If you ask five agencies to quote the same website redesign, you will get five very different numbers. That is not because four of them are lying. It is because "website redesign" can mean a new coat of paint on three pages, or a full rebuild of a 200-page site with a new CMS, new copy and a migration plan.
This guide explains what actually changes the price, so you can compare quotes properly and know what you are paying for.
The five things that drive the cost
1. Number of unique page templates
The number of pages matters less than the number of unique layouts. Fifty blog posts that share one template are cheap. Eight pages that each need their own design (home, product, pricing, about, careers, two landing pages, a case study) are not.
When you ask for a quote, list your page types, not your page count.
2. Custom design vs. a template
A template or theme gives you a layout that thousands of other sites already use. A custom design starts from your brand, your buyers and your product. It takes longer and costs more, but it is the only way to look different from your competitors.
There is a middle option: a custom design built on a good component system. You get a unique look without paying to reinvent every button.
3. Content and copy
Many redesigns stall because nobody owns the words. If you bring final copy, the project is faster. If the agency needs to help with positioning, headlines and page structure, add time for that. It is usually worth it. A beautiful site with unclear copy still does not convert.
4. Features and integrations
Every integration adds scope:
- A CMS so your team can edit pages and publish posts
- Forms connected to your CRM or email
- Booking tools, payment providers or product data
- Search, filters, gated content or user accounts
- Multiple languages
Ask the agency to price these separately, so you can decide what is needed for launch and what can wait.
5. Migration and SEO
If your current site gets search traffic, the migration is the riskiest part of the project. Someone must map every old URL to a new one, set up 301 redirects, carry over titles and descriptions, and check Google Search Console after launch.
A cheap quote often skips this step. You find out three months later, when your traffic drops.
Want a second opinion on your website?
Hourly vs. fixed price
There are two common ways to price a redesign.
Hourly or retainer. You pay for time. This is flexible, but the final cost is hard to predict, and the agency has no reason to work faster.
Fixed scope, fixed price. You agree on the pages, features and number of revision rounds first. The price does not change unless you add scope. This is how we work at Aceternity, because it is easier for both sides to plan.
If you choose a fixed price, make sure the scope is written down in detail: pages, templates, integrations, revision rounds, timeline and what happens after launch.
Costs people forget
- Hosting and domains. Usually small, but ongoing.
- Paid plugins and tools. Some platforms need several paid add-ons to do what a custom build does out of the box.
- Stock photos, fonts and icons. Licences are not always free.
- Your team's time. Reviews, feedback and content take real hours on your side.
- Maintenance. Ask what support looks like after launch and what it costs.
When a cheaper option makes sense
You do not always need a full redesign. If the site looks fine but one page underperforms, redesign that page first. If you are pre-launch, a single strong landing page is often enough. You can grow into a full site later.
The expensive mistake is the opposite: paying for a cheap site that looks like a template, then paying again a year later to replace it.
How to get an accurate quote
Before you contact agencies, prepare:
- Your goal for the redesign (more demo requests, a new positioning, a launch date)
- A list of page types you need
- Two or three websites you like, and why
- The integrations you need at launch
- Your current traffic and the pages that bring it in
- Your deadline and your budget range
With this list, any good agency can give you a quote that will not change halfway through.
The short answer
A website redesign costs whatever the scope is. Define the scope clearly, prefer a fixed price, and do not skip the SEO migration. If you want help scoping yours, we are happy to look at your current site.
Get a scoped quote for your redesign
Book a short call and tell us about your website and goals. We follow up with a scoped quote. Fixed scope, one-time payment, no hourly billing.
