Refresh vs full redesign
A refresh keeps your structure and updates the look, fonts, and colors. It is faster and cheaper, and it is the right call when the site works but looks dated. A full redesign rebuilds the structure, content, and often the platform, and it is the right call when the site is slow, hard to update, not mobile-friendly, or not bringing in leads.
What drives the cost
- Content, not page count. Most of the industry quotes per page. We do not, because page count is a poor guide to the work: a five-page site where every page is a long, bespoke layout can take more design than a forty-page site that reuses one template. What we look at is how much content each page has to carry, because that decides how many layouts and design elements are needed.
- Custom vs template design. A design built around your brand costs more than a themed template, and looks like you instead of everyone else.
- Content. Rewriting copy and sourcing photos adds time. Reusing solid content saves it.
- Functionality. Booking, e-commerce, and integrations each add scope.
Signs it is time to redesign
- It is slow, or it looks broken on a phone.
- You cannot easily update it yourself.
- It gets visitors but few calls or form fills.
- It no longer looks like the business you have become.
Why we do not quote by the page
Almost everyone in this industry quotes per page, because it is easy to put in a proposal. We do it differently, and it is worth explaining why.
Page count tells you very little about the work. A five-page site where every page is a long, bespoke layout with twenty distinct content blocks takes more design than a forty-page site that repeats one template forty times. The second is mostly data entry. The first is forty design decisions.
What actually drives the hours is how much content each page has to carry. Content volume decides how many layouts are needed, how many sections and modules have to be designed, and how many assets, photography, icons, diagrams and illustrations, have to be made or sourced to keep it readable. A page with three sentences needs one design element. A page with two thousand words, a comparison table, a process diagram and six proof points needs a dozen.
So we work through the content first, then quote what actually has to be designed and built. The alternative is quoting a number per page and discovering halfway through that the pages are three times heavier than the template assumed, which is exactly where per-page quotes turn into change orders.
Common questions
Is a redesign cheaper than a brand-new site?
Sometimes. If the structure and content are solid, a refresh is cheaper. If the foundation is dated or slow, a full rebuild often costs about the same as a new site and is the better investment.
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
Only if it is done carelessly. A proper redesign preserves your URLs and content, redirects anything that moves, and usually improves rankings because the new site is faster and better structured.
How long does a website redesign take?
A light refresh can be done in about 1 to 2 weeks. A full redesign for a small business typically takes 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how much content there is, the design approach, and what functionality you need.