How Much Should You Really Pay To Redesign Your Website?

Does your website look like it came out prior to WordPress? I could even be in WordPress 3.2 (gasp!).

Like, how much does it really cost? How much should you budget?

Our team gets asked this question on a frequent basis from customers looking for feedback and want to redesign their sites. How much should I pay for something like this?

I would say a healthy percentage of our conversations with people are in the arduous process of converting their websites from page builders to blocks, some need a complete teardown and asking for input on how to build a brand new site.  

Leo Gopal from Codeable says a WordPress redesign costs between $2,500 and $10,500 for small to slightly complex WordPress sites. Enterprise website redesigns can easily range between $40 and $300k. 

We realize that the answer “it depends” is frustrating, that’s true. But getting a ballpark price for a website redesign is like getting a ballpark price for a house. Will you have three bedrooms or just one? Two full bathrooms or one and a half baths? Garage or just a car park?

With all of that said, if a WordPress developer quotes you less than $1500, we think you should look elsewhere.

What Factors Contribute to The Cost of a Website Redesign?

Firstly, you have to consider your own budget. A website redesign is akin to a capital expense. So, it would be in addition to the 15% of revenue you should be using for marketing. In other words, how much money do you have to actually spend on your website? That is your budget. Need the scope increased? Consider redesigning your website in phases – prioritizing the scope from a needs-first perspective.

What do you want your website to do?

This is the most basic question you should ask. When you hire a WordPress developer, this will be their key question. To figure this out, spend some time in introspection. Forget design. Forget competitors. What do you want people to do when they get to your website? What is the exact desired behavior? 

Are you wanting them to buy something? Should that something be shipped or downloaded? Will there be sales tax? Is there a button to book an appointment? What appointment service are you using? What calendar will it integrate with? Your Google Workspace or iCloud?

What do you want your website to look like?

It’s easy to look at your competitors and say “I want my website to look like this.” There are a lot of assumptions that go into that, so be cautious. Namely, you don’t know if that website works. Also, how did that company define what “works?” Maybe they don’t even care about website leads. They get all of their leads from BNI. It could be a vanity project and not an eCommerce site.

Instead, focus on your brand’s style guide. Will you be also rebranding with this website redesign? That is a completely different process that can cost upwards of $4,000. Branding (logo, mark, color palettes) is not part of a traditional “website redesign” scope of work – or cost.

How Much Should I Budget to Redesign a WordPress Website?

DIY Website Redesign

Of course, you can always do your own website redesign. That can be as “free” as picking another WordPress theme and changing it yourself. Of course, there’s your time. Know that the hours you spend working on your own website design means that everything else may take a back seat until it’s finished. Are you building something that’s going to improve your SEO or user experience in mind? Beyond just picking a theme for the sake that it looks good, will it convert better and generate more revenue?

These are all important questions you need to ask yourself before trying to redesign something on your own, because there are real costs to doing so. How much you pay to redesign your website is based on many factors you need to seriously consider upfront.

Working With a Freelancer

You can always work with a freelancer. Codeable has a great reputation in the WordPress space for vetted WordPress experts. Also, WordPress Meetups are also good places to work with Freelancers. If a freelancer charges $150/hour and does that $1,500 website, that’s 10 hours. If your project is small, that’s kind of fair. But then again, you get what you pay for. So, make sure you check out other projects from the WordPress freelancer.

Hiring an Agency

If your WordPress website has a store, collects leads, or even offers free downloads (PDF whitepapers for example), then we recommend going with an agency. Agency prices can go anywhere from $10,000 retainer + to scoping out the project in phases. Note that most agencies charge for the first phase which is discovery. In the house analogy, this is a home inspection. Discovery allows for a technical inspection to properly scope and quote the redesign.

“And for large, complicated websites, the price tag will be even higher — usually from $40,000 to $75,000. However, paying more than that for large, complex sites is not uncommon.”

HubSpot

Is a Website Redesign Cost Fixed? 

No. Website redesign costs are not fixed. This cost depends upon your scope of work and the agency you hire. On the high end, $300,000 website redesigns are as much structural as they are aesthetic. They can include UI and UX research and custom plugins. They also take about 6-9 months to complete. 

A brochure site (5 pages, no eCommerce) should take less than a month and costs around $1500-$3000. 

One thing to note about website redesign costs is that they don’t include the cost of a logo refresh or rebrand. Website redesigns also do not include writing or rewriting the website content. The freelancer or agency will depend upon you for the content.

In order to be a good website redesign client, you’ll need to be sure to provide all of the content and be as responsive as possible. Also, have one person in charge of the decision-making process. Nothing is more frustrating to WordPress freelancers or agencies than design by committee. Those projects tend to get derailed and evolve beyond the agreed-upon scope of work.

Other elements that aren’t included in a WordPress website redesign are the annual and monthly fees involved with maintaining and updating your website. Now, if you’re working with a reputable agency, they should offer you a maintenance package. There will be a monthly cost for your website but you won’t have to worry about it being down or hacked. (A hacked website isn’t always offline.)

Most WordPress plugins are free, it’s true, but your website redesign will likely involve annual license fees for premium plugins and themes. You tried the free website way already. Right? That’s why you’re doing the redesign. 

Ongoing website costs might include:

• $150/month for Maintenance and Updates
• $30+/month for Website Hosting
• $300/year for theme and plugin or SaaS activity (connecting via Zapier, Mailchimp, etc.)

Does it sound like a lot? Think about the costs differently. Just think about how much revenue your website is bringing in (and not costing you in labor burden) and you’re good. Then again, if your website redesign is $40,0000, these costs are to be expected and not unreasonable or unusual. You wouldn’t buy a $150,000 car and never get the oil changed or the exterior cleaned.

Your Redesigned Website Deserves Great WordPress Hosting!

You’ve invested the money to rebuild your website, but that doesn’t mean it’s any faster or more reliable. Choosing the right WordPress hosting solution for your newly redesigned site means you won’t have to worry about performance and security.

Start building your business knowing you have a dedicated team behind you, the only question is when you’d like to get going?