How Much Does a Website Redesign Cost in 2026?

If your website is starting to feel dated, difficult to use or simply isn't generating the enquiries it should, redesigning it can make considerably more sense than throwing everything away and starting again.

But how much does a website redesign actually cost in 2026?

There isn't one universal price. A relatively simple refresh of an existing small business website might cost around $800–$1,500, while a more substantial redesign can run from $1,500–$5,000+. Large ecommerce websites, custom platforms and sites requiring complex migrations can cost considerably more.

The important distinction is what "redesign" actually means for your website.

Average Website Redesign Cost in 2026

As a broad guide, you might expect website redesign pricing to look something like this:

| Type of redesign | Typical cost |

| --- | --- |

| Basic website refresh | $500–$1,500 |

| Small business website redesign | $1,000–$3,000 |

| Larger business website redesign | $2,500–$7,500+ |

| Ecommerce website redesign | $2,000–$10,000+ |

| Complex/custom website redesign | $5,000–$20,000+ |

These aren't fixed industry prices. They're useful ranges rather than quotes.

A five-page brochure website with good existing content is a completely different project from redesigning a 500-page WordPress site while preserving rankings, products, customer accounts and custom functionality.

What Affects the Cost of a Website Redesign?

1. How much of the existing website can be kept?

This is one of the biggest factors.

If your content, platform and underlying structure are already good, it may be possible to retain much of the existing website while improving the design and user experience.

If almost everything needs restructuring, the project starts looking much closer to a complete rebuild.

2. The number of pages

Redesigning five key pages is very different from redesigning 50.

That doesn't necessarily mean every page needs to be individually designed. Larger websites normally use reusable layouts and components, but content still needs to be migrated, checked and formatted correctly.

3. New functionality

A redesign is often when businesses decide to add things their old website couldn't do.

That might include:

- Online booking

- Ecommerce

- Quote calculators

- Customer accounts

- Client portals

- Advanced enquiry forms

- CRM integrations

- Payment systems

- Business dashboards

- Automated workflows

A visual redesign is relatively straightforward. A website redesign combined with custom development can become a significantly larger project.

4. Content and copywriting

Existing copy isn't always worth carrying over.

If the business has changed significantly since the original website was created, a redesign can be a good opportunity to rethink service pages, calls to action and the overall message.

Writing or substantially restructuring that content adds to the scope of the project.

5. SEO and migration

This is one area where simply replacing an old website can become expensive later.

If an established website already receives organic traffic, existing URLs, page titles, internal links, content and backlinks need to be considered during the redesign.

Changing everything without a migration strategy can result in rankings being lost.

A proper redesign should identify valuable existing pages, preserve URLs where appropriate and implement redirects when URLs need to change.

Website Refresh vs Website Redesign vs Rebuild

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they're not necessarily the same thing.

A website refresh usually keeps most of the existing website intact. It might involve typography, colours, spacing, imagery and improvements to a few important sections.

A website redesign goes further. Layouts, navigation, user journeys, content structure and conversion points may all change while retaining useful parts of the existing website.

A website rebuild generally means replacing much of the existing technical implementation.

You don't automatically need the most expensive option.

If the foundations are good, improving them can be far more sensible than rebuilding everything.

Is a Cheap Website Redesign Worth It?

Sometimes.

If your website is technically sound and genuinely only needs cosmetic improvements, a relatively inexpensive refresh can make a noticeable difference.

The problem comes when a cheap visual makeover is used to hide deeper issues.

A new colour palette won't fix confusing navigation. New animations won't fix a website that's painfully slow. And a prettier homepage won't help much if potential customers still can't understand what you offer.

Before paying for a redesign, establish what you're actually trying to improve.

What Should Be Included in a Website Redesign?

Depending on the project, a professional website redesign may include:

- UX and existing-site review

- Responsive/mobile redesign

- Navigation improvements

- New page layouts

- Calls to action

- Conversion improvements

- Performance optimisation

- SEO considerations

- Content migration

- Redirects

- Analytics setup

- Form testing

- Cross-device testing

- Launch and migration

Not every website needs all of these, which is another reason fixed redesign prices can be misleading.

Should You Redesign Your Website or Start Again?

Start by asking what is actually wrong with the current website.

If the underlying platform works well but the site looks dated and has poor UX, redesigning it may be enough.

If you're fighting against the platform itself, dealing with years of technical debt, struggling with performance or unable to add the functionality your business now requires, rebuilding may be more economical in the long run.

There's also a middle ground.

I regularly prefer keeping the valuable parts of an existing website while rebuilding the areas that are holding it back. You don't get bonus points for deleting perfectly good work.

How Often Should a Business Redesign Its Website?

There isn't a rule that says websites need replacing every three or five years.

A good website can continue working for much longer if it's maintained and improved over time.

Redesign when there's a reason to redesign.

That might be because:

- The business has changed

- The website no longer reflects your brand

- Mobile usability is poor

- Enquiries have fallen

- The site is difficult to update

- Important functionality is missing

- Performance has deteriorated

- Competitors provide a noticeably better online experience

Age alone isn't a particularly useful reason.

Getting a Website Redesign Quote

The most useful website redesign quote should be based on your existing website rather than an arbitrary package.

Before giving you a price, a designer or developer should understand what's worth keeping, what needs changing and what you want the redesigned website to achieve.

At The Cool Moon, I approach website redesigns this way rather than automatically recommending that everything is replaced.

If your current website has good content, rankings or functionality, those are assets worth protecting.

Get in touch if you'd like me to take a look at your existing site and suggest what I'd change.