A website redesign is three different services hiding under one name, and each of them costs something completely different. When somebody asks me “what does a website redesign cost”, before any figure appears I have to know one thing: what exactly do you mean. Because “redesign” covers a quick refresh of the look, a deep change of structure aimed at enquiries, and building a site from scratch with the content moved across. The spread of prices online comes from that, not from anybody quoting off the top of their head.
So instead of one magic number, here is a map: three redesign options, the components of the cost, honest brackets, and the answer to when a redesign makes no sense at all because a new site is cheaper and healthier.
A redesign is three different things
Before you compare any quotes, establish which of these you are talking about - because comparing their prices is like comparing repainting a wall with a full renovation:
| Option | What it covers | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Visual refresh | A new look on the existing engine: colours, typography, section layout | The site works and has a sensible structure, but looks years old |
| Structure and content rebuild | New page layout, rewritten copy, improved paths to contact | The site looks tolerable but brings no enquiries |
| Build from scratch with content migration | New engine, new design, content and URL migration | The old engine and code are not fit for further development |
The first option is the smallest amount of work; the last is, in practice, building a new site plus a migration stage. An honest provider will tell you plainly which option you are in, rather than pushing the biggest one.
Is a redesign worth it, or a new site?
I settle that question at the outset by looking at three things. First, the age and state of the engine: if the site runs on a current WordPress or another living system, there is usually something to build on. Second, code quality: a site glued together over the years from random plugins and manual patches can cost more to fix than to rebuild. Third, whether there is anything to save: content that brings visits from Google, recognised URLs, working forms.
If two out of three come out positive, a redesign holds up. If the engine is dead and the code beyond saving, it is more honest to say: we build from scratch. I set out the full brackets for that scenario separately in the piece on what a website costs.
Website modernisation pricing - what the cost is made of
Whatever the option, five items should sit in a redesign quote. If one of them disappears from an offer, that is usually not a saving but a cost pushed into the future:
- An analysis of the current site - what brings visits and enquiries, what is dead, what is broken. Without it a redesign is guesswork.
- Design - the new look and layout, before a single line of code exists. Changes are cheap on a design and expensive on a built site.
- Implementation - coding the design, configuration, testing on phones and desktops.
- Content migration - text, images, pages. Sounds trivial, and on a large site it can be the single biggest cost.
- 301 redirects - if page URLs change, the old ones must point to the new ones so you do not lose Google and the links that have been circulating for years.
Two things influence the final figure most. First, the number of unique page templates - homepage, service page, blog post and contact are the minimum, and every additional distinct layout means extra design work. Second, the content: if it stays “the same, just prettier”, it is cheaper; if it has to be written from scratch, real copywriting work is added.
What helps: before you ask for a quote, list the pages that genuinely bring you enquiries or visits from Google - even based on what customers ask about in emails and calls. For the provider that list is a map of what must not be broken in the redesign; for you it is a guarantee the quote covers protecting what already works. A second list, equally important: the things that hurt on the current site - slow loading, an offer nobody can find, a form that misbehaves on a phone. With those two lists you compare offers scope against scope, not figure against figure.
The trap of the cheapest redesign
The cheapest redesign is almost always the same pattern: a new skin stretched over old problems. The site looks fresh for the first week, but underneath everything that hurt before is still there - slow loading, out-of-date plugins, chaotic structure, a form that loses messages. It is a bit like repainting a flat with damp in the walls: it smells of fresh paint for a while.
So with every quote, ask not only “how will the site look” but also “what will change underneath”. If the answer is “nothing, only the look” - that is option one in the table above and it should cost like option one, not like a full rebuild.
What a website redesign costs - the brackets
Now the specifics. On the Polish market a company site redesign is roughly 3,000-15,000 PLN depending on scope - and I stress: that is market reality I see in quotes and enquiries, not a price list. The bottom of the range is a visual refresh on a healthy engine; the top is building from scratch with a lot of content moved and full redirects. One warning: a figure thrown out without looking at your site is not a quote, it is bait for contact - a serious conversation about price starts with looking at what you have.
On my side it works like this: projects are billed fixed-bid, with the price agreed up front, and typically land in the 5,000-10,000 PLN net range. Before any figure appears I do a free diagnosis of the current site - that tells me which of the three options you are in and what has to be protected. Then you get a specific written quote before the start, with no “from X” and no surprises along the way. I work the same way on every website build - scope first, then price, then delivery.
A redesign and Google rankings
This is the most common worry and it is a fair one, because a badly done redesign can wipe out traffic a site worked years for. A well done one does not lose it. The rule is simple: wherever possible we keep the same page URLs, and where a URL has to change, the old one gets a 301 redirect to the new one. On top of that we watch the titles, descriptions and content that already attract visits.
I do not promise a redesign will raise your rankings - honestly, nobody can promise that. I promise that done properly it will not wreck what you already have. What that process looks like step by step I described using a store as the example, in the piece on migrating without losing rankings - the mechanics on a company site are the same.
Frequently asked questions
What does a website redesign cost? Roughly 3,000-15,000 PLN depending on scope - market reality, not a price list. With me, fixed-bid projects are usually around 5,000-10,000 PLN net, with a specific written quote before the start.
Is a redesign worth it, or is a new site better? If the engine is alive, the code can be developed and the site has content and URLs worth protecting - redesign. If two of those three fail, building from scratch with content migration is cheaper and healthier.
How long does a redesign take? It depends on the option: a visual refresh is the shortest route, building from scratch with content migration the longest. I give the specific deadline together with the quote, because content and the owner’s decisions usually take more time than the code.
Does a redesign mean a drop in Google? It does not have to. The key is the same URLs where possible, 301 redirects where a URL changes, and preserving the content that brings visits.
Where do I start a redesign? With a diagnosis of the current site: what works, what puts people off, which of the three options you are in. With me that stage is free - just send a link.
Need something like this on your side? I design and build websites for B2B companies - from scratch or as a rebuild of what already stands. Send me the scope and a quote with a date comes back.