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GreenHouse Creative

Website Redesign Cost Guide: How to Budget for Your Website Refresh

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Are you considering a website redesign for your business?

We all know that a website is an important investment that can help you reach new clients, increase your online visibility, streamline your processes, and so much more.

Even so, I bet youโ€™re wondering – what does a website redesign cost?

According to WebFX, the cost to build a website in 2023 can range anywhere from $2,000 to $75,000. With such a wide range, how do you know how much to budget for your new website?  

Well, friends, youโ€™ve come to the right place. In this blog post, doing my best to break down everything you need to consider when setting a budget for your website redesign project. 

Number one, we need to establish your website goals before we even begin to talk about what it costs. 

We’ll also look at what costs are typically included to redesign a website, such as brand strategy & visual identity, website design, website development, content creation & copywriting, search engine optimization, and software integrations. 

And finally, Iโ€™ll leave you with my best advice for calculating the right website redesign budget for your business, including the Rule of 10 and average cost ranges for each step in the process. With these guidelines in mind, you can ensure that your website refresh project stays within budget and actually delivers the results you need to succeed online.

Do this before you even ask, โ€œHow much does it cost to redesign a website?โ€

Listen, I get it. You want to spend your hard-earned money wisely.  Iโ€™ve never once had a client consultation end without the question โ€œHow much does it cost?โ€ 

And Iโ€™m sure my answer is often infuriating because it sounds a lot like, โ€œWell, it depends.โ€

So this is where we start. 

What are your goals for your website? And how does your website fit into your overall business objectives? 

Are you looking to increase sales? Generate new leads? Educate and nurture your audience? Provide a seamless client experience? Save time on administrative tasks?

Before we can talk about your website redesign cost, we need to get specific. 

For some clients, their website is the first encounter a potential client has with their company.  Their website needs to be a marketing machine.  Full of that SEO juice and value-packed lead magnets to get future clients into their stratosphere (read: opted into their email list) where they can build trust over time.

For other clients, the website comes in a little bit later. Weโ€™re not focused on generating leadsโ€ฆbut on making the sale. These websites need to be full of social proof and testimonials. Answer all those frequently asked questions. Showcase your very best work. And make it oh-so-easy to book you.

Beyond new leads and sales, your website might also serve as the central hub for your business. Allowing current and future clients to schedule time with you, pay for your services, buy products, and more.

Your website can (and should) do all of these things for your business, but you may not necessarily need to start there.  So before you begin to think about the cost of your website redesign, you need to get super clear on your goals. I take each of my clients through a discovery process I call the Breakthrough Business Blueprint. 

In this 90-minute session, we do a full business deep dive to get clear on your ideal clients, map out your customer journey, and brainstorm the business systems that will help you meet your specific business goals. 

Itโ€™s only after I have all of this information and all of these ideas, that we even begin to formulate a website redesign budget. 

Once you have a good idea of the role you want your website to play in your business and the features and functionality it needs to do this, itโ€™s time to audit your existing site.

  • Where is your current website missing the mark?
  • What functionality should you add?
  • What messaging and imagery need to be updated to reach your ideal client?
  • What structural changes should be made to improve your customer experience?
  • Is your site easy to use, properly formatted for mobile devices, and fast?

Some of these basic questions will help you determine what work needs to be done to redesign your website and make it all that it can be for your business. 

The average cost of a website redesign

Once you have a good idea of what changes need to be made as a part of your website redesign, we can begin looking at what may be included in your website redesign costs. 

Iโ€™m breaking down the high-level categories that make up your upfront costs in this post, but keep in mind that a healthy website that is actually contributing to your business on a daily basis also requires an ongoing investment. More on that in a future post.

Brand Strategy & Visual Identity

Often a website redesign comes hand in hand with new branding. You may think of your branding as your logo and color paletteโ€ฆand those are definitely part of itโ€ฆbut I want you to think a bit beyond that. 

When I say brand strategy, Iโ€™m talking about everything from the way you structure your offers to how you talk about them. A comprehensive branding strategy helps you to communicate your companyโ€™s values and clearly articulate how you help your clients. 

A good brand strategy will define your messaging and brand voice in addition to the design elements that determine how your company is portrayed visually.

Like every other element of your website redesign budget, the cost is widely varied, ranging from $5,000 – $30,000.

Content Creation & Copywriting

I wholeheartedly believe that a website is only as good as its content. What do I mean by that? Iโ€™m talking about the words and images on each page. 

There are two primary costs to consider when it comes to content. 

Copywriting

First up – copywriting. If youโ€™re skilled in conversion copywriting and can follow those brand and messaging guidelines above, this may be an item you choose to do on your own. You are the business owner, and no one knows how you serve your clients better than you. 

That said, so often, we suffer from the curse of knowledge, which means that we struggle to explain how we can help in a way that our clients will understand. This is where the help of a trained copywriter can make a huge difference. Sometimes we just can see the forest through the trees.

Of course, the cost will vary depending on the level of research required and the length of the copy itself, but plan for somewhere between $50 to $500 per page of your website.

Photography

The other absolutely essential component of your website content is your photography. I want photos of your smiling face ( and the faces of your team, if you have one) all over your website. 

People connect with other people. Research and testing continually show that photos of humans build trust and increase conversions (when your website visitor takes the action you want them to take – like booking a discovery call or opting into your email list). 

In addition to photos of you, we need photos of your work. 

For my interior designers, this is a no-brainer. Make sure your contract allows you to take professional photos of your completed work and hire a pro to capture projects for your portfolio. 

For my real estate pros, you may need to be a little more creative, but you can probably have your headshot photographer get some shots of you in action to illustrate this – meeting with clients (get your bestie to model for you), touring homes, etc.

You can always fill in any gaps by sourcing high-quality stock photography. There are plenty of royalty-free options as well as professional photos available for license. However, my preference is always to have your own custom photos taken if your budget allows. This goes such a long way to communicate your secret sauce with your potential clients.

Whatever imagery you choose, make sure you budget for your photos and expect to invest between $500 – $2,000 per session. 

Website Design & Development

Once you have a plan for whatโ€™s going on your website, itโ€™s time to start creating this thing. 

Letโ€™s start with your website design. This includes creating the visual layout and navigational structure (how pages are linked together and how your menus are organized). 

Whether youโ€™re doing this on your own or working with a pro, make sure that the design is responsive. That means the layout adjusts based on the size of the screen so that your site looks great whether it’s being viewed from a big wide monitor, laptop, tablet, or phone.

Next, youโ€™ll do the actual development. This is when a developer takes those designs and creates the code to turn them into a real-life functional website.

Oftentimes, you can find a web designer/developer who can both design and build your site, but you may also work with a team. (I typically do both unless a client already has the designs in hand, usually from working with a separate branding agency.)

No surprise, the average cost here depends on the overall size and complexity of your site. It may also vary based on the level of service youโ€™re receiving. Think about things like the number of revisions, testing, quality assurance, training, and tech support. 

The average cost to redesign a website can range from $500 to $5,000, and web development has an even bigger range from $1,000 – $20,000.

Extra costs to consider when redesigning your website

These items are the add-ons that make your website more powerful and your experience with the whole project smoother.  

They may or may not be included in your website development agreement, so make sure you talk with your developer to fully understand what is and is not included in your project.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO is a long game, so generally, you wouldnโ€™t expect to land on Googleโ€™s first page when youโ€™ve just launched a new site. 

That said, thereโ€™s a Google-friendly way to build a new site that I hope your developer understands! Sometimes this is an extra fee.

Depending on the size of your website, how much content creation is involved, and if there are any issues that need remediation with your existing site, this could range from $500 to $5,000.

Software Integrations

Integration is just a fancy way of saying that two different platforms can talk to each other. This is my favorite part to talk about with my clients because integrations are what make running your business easier on YOU.

Youโ€™ve probably guessed that the more integrations included in a website, the more you can plan to invest. Generally, the initial setup will be covered by your investment with your web developer. It may mean you make a bigger initial investment, but these systems are what save you time. Itโ€™s so worth it. 

These added pieces usually have a monthly or annual licensing cost associated, so your upfront cost covers development services and youโ€™ll add these line items to your ongoing website maintenance budget. 

Just to give you an example of what additional integrations might look like, a scheduler integration may increase your website development package by $500 – $1,000, and youโ€™ll pay an annual subscription fee of around $150 per year.

How to determine your website redesign budget

Is your head spinning? With so many parts and pieces to consider, itโ€™s easy to get overwhelmed. 

There are two things I want you to consider before you start talking to web designers.

The Rule of 10 – What’s the right-sized investment for your business?

First, a business investment strategy I learned from my web design coach called the Rule of 10. (To her credit, she is transparent about the fact that she learned this strategy from someone else, but I canโ€™t for the life of me remember who.) I use this rule to help my clients find the sweet spot for their investment. 

But before I dive into it, a disclaimer:

This strategy depends on a healthy money mindset and sustainable pricing practices in your business. More on that in a future blog post, but for now know that I basically refuse to type my clients’ sad โ€œIโ€™m undercharging and overdeliveringโ€ pricing into their websites. 

When we work together, there’s a very good chance Iโ€™m going to encourage you to raise your rates. (And youโ€™ll feel great about it when our project is done because weโ€™re going to get you totally sold on your value and the face of your business is going to reflect exactly that.)ย 

In fact, I would argue that a marginal increase in your rates is a fantastic plan to offset your website redesign cost. One that is completely justified when youโ€™re leveling up with a powerful new site.

Hereโ€™s how the Rule of 10 works. 

First, take a look at your average revenue per sale. Then your average sales per month. Using these averages, if you can make 10 times your investment back within a year of your website launch, youโ€™ve made a right-sized investment.

Hereโ€™s a quick example.

If youโ€™re an interior designer and the average value of a design project for you is $10,000, and you generally book one new project per month then your sweet spot would be around $6,000.

$10,000 per month X 12 months = $120,000

$120,000 / 10 = $12,000

In this scenario, youโ€™ve already made back your investment and then some with just 2 new clients. 

How much does it cost to redo a website? In this case, less than 2 new projects. Think you can book 2 new projects when youโ€™re armed with a website redesigned to showcase your unique value and make your future clients all like, โ€œThis is who Iโ€™ve been looking for!!!!โ€

I created this little calculator to help you figure this out!

Iterate: Start small with something and grow from there

Ok, what if youโ€™re seeing that your budget above isnโ€™t enough purchasing power to build what you want?

First, Iโ€™d explore raising your rates. But if that doesnโ€™t feel right for you or doesnโ€™t make up the difference, maybe you start smaller. 

Yes, I want your website to be a sales machine. I want it to be beautiful and full of gorgeous photos. I want it to work hard in the back end of your business and make operations so smooth for you and your clients.

But Iโ€™d rather you start smallโ€ฆstart somewhereโ€ฆthan be paralyzed. 

If you need to lower your website redesign cost, can you simplify and create one amazing landing page plus an intake form and start there? (I often recommend this option to my budget-conscious clients who are just getting started through my Exclusives.)

My point is this – donโ€™t let your budget hold you back. Simplify your project and then see what you can save up or invest on a monthly basis to add on and build over time!

If youโ€™d like a little help figuring all of this out, Iโ€™d be happy to help. Set up an intro call, and we can talk it through!

Hi! I'm Racheal!

I help interior design and real estate pros with their websites & tech to grow a business that fits into their life.

Ready to get growing?

Schedule a 15 minute Intro Call and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together!

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