Along the way, I have learned that I can be very productive if I work 3 to 4 hours a day.
The rest of my workday consists of reading web design blogs, where I find useful resources which help me build better websites for my clients.
How long does it take me to develop a WordPress website?
I specialize in creating custom WordPress themes from scratch. This means that I do not customize generic templates. I like to avoid the excess of unused features and the spaghetti code at the back-end of generic templates.
Simple WordPress website – Accel Spine
Let’s take as an example Accel Spine. The design was provided by a client. I had to develop it into a WordPress website, using a slideshow and a simple news section.
It took me 8 hours to build the HTML/CSS/jQuery front-end. It was another 13 hours to integrate everything in WordPress, polish WordPress back-end and to add the content. A total of 21 hours. Since this was not a rushed project, the entire process took almost 4 weeks, working an average of 2-3 hours a day.
Advanced WordPress website – Etto Design lab
Etto Design Lab was a challenging project, as I had to implement certain features I had no previous experience with. The design was very specific and I had to find a way to implement different types of slideshows, animation effects and a way to display different colors for the product categories.
It took me 20 hours to build some of the front-end, and 70 hours for the Lemonstand integration and customization- which makes 90 hours! I have to admit that I took my time. I wanted to create a process which I could use for future projects, and everything needed to be perfect. The development took roughly 8 weeks, while working 4-5 hour days.
How long does it take me to develop an eCommerce website?
Lemonstand eCommerce website – Madysons Marshmallows
Madysons Marshmallows was the third Lemonstand website I built, so I can say that I was familiar with the process. However, it used many new features which required some more of my research. This is an example of a large website, as it is made of slideshows, photo galleries, blog, newsletter integration to the standard eCommerce functionality with user profiles, and product reviews.
It took me 20 hours to build the some of the front-end and 70 hours for the Lemonstand integration and customization which makes 90 hours! I have to admit that I took my time as I wanted to put together a process that I could use in further projects and everything needed to be perfect. The development took roughly eight weeks while I worked mostly four-five hours a day.
Conclusion
I’ve realized that I can be very accurate at estimating the time I will spend on smaller projects, especially if there are no challenges. However, there is a lot more guessing involved in estimating for larger projects.
I go the extra mile on most of my projects because there is nothing that brings me more satisfaction than seeing a polished website helping the businesses of my clients.
