A successful website redesign comes down to six steps
A website redesign means changing a site's design, structure or technology without losing what works: the content, the search rankings and the inquiries it generates. The path is the same whatever the size of the project: audit, goals, mockups, development, SEO migration, launch. What changes is the duration and the budget.
The benchmarks are wide. B2B agencies list 4 to 12 weeks and €5,000 to €19,000 excl. VAT; a showcase site for a small business more often falls between €1,500 and €6,000. This article details the process, a typical timeline and the budgets, so you can compare quotes that are talking about the same thing.
Visual, structural or technical redesign: three different projects
The word "redesign" covers three levels of intervention, often mixed together in quotes.
- A visual redesign changes the appearance (colors, typography, layout) without touching the site structure. It's the lightest level.
- A structural redesign reworks the organization of pages, the navigation and the user journeys, so visitors find what they're looking for faster.
- A technical redesign changes the foundation: CMS, hosting, code. This is the level where SEO risk is highest, because URLs often change.
A quote that doesn't say which of these three levels it covers can't be compared with another. If your site runs on WordPress, our article on WordPress redesign details the three options open to you.
The 6 steps of a redesign
1. Audit what exists
Without an inventory, you redo what worked and keep what was causing problems. Note which pages receive traffic, which ones generate inquiries, your mobile performance metrics and any technical errors. Our website audit checklist takes half an hour with free tools.
2. Set measurable goals
"A more modern site" is not a goal. "Double the number of quote requests" or "get under 2.5 seconds of loading time on mobile" are. Every goal needs a starting figure and a review date.
3. Design the site structure and the mockups
You decide which pages will exist, how they connect and where the calls to action go, before designing anything. Mockups get approved at this stage, not during development, when every change costs more.
4. Develop and write
Development, integration and moving the content over happen in parallel. Content is a frequent source of delay: plan who writes, who proofreads and when, from the start.
5. Prepare the SEO migration
This is the most technical step and the one most often botched. It is detailed below.
6. Launch and follow up
Going live isn't the end. Check indexing in Search Console, fix 404 errors, compare traffic with the period before and keep a budget for adjustments in the first month.
A realistic timeline, week by week
Here is an example for a showcase website of 5 to 10 pages. Durations vary by project: our websites are delivered in 2 to 8 weeks.
| Week | What happens | What we need from you |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audit of the existing site, goals, site structure | Access to the site, the analytics and Search Console |
| 2 | Mockups of the main pages | Consolidated feedback within 48 hours |
| 3-4 | Development, integration, content transfer | Approved text and photos |
| 5 | Testing, URL mapping and redirect testing | Final proofread |
| 6 | Launch, indexing check | Check the forms and phone numbers |
For comparison, a method published by the agency lagence123 in January 2024 gives an example timeline of 18 weeks (lagence123), and Edikka quotes 4 to 7 weeks for a targeted redesign and 8 to 12 for a full one (Edikka). The gap comes from scope, the number of approval rounds and the size of the team.
One frequent cause of delay: client feedback arrives in several waves. A single point of contact on the client side and consolidated approvals often save more time than a new tool.
How much does a website redesign cost in 2026
Published ranges depend on the size of the provider and the type of site. Here are some benchmarks:
| Type of project | Indicative budget | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Showcase site (small business, SME) | €1,500 to €6,000 | Our pricing guide |
| Targeted redesign (B2B agency) | €5,000 to €9,999 excl. VAT, 4 to 7 weeks | Edikka, prices of August 20, 2026 |
| Full redesign (B2B agency) | €10,000 to €18,999 excl. VAT, 8 to 12 weeks | Edikka, prices of August 20, 2026 |
| Complex WordPress site | €20,000 and up | L'Atelier Conception Web |
| Showcase site at NexIT | From €499, or a subscription from €45/month | Our pricing |
These figures can't be compared directly: a €15,000 redesign often includes strategy, copywriting and project management that a €2,000 showcase site doesn't. Our guide to getting a reliable website quote explains what to check line by line.
Where the money goes
Edikka's sample budget for an €18,000 redesign breaks the budget down as follows: diagnosis €2,000, structure and content €2,400, design €3,200, development €6,100, SEO migration €1,600, testing €1,700 and project management €1,000. SEO migration accounts for about 9% of the total there. A quote with no "SEO migration" line is a warning sign.
The costs people forget
- Hosting and the domain name, renewed every year. See our article on web hosting for small businesses.
- Maintenance after launch: see our guide to website maintenance.
- Content, if the text has to be written or translated.
SEO migration: the technical checklist
SEO migration protects the traffic your current site already receives. Google describes a method in a few steps for a URL change (Google Search Central):
- List every old URL (sitemap, CMS, server logs) and map each one to its equivalent.
- Redirect with 301 or 308, server-side, rather than with code that runs in the browser.
- Avoid redirect chains longer than 3 to 5 hops.
- Submit a change of address in Search Console when the domain changes.
- Keep the redirects in place for as long as possible, at least one year.
Add two common-sense checks: make sure the test site isn't indexed before launch, and that the production version doesn't keep a "noindex" directive left over from that test phase. For the deeper mistakes small businesses make during a redesign, see our article on the 5 mistakes to avoid.
Redesign or start from zero?
The question comes down to three criteria: what already works and should be kept, the technical state of the foundation, and your goals. If the content and search rankings are good but the design looks dated, a visual redesign is enough. If the technology is obsolete or blocks change, a technical redesign is needed. Our article on the 7 signs it's time to redesign helps you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a website redesign take?
From a few weeks to several months. B2B agencies quote 4 to 12 weeks for targeted or full redesigns, and up to 18 for connected projects. A showcase site for a small business is delivered faster: at NexIT, between 2 and 8 weeks.
Will I lose my search rankings?
Not if the SEO migration is prepared. 301 redirects pass signals to the new URLs. The risk comes from forgotten pages, redirect chains and removing redirects too early.
Do I have to redo the content?
Not necessarily. Pages that receive traffic and generate inquiries are best carried over and improved rather than rewritten. Aging content, on the other hand, deserves an update during the redesign.
What budget should an SME plan for?
For a showcase site, between €1,500 and €6,000, with a separate annual budget for hosting and maintenance. Projects with specific features or a content strategy go beyond those amounts. A detailed quote, line by line, shows where each euro goes.
Conclusion: a good redesign is prepared before it is designed
A redesign is won in the first and last weeks: the audit and goals at the start, the SEO migration and follow-up at the end. In between, the design matters less than a rigorous timeline and a clear quote.
✅ Audit the existing site before contacting a provider ✅ Ask for a quote that separates design, development, content and SEO migration ✅ Set a numeric goal and a review date ✅ Plan the hosting and maintenance budget ✅ Have the redirects kept for at least a year
A redesign project in the works?
Let's talk: describe your current site and your goals, and we'll reply within 24 hours with a free, detailed quote, and you'll speak directly with the person who will build your site.