How Much Does a Website Redesign Cost?

Let’s be honest — talking about website redesign costs can feel like opening a can of worms. One minute you’re thinking, “We just need a fresh look”, and the next thing you know, you’re neck-deep in quotes ranging from a few grand to a small mortgage. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and trust me, the range is wild. But if you understand why the costs swing so much, it makes the whole thing a lot less intimidating.

So, let’s break it down.

What Do We Mean By Website Redesign?

A redesign isn’t just a few new photos and a quick logo update — it’s much deeper than that. A proper website redesign usually means you’re giving your whole online presence a facelift — inside and out. That can include:

• Rebuilding the layout and structure.

• Updating or rewriting content.

• Simplifying navigation so users don’t get lost.

• Making it work perfectly on mobiles and tablets.

• Tightening up your SEO foundation.

Think of it like renovating a house. Sometimes you just repaint the walls. Other times you’re knocking down walls and rewiring the whole place.

Why Do Businesses Even Need a Redesign?

Websites age. And online years are like dog years — 3 years old can feel ancient. Here’s why most businesses come to us for a redesign:

• The design looks dated — what looked modern in 2019 might feel clunky now.

• User experience stinks — if people can’t find what they need, they’ll bounce.

• Mobile performance is poor — over 60% of traffic comes from mobile these days.

• Google hates it — bad SEO structure hurts your search rankings.

• The brand has evolved — new logo, new colours, new messaging… but the website’s stuck in the past.

When you nail the redesign, you don’t just get a prettier site — you get more leads, more engagement, and frankly, more money in the bank.

What Actually Drives The Cost?

Here’s where things get interesting. Pricing isn’t random — there are real reasons why one site costs $3k and another costs $30k.

1) How Big Is The Redesign?

A basic refresh might just be a few cosmetic updates. But a full rebuild? That’s new designs, new features, reworking the CMS — the whole nine yards.

2) Design Complexity

Custom designs cost more than cookie-cutter templates. If you want something unique that perfectly reflects your brand (and doesn’t look like your competitor’s site), expect to invest more.

Example? We once did a full custom site for a boutique financial firm in Melbourne — 40 pages, unique client portal, tailored data feeds — cost them about $28k, but it’s been printing leads for them ever since.

3) Features & Functions

Every extra bell and whistle adds time and cost. Some common ones:

• E-commerce setup

• Member-only portals

• Booking systems

• API integrations

• Custom dashboards

4) Moving Content Over

Got hundreds of old blog posts? Legacy product pages? Migrating, reformatting, and cleaning all that content can take serious grunt work.

5) SEO & Digital Marketing

A good redesign doesn’t wreck your SEO — it improves it. But you need experts to handle redirects, metadata, keyword mapping, and speed optimisation. Don’t cheap out here if you care about rankings.

6) Who’s Building It?

Freelancer? Agency? In-house?

• Freelancers: Cheaper, but you do more of the project management.

• Agencies: More expensive, but you get a full team — designers, developers, SEO guys, content writers, project managers.

7) How Fast Do You Want It?

Rush jobs = higher costs. Sometimes you need it fast. But if you can give your team breathing room, you’ll save a bit.

Rough Cost Breakdown

Here’s a ballpark, based on what I’ve seen:

And yes — you get what you pay for.

Don’t Forget The Ongoing Costs

A lot of folks budget for the build, then forget the after-care. You’ll also need to factor in:

• Hosting & domain renewals.

• Ongoing maintenance & updates.

• Paid plugins or third-party tools.

• SSL certificates & security monitoring.

• Regular content updates (new blogs, products, campaigns, etc).

We’ve had clients who thought their $10k site was “done forever” — but tech moves fast. Regular tune-ups keep your investment working properly.

Is A Redesign Worth It?

Look — I’ve seen businesses double their leads after a well-executed redesign. I’ve also seen companies cheap out, slap on a template, and wonder why nothing improved.

Done right, a website redesign isn’t a cost — it’s an investment. You’re building your digital storefront. And these days? That’s often where your customers meet you first.

Want to talk about your website?

Reach out to the team at Chromatix. We’ll walk you through exactly what you need, no cookie-cutter nonsense, and give you real numbers that match your goals.

Hey — before you go, out of curiosity: how long have you had your current website live?