Most small business owners with a website don’t search “web design.” They already have a site. What they’re actually thinking is “my website looks outdated” or “I built this five years ago and I’m embarrassed to send people to it.” That’s a redesign, not a new build, and it’s a different job with a different price.
Here’s the honest answer.
The real range for a redesign
A redesign of an existing small business site usually runs $800 to $3,500, less than a comparable net-new build. The reason is simple: you already have content, you already have a domain and a brand (even if it needs work), and in a lot of cases you already know what didn’t work about the old site. That’s real time saved.
The exceptions: if your “redesign” actually means changing platforms (WordPress to Shopify, for example), adding e-commerce that wasn’t there before, or the old content needs a full rewrite too, the price moves closer to a new-build cost. A straight visual and structural refresh with your existing content is the cheap end. A refresh plus new copywriting, new photography, and new features is the expensive end.
Why a redesign usually costs less than starting over
Three things carry over from your old site and save real time:
Your content. Even bad copy is a starting point. Editing and reorganizing existing text is faster than writing from a blank page, and it’s usually the single biggest cost driver in any web project.
Your brand. If you already have a logo and colors, even ones you don’t love, there’s something to design around instead of starting brand and site at the same time.
Your SEO history. An existing domain with any age and backlinks has a head start a brand-new site doesn’t. A good redesign preserves your URLs and redirects the old ones properly, so you don’t lose whatever ranking you’ve already built. A bad redesign wipes that out overnight. Ask any designer directly how they handle URL structure and redirects before you sign anything.
When a redesign is enough, and when it isn’t
A redesign is usually enough if the bones are fine: your site loads reasonably fast, the structure makes sense, and the problem is really that it looks dated or doesn’t represent the business anymore.
A redesign usually isn’t enough if the site was built on a platform you’ve outgrown, if you’re getting real traffic but no leads (that’s often a content and structure problem, not a paint job), or if you want features the old platform can’t support. In those cases, the honest answer is a rebuild, and I’ll tell you that upfront rather than dressing up a patch job as a fix.
What I charge for a redesign
Same published pricing as everything else. Most redesigns fit inside the Starter Site or Growth Site range, starting at $900, depending on how much of the old content and structure survives. If your redesign is closer to a platform change or a full content rewrite, it’s priced closer to a new build, and I’ll say so before you commit to anything.
A quick gut check before you spend anything
Before paying for a redesign, look at your current site with fresh eyes and ask three questions: does the homepage say what you do within a few seconds, does it work cleanly on a phone, and does it have an obvious way to contact you. If the answer to all three is yes and it still isn’t bringing in business, the problem probably isn’t design. That’s worth knowing before you spend money on a new coat of paint.
If it turns out to be the bigger job, that’s small business web design, and the free website check will tell you which one you’re looking at before you spend anything.
If you want a straight opinion on whether your current site needs a redesign or something bigger, the free 30-minute chat is the fastest way to find out. I’ll tell you honestly if a redesign is overkill, or if it’s not enough.