gate is a date when a named person on the client side approves one piece of work in writing. Until that happens, the next phase does not start.

Most website projects slip because an approval comes in late, not because the build is slow. Gates put those approvals on the calendar, where everyone can see them. Here is the pass condition for each one.

• Gate 1, kickoff and access (end of week 1): one decision maker is named, and the web team has working logins for the domain registrar, hosting and analytics.
• Gate 2, structure (end of week 3): the sitemap and wireframes are approved, and the client has the content checklist.
• Gate 3, design (end of week 5): the final designs are approved for desktop and mobile, with no open comments.
• Gate 4, content lock (end of week 6): final copy, images, logos and legal pages have arrived for every page on the checklist.
• Gate 5, staging acceptance (end of week 11): the client has reviewed the staging site, sent one list of fixes, and approved the site in writing after those fixes.
• Gate 6, handover (end of support, week 14): the client's editors have been trained, the logins are handed over, and the support period has been closed in writing.

Wording to copy for each gate

Paste these lines into the email that goes out before each gate. The brackets show where your own dates and addresses go.

Put the same dates on the timeline itself, not only in emails. People forget dates in emails. Dates on a shared plan become commitments.

• Gate 1: "To start on schedule, we need two things by [day]: the name of the one person who approves each phase, and working logins for the domain, hosting and analytics. The timeline starts the day both are in."
• Gate 2: "Attached are the sitemap and wireframes. Please reply with your approval or one consolidated list of changes by [day]. After approval, adding a new page or template is a change request with its own dates."
• Gate 3: "This is the second and final design round. Please approve by [day]. The build starts from these designs, so any changes after this point will move the launch date."
• Gate 4: "All content is due by [day]. Final copy only, not notes or drafts. If a page is still missing on that day, launch moves by the number of days it is late."
• Gate 5: "The staging site is ready for review at [address]. Please send one consolidated list of fixes by [day]. Once those are done, we need a written 'approved for launch' to schedule go-live."
• Gate 6: "Support ends on [day]. By then you will have the handover note with all logins, plugins and contacts. Please confirm that you received it, and we will close the project."

Week by week website project timeline template

This is the 12-week standard version. Each line shows what the web team does and what the client owes. You can copy it into a spreadsheet, a slide or any planning tool.

Content is due in week 6 because the build needs real text from week 7 onwards. If you build with filler text and swap it later, the layouts often break and you pay for a second round of fixes.

• Week 1: kickoff and access. Client owes logins and a named decision maker. Gate 1.
• Week 2: sitemap and first wireframes. Client sends feedback within the review window.
• Week 3: final wireframes and the content checklist. Gate 2.
• Week 4: homepage design. Client sends one round of feedback.
• Week 5: inner page designs and final revisions. Gate 3.
• Week 6: build starts on staging. Client delivers all content. Gate 4.
• Week 7: build continues. First staging review with the client.
• Week 8: build continues. Forms, analytics and third-party tools get connected.
• Week 9: build complete. Second staging review.
• Week 10: internal testing on the main browsers and on phones.
• Week 11: client acceptance testing and fixes. Gate 5.
• Week 12: launch early in the week. Live checks, SSL, forms, and the sitemap submitted in Google Search Console.
• Weeks 13 to 14: support, bug fixes and editor training. Gate 6.

Online store timeline, week by week

A store goes through the same gates as the standard site. The difference is product data and checkout, which need their own time.

Product data is the thing that slips most often on a store. Asking for a sample batch in week 4 shows format problems while there is still time to fix them.

• Week 1: kickoff and access. Client also gives access to the payment provider account and names the person who owns shipping and tax settings. Gate 1.
• Weeks 2 to 3: category structure, product page and cart wireframes, checkout flow. Client receives a product data spreadsheet to fill in. Gate 2.
• Weeks 4 to 5: design of the homepage, category, product, cart and checkout pages. Client sends a first batch of products so the team can test the data format. Gate 3.
• Week 6: content lock, with the full product data and all product photos. Gate 4.
• Weeks 7 to 10: theme build, product import in batches, payments in test mode, shipping and tax rules, order emails.
• Week 11: internal test orders for each payment method, discount codes, refunds and order emails.
• Week 12: client places test orders and sends one list of fixes. Gate 5.
• Week 13: launch. Turn payments live, place one real order and refund it.
• Weeks 14 to 15: support. Gate 6.

Real estate website timeline, week by week

On a real estate site, the listings are the hard part. If listings come from an outside feed, getting access depends on the feed provider, not on you. Request it on day one.

Add one rule for this version: if the feed is not available by Gate 3, build the listing templates with manually entered listings and set a new date for the feed. Do not stop the whole project to wait for it.

• Week 1: kickoff and access. Client starts the feed access request with their provider. Gate 1.
• Weeks 2 to 3: wireframes for the listing page, search results with filters, agent profiles and area pages. Gate 2.
• Weeks 4 to 5: design of the same templates for desktop and mobile. Feed access should be confirmed by now. Gate 3.
• Week 6: content lock, with agent bios, headshots, area descriptions and the legal pages. Gate 4.
• Weeks 7 to 10: build. The feed is connected on staging in week 7, then search filters, contact forms routed to the right agent, and saved search or alert features if they are in scope.
• Week 11: testing. New listings appear, price changes update, sold listings drop off, and every form reaches the right inbox.
• Week 12: client acceptance and fixes. Gate 5.
• Week 13: launch.
• Weeks 14 to 15: support. Gate 6.

The slip rule and review windows

Every gate needs a fixed review window, written as a number of business days next to the review on the timeline. Then agree on the slip rule at kickoff, while nobody is late and the rule still sounds fair. Wording to copy: "Each review has [number] business days. If feedback or content arrives late, launch moves by the same number of business days. We won't shorten testing to make up the time."

The last sentence matters. When a team squeezes testing to save a launch date, the bugs reach real visitors. Add a short buffer before launch, and label it as a buffer on the timeline so nobody treats it as free time for new requests.

Common reasons a gate comes in late:

• The content arrives as rough notes instead of final copy.
• Several people on the client side send feedback that contradicts each other.
• Nobody can find the login for the domain or hosting.
• Someone asks for a new page after Gate 3.
• The legal team reviews the copy at the end instead of before Gate 4.

The one-slide version for a client or leadership

A director or a client needs one view they can read in thirty seconds. Keep the phases with their date ranges, the six gate dates, the launch date and the end of support. Show the client's dates in a different color from the web team's dates, so it's clear that launch depends on both sides. Add the slip rule as one line at the bottom.

When you present it, go through the gate dates and skip the tasks. Decision makers need to know when they must be available. Update the slide every week. If a date moves, show the old date crossed out next to the new one.