Website Redesign Guides: Cost, Quotes, Scope and Risk
Read the guides in this order: cost first, then scope, then quote comparison. If you are still deciding between a site builder and hiring someone, read the DIY vs hire guide alongside the cost guide. Each guide answers one question, so you can also jump straight to the stage you are at.
The short reading order
If you have not started yet, read in this sequence:
- 1. Budget: How much does a website redesign cost? Indicative ranges and what moves them.
- 2. Scope: Website redesign scope checklist What is included and what costs extra.
- 3. Quotes: How to compare website redesign quotes Why quotes vary so much and how to line them up.
The DIY vs hire guide sits beside this sequence. Read it early if you have not yet decided whether to use a site builder or pay a freelancer or agency.
The guides keep three costs apart, because buyers often blend them into one number: DIY platform fees, freelancer or agency project fees, and ongoing hosting and maintenance. Prices on this site are indicative ranges tied to stated assumptions, not fixed prices.
Start here: what a redesign should cost
Question this answers: What should I expect to pay, and what makes the number go up or down?
How Much Does a Website Redesign Cost? Indicative Ranges and What Drives Them is the first guide in the sequence. It gives ranges with the assumptions behind them, so you can set a budget before you contact anyone.
A budget set first gives you something to test quotes against. Public discussions show how wide the spread can be: in one r/webdev thread, an owner reported estimates from $4,000 to $8,000 alongside others between $13,000 and $17,000 for the same request. These are one person's anecdotes, not a benchmark, but they show why a headline number alone tells you little.
Before you ask for quotes: scope checklist
Question this answers: What am I actually asking someone to do, and what will be billed as an extra?
Website Redesign Scope Checklist: What Is Included and What Costs Extra helps you write down what the project covers before anyone prices it. A clear scope is the main thing that lets two quotes be compared fairly.
Use it when:
- You are about to send a brief to freelancers or agencies.
- You have a quote and are not sure what it leaves out.
- You are an adviser helping a client turn "we need a new site" into a list of deliverables.
A word like "redesign" can cover very different jobs. In one r/web_design thread, a poster describes paying $46k for a simple three-page WordPress theme, a logo and a handful of icons, and commenters question the scope against the price. Writing the scope down first is how you avoid that kind of mismatch.
While you compare quotes
Question this answers: Why are my quotes so different, and which one is the better deal?
How to Compare Website Redesign Quotes (and Why They Vary So Much) is for the point where you have two or more proposals in hand. It focuses on comparing quotes on scope, deliverables and ongoing obligations rather than on the total at the bottom.
Read it after the scope checklist if you can. Quotes are much easier to line up when you already know what you asked for.
DIY platform or hire a professional
Question this answers: Should I build it myself on a site builder, or pay a freelancer or agency?
DIY Site Builder vs Hiring a Freelancer or Agency: What Each Actually Costs compares the two routes by what you pay, what you do yourself and what recurs after launch.
This is the guide to read if the budget guide has shown that a professional project is more than you planned to spend, or if your needs are simple enough that a platform plan might cover them. It is also useful for advisers who need to explain the trade-off to a client.
Coming later: SEO migration, accessibility, ongoing costs
These topics matter after the decision to redesign, but they do not have guides on this site yet. They will be listed here once they are published:
- SEO migration: keeping search visibility when pages, addresses or platforms change.
- Accessibility: planning for it from the start rather than fixing it at the end.
- Ongoing costs: hosting, maintenance and other costs after launch.
For accessibility in the meantime, the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative resources are free, and they advise evaluating accessibility early and throughout a redesign rather than only at the end. Put it in your scope from the start so it shows up in every quote.
Who publishes these guides
These guides are published by Dance Technologies, which builds AI website and marketing products. The about page explains what this site is, who it is for and how the guides are written.
Questions
Which guide should I read first?
Start with the cost guide. It gives you a budget range and shows what drives it, which makes the scope checklist and quote comparison easier to use. If you are not sure whether to hire anyone at all, read the DIY vs hire guide alongside it.
Do I need to read every guide before requesting quotes?
No. Read the cost guide and the scope checklist before you ask for quotes, since they help you write a clearer brief. The quote comparison guide can wait until proposals arrive, and the DIY vs hire guide is only needed if you are undecided on the route.
I already have quotes. Where should I go?
Go to the guide on comparing quotes. If the quotes differ in ways you cannot explain, use the scope checklist to find what each one includes and leaves out, then ask the providers to clarify.
Where do hosting and maintenance costs fit?
They are a separate cost from the platform fee or project fee, and the guides treat them that way. A dedicated guide on ongoing costs is planned but not yet published, so it is not linked here.
Are the price ranges in the guides fixed prices?
No. They are indicative ranges tied to stated assumptions. Your own scope, content, features and provider will move the number, which is why the guides push you to compare quotes on what they cover rather than on headline price.