The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, budget 3 to 5 weeks for a simple brochure site, 6 to 10 weeks for a premium one and 4 to 7 months for an institutional site. Development is rarely the bottleneck: it is content and mockup validation on the client side that stretches timelines. Lock the decision milestones into the plan at kickoff, and you hold the launch date.
Typical timeline by format
The durations below are 2026 orders of magnitude for an uninterrupted project with an available decision-maker on the client side.
| Format | Total duration | Pages | Indicative person-days |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-page brochure | 3-4 weeks | 1 | 8-12 |
| Simple brochure | 3-5 weeks | 5-7 | 12-18 |
| Premium brochure | 6-10 weeks | 8-15 | 20-35 |
| Institutional standard | 4-6 months | 15-30 | 40-70 |
| Institutional group | 6-7 months | 30+ | 80-150 |
Breakdown by phase
On a given project, the duration splits across five phases. Pure dev often weighs only 30 to 40% of the calendar; content and QA weigh just as much.
| Phase | Share of calendar | Who blocks most |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping / sitemap | 10-15% | client |
| Design / mockups | 20-25% | client validation |
| Development | 30-40% | agency |
| Content / integration | 15-20% | client |
| QA / go-live | 10-15% | shared |
Mini case study
Sophie, director of a consulting firm in Bordeaux, wants to launch her premium brochure site (10 pages) for a trade show in 8 weeks. The agency plan holds: 1 week scoping, 2 design, 3 dev, 1 content, 1 QA. But Sophie takes 10 days to approve the mockups instead of 3, pushing launch back 7 days. By pre-booking two validation slots in her calendar and providing her copy at scoping, she would have saved a week and hit the trade-show date.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Why is my project taking longer than planned?
In 8 cases out of 10, it is content (copy, photos, approvals) that drags. Reserve your validation slots at kickoff and prepare content in parallel with design.
Can we go faster in an emergency?
Yes, a simple brochure site can ship in 2 weeks in sprint mode with content ready. The surcharge is around +20 to +30% to dedicate a team.
Does page count change the timeline much?
Moderately beyond a base: going from 5 to 8 pages adds a few days, but features (multilingual, client area, connectors) weigh far more.
When should content be prepared?
From the scoping phase, in parallel with design. Content ready when dev ends can save one to two weeks on the overall calendar.
Does SEO lengthen the project?
Technical SEO is built in during dev at no time cost. The SEO content strategy continues after go-live over several months.
Let's scope your project. Give us your target format, page count and hard launch date: we will build a realistic reverse timeline with validation milestones. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
