A redesign is priced like a new build with one difference: some of the work already exists. The pages that are kept cost hours to restyle; the pages that are rewritten cost the same as new pages; the features that have to be rebuilt on a new platform cost what they cost the first time. Most redesign quotes that look wildly different are counting different things as kept and rewritten, which is why the honest way to cost a redesign is to decide that first. This page walks through the lines of a redesign cost, the decisions that move each one, and how to put your own figures through the website cost calculator so a quote has something to be compared against.
Kept, restyled or rewritten: the decision that sets the number
Go through the current site page by page and mark each one. Kept means the words and structure stay and only the look changes, which is an hour or two on a template. Restyled means the layout changes but the content survives with edits, which is half a day. Rewritten means the page is written again, which costs what a new page costs plus the content. A thirty-page site where five pages are rewritten and the rest restyled is a different project from one where twenty are rewritten, and no quote can be compared with another until both were given the same list.
Features are rebuilt, not restyled
A booking system, a shop, a members area or a quote form does not carry across a platform change; it is set up again, and on a new platform it may be a different product. That is the line most redesign budgets miss, because the feature was paid for once and feels owned. Put every feature the current site has on the list, decide whether it survives the platform, and price the ones that do not as one-off feature costs. If the redesign stays on the same platform, this line is small; if it moves platform, it can be the largest line on the sheet.
Putting it through the calculator
Enter the page count as the pages being restyled or rewritten, set hours per page to a blend that reflects how many are rewritten, enter the rate of whoever does it, put content cost per page against the rewritten pages only, add the rebuilt features as the feature line, and enter the new platform's monthly cost. The result is a cost to relaunch and a first-year figure. A designer's quote that lands near it is quoting the same job; one that lands far above it is either counting more pages as rewritten, or including things such as photography, search advertising or a retainer that should be listed separately.
Questions people ask about website redesign cost
Is a redesign cheaper than a new site?
Only if most pages are kept or restyled rather than rewritten and the features survive the platform. A redesign that rewrites most pages and moves platform costs the same as a new site plus the migration work.
Why do redesign quotes vary so much?
Because each quote assumes a different number of pages rewritten and a different treatment of features. Give every bidder the same page-by-page list of kept, restyled and rewritten, and the quotes converge.
Should the redesign include new photography?
If the current photographs are the reason the site looks dated, yes, and it should be a separate line so it can be judged on its own. Photography is often a third of a small redesign's cost.