Having a website built in Austria: the process in 7 steps

Short answer: having a website built (“website erstellen lassen”) follows seven steps: a first call, a fixed quote, strategy and structure, content, design, development and finally launch with ongoing care. At 404media a typical company website takes 8 to 12 weeks from the call to going live. Your part is mostly decisions, content and feedback, not technical work.

Most owners have never commissioned a website before, so the process feels like a black box. That is where bad surprises come from: a quote that grows, a launch that keeps slipping, a site nobody can edit. Knowing the steps lets you ask the right questions and prepare the right things.

This guide walks through the steps as we run them in Vienna, says what you contribute in each and points out where projects typically stall. For prices see website cost in Austria; for timing see how long a website takes.

The 7 steps at a glance

Step 1: the first call

A good call is about your business, not about technology. What do you sell, who buys it, where do enquiries come from today, what should the website change? A good agency also asks what you do not want, because that saves a round of design later.

Prepare three things: your goal in one sentence (for example “more qualified enquiries for X”), two or three websites you like and dislike, and a rough budget range. Our free strategy call takes 30 minutes and is non-binding.

Step 2: quote and scope

After the call you should receive a written offer with a fixed price, a defined scope (page types, languages, functions, rounds of feedback) and a timeline. Open hourly estimates without a cap are where budgets break. Check who writes the texts, who delivers images and what running costs follow.

Step 3: strategy and structure

Before any design, the team decides which pages the site needs and what each of them has to achieve. That includes the search terms customers use, the path from first visit to enquiry and the sitemap. If you replace an existing site, this is also when the redirect plan starts, see relaunch without losing SEO.

• Sitemap: which pages exist, in which order, and why.
• Search terms: one main topic per page, so pages do not compete with each other.
• Conversion path: where visitors find your phone number, form or booking button.
• Tracking: which numbers you will look at after launch.

Step 4: content, the step that decides your launch date

Texts, photos, team portraits, references, prices, legal details: this is the most common reason for delays, and it sits on your side. Content that is written for the page structure converts better than content pasted in afterwards. If you do not have time to write, say so early; texts can be written for you, which then belongs in the quote.

Step 5: design

Design starts on the phone, because most visitors arrive there, and then scales up. You see the layout of the key pages, give consolidated feedback once, and the team refines. The more feedback comes from one person per round, the faster this goes. Opinions from five people at five different times are the second most common delay.

Step 6: development, CMS and technical SEO

Now the design becomes a working website: fast loading pages, forms, tracking, structured data, a sitemap and your editor so you can change texts and images yourself. We build on Next.js and give you our own editor (app.404media.at) with live preview. Why we choose this stack is explained in WordPress, Webflow or Next.js.

Step 7: launch and care

Before go-live the site is tested on real phones and browsers, the legal pages are checked (imprint, privacy policy, cookie consent), redirects from the old URLs are set up and the site is submitted to Google. After launch someone has to keep an eye on speed, security and updates. You should keep full access to domain, hosting and content, and hosting and care should be cancellable monthly.

Where projects get stuck

• Content arrives late. Set deadlines for texts and photos at the start.
• Too many decision makers. Name one person who collects feedback.
• Scope grows quietly. Every extra function should be written down and priced.
• Legal basics are forgotten. Imprint, privacy policy and cookie consent belong in the plan, see imprint requirements and the GDPR checklist.

Written byChristoph SpeiserProject lead & sales

Meet the team →