Contents
Key Takeaways
- A redesign usually costs about the same as a new build of the same size, plus the work of moving what already works: content, redirects and tracking.
- Page count, copywriting, integrations and online selling drive the price more than the design itself.
- The biggest hidden cost is lost rankings when old addresses are not redirected to their new pages.
- Crawl the old site before you start, map every URL that earns traffic or links, and test the redirects before launch.
- Ask for a fixed price, a launch date and a written list of what moves over, so quotes compare like for like.
A website redesign costs roughly what a new site of the same size costs, plus the work of carrying over what already works. For most small and mid-sized businesses that means a one-off project in the low thousands of dollars for a professionally designed site, more for large or custom builds. Our own prices are $3,500 for up to 5 pages and $6,500 for up to 12 pages, live in 14 days. The part most quotes leave out is the cost of losing rankings if old addresses are not redirected.
What You Pay For
- Design and build. The new layout, pages and templates.
- Copy. Rewriting pages so they convert and answer what buyers ask. Often the biggest difference between quotes.
- Integrations. Booking, a CRM, payments, forms and analytics.
- Content migration. Moving pages, posts, images and downloads from the old site.
- Redirects and SEO. Mapping old addresses to new ones and keeping titles, headings and structured data.
- Online selling. A store adds products, checkout and payment setup.
For what new sites cost by type of build, see our guide to website costs.
The Cost Nobody Quotes: Lost Rankings
When a page's address changes, search engines treat the new address as a new page unless the old one redirects to it permanently. Skip that step and pages that brought in customers can drop out of search overnight.
A Redesign Checklist That Protects Your Rankings
- Crawl the old site. Export every address, title and status before anything changes. Our free sitemap generator crawls up to 150 pages and lists them.
- Find what earns. In Search Console and your analytics, list the pages with traffic, leads and links.
- Map old to new. Give every old address a permanent redirect to its closest new page, never all to the homepage.
- Keep what ranks. Carry over the content, headings and structured data that earned the rankings, then improve them.
- Test before launch. Check each redirect answers in one hop.
- Launch, then watch. Submit the new sitemap, and watch Search Console for errors and your leads for a dip in the first weeks.
Signs It Is Time to Redesign
A dated look alone is a weak reason. These are stronger ones:
- Visitors leave without acting. Traffic holds up but calls and forms do not come in.
- The site is slow on phones. Most local searches happen on mobile, and slow pages lose people before they load.
- Nobody can edit it. Every change needs a developer, so the site stops keeping up with the business.
- It cannot do what you need. No booking, no CRM connection, no way to sell online.
- Your services have changed. The pages describe the business you were, not the one you are.
If none of these apply, a few targeted fixes may do more than a full redesign.
What to Prepare Before You Ask for Quotes
A clear brief gets you comparable quotes and a faster project:
- Your goals in numbers. More calls, more bookings, more online orders, and what those are worth.
- The pages you keep, cut and add. Start from the crawl of your current site.
- Who writes the copy. You, the agency, or both.
- Every system the site must connect to. Booking, CRM, payments, email and analytics.
- Examples you like, and why. A few sites, with what works about each.
Redesign or Rebuild?
If the platform is fine and only the look is dated, a redesign on the same platform costs less. If the site is slow, hard to edit or cannot do what you need, rebuilding on a better platform costs a little more and pays off sooner. Our comparisons of WordPress vs Webflow and Next.js vs WordPress for SEO cover the trade-offs.
How to Compare Quotes
Ask every agency for a fixed price, a launch date, and a written list of what is included: number of pages, who writes the copy, integrations, redirects, tracking, and support after launch. Then you are comparing the same job, not the same headline number.
Every tier of our web design service includes the copy, tracking, an SEO foundation and 30 days of fixes after launch, and the domain, site, content and accounts are yours from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to redesign a small business website?
For a professionally designed small business site it is usually a one-off project in the low thousands of dollars. Our own prices are $3,500 for up to 5 pages and $6,500 for up to 12 pages with booking or a CRM and a blog, live in 14 days.
Will a redesign hurt my SEO?
It can if addresses change without redirects, if content that ranked is cut, or if the new site is slower. Handled well, a redesign keeps rankings and often improves them.
Should I redesign or rebuild?
If the platform works and only the look is dated, a redesign on the same platform is cheaper. If the site is slow, hard to edit or cannot do what you need, a rebuild costs a little more and pays off sooner.
How long does a website redesign take?
A small site can be live in a few weeks once content is ready; our Launch and Growth sites go live in 14 days. Waiting on content and feedback is the usual cause of delay.