Nobody quotes a website redesign the same way twice, which is why three agencies can look at the same site and come back with $1,200, $4,000 and $18,000. None of them is necessarily wrong. They are pricing different work, because a redesign is not one job — it is five, and most quotes are vague about which of the five they include.
This is what actually moves the number, what a redesign costs in Australia at each level, and how to get quotes you can genuinely compare.
The short answer
Most Australian small business redesigns land between $999 and $4,500. Below that you are usually buying a template swap. Above it you are usually paying for either an e-commerce build, a custom application, or an agency's overheads. A redesign of a site with existing Google rankings costs more than the same site built from scratch, because preserving those rankings is real work that a new build never has to do.
What you are actually paying for
Page count is the metric everyone asks about and the one that matters least. Twenty pages built from three templates is a smaller job than five pages that are each designed individually. The five real cost drivers are:
| Driver | Cheap end | Expensive end |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Existing brand, a proven layout applied consistently | Every page individually art-directed, new brand work, custom illustration |
| Content | You supply final copy and images | We write the copy, arrange photography, and restructure your information architecture |
| Integrations | A contact form and Google Analytics | Booking system, CRM, payments, inventory, member logins |
| SEO preservation | New site, nothing to protect | Established site with rankings, hundreds of URLs to map and redirect |
| Platform | A CMS you can edit yourself | Custom build with bespoke admin tooling |
What each price band realistically buys
From $999 — the focused rebuild
A single-page or very small site, rebuilt properly: mobile-first, fast, one clear conversion path, contact form, basic on-page SEO, Google Business Profile connected. This suits a service business whose current site is simply embarrassing and whose problem is credibility rather than depth. It does not include content writing, migration of a large blog, or bespoke integrations.
From $2,500 — the standard redesign
Where most redesigns actually sit. Up to around ten pages, custom design applied throughout, blog or news section, structured service pages, multi-step enquiry forms, local SEO, analytics and Search Console configured, and a full URL map so existing rankings survive. If you have a site that ranks for anything today, this is your realistic starting point rather than the $999 tier.
From $4,500 — commerce and complexity
Online store, payment gateway, inventory, customer accounts, or a site with genuine integration requirements — booking engines, practice management software, a CRM that has to receive leads in a specific shape. Also where multi-location businesses and anything with a members' area land.
Why a redesign costs more than a new build
This surprises people. A brand new site has no history to protect. A redesign of a site that has been live for six years has:
- URLs that other websites link to, which must keep working
- Pages that rank and earn enquiries, which must not lose their content depth
- Historical blog posts that may be the only reason the domain has any authority
- An existing Google Business Profile, directory citations and review links pointing at specific pages
- Tracking, tag manager containers and conversion goals that all break silently if nobody maps them
Mapping every old URL to its new equivalent and testing the redirects is genuinely a day or more of work on a mature site. Agencies that skip it quote less. You find out what that saving cost you about six weeks after launch, when the enquiries stop.
The costs people forget to budget
- Content. The single most common cause of a stalled redesign is not the build — it is that nobody wrote the copy. Either budget for it or block out real time.
- Photography. Stock images undercut everything else you are paying for. A half-day shoot is one of the highest-return line items in the whole project.
- Hosting and domain. Modest, but ongoing. Expect $15–$40 a month depending on traffic.
- Maintenance. Either your time or a retainer. Software does not stand still, and an unpatched site is a liability.
- The gap. Rankings often dip for two to six weeks after a migration even when everything is done correctly. Budget for that in your cash flow, not just your project plan.
How to get quotes you can compare
Send every agency the same brief and you will get numbers that mean something. Include:
- A crawl or list of your current URLs, and which pages currently generate enquiries
- Whether you are supplying copy and images, or want them produced
- Every system the site must talk to, named specifically
- Who needs to edit the site afterwards, and how technical they are
- Your actual deadline and what is driving it
- Whether the domain has existing Google rankings you cannot afford to lose
Then ask each quote one question: what happens to my existing URLs? The answer separates the people who have done this before from the people who have not.
When not to redesign
A redesign is the wrong purchase if your site converts adequately and your real problem is that nobody visits it. In that case the money belongs in content and local SEO, not in a new coat of paint. Similarly, if the site is two years old and structurally sound, a targeted round of conversion work — better headlines, clearer calls to action, faster images — often outperforms a full rebuild at a fraction of the cost.
The honest test: write down what you expect to change in the business after launch. If you cannot answer beyond "it will look better", you are not ready to spend the money yet.
FAQs
How much does a website redesign cost in Australia?
Most small business redesigns run between $999 and $4,500. A focused single-page rebuild starts at $999, a standard multi-page redesign with SEO preservation is typically $2,500, and e-commerce or integration-heavy projects start at $4,500. Enterprise and custom application work runs higher and should be quoted on scope, not on page count.
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can, and it is the most common way redesigns go wrong. Rankings are protected by mapping every old URL to a new one with a 301 redirect, keeping the content depth on pages that already rank, and preserving the title and heading structure that Google associates with those pages. Done properly you should expect a short dip and a recovery. Done carelessly the losses can be permanent.
How long does a website redesign take?
Two to six weeks for most small business projects, assuming content is ready. The build is rarely the bottleneck — waiting on copy, images and approvals is. Larger sites with migrations and integrations run six to ten weeks.
Should I redesign or start a new site on a new domain?
Almost always redesign on the existing domain. Domain age and accumulated links are genuinely valuable and do not transfer cleanly. Moving to a new domain means starting your search visibility close to zero, which is rarely worth it unless the business itself is rebranding.
Do I own the site afterwards?
You should. Ask explicitly, in writing, who owns the design files, the code and the hosting account, and whether you can move the site elsewhere without paying a release fee. If the answer is unclear, that is the answer.
Get a fixed price before you commit
Blend Designs quotes redesigns as a fixed price after reviewing your current site, not as a vague range. We will tell you what your existing URLs need, what will actually change your enquiry numbers, and — where it applies — that you would be better off spending the money on something other than a rebuild.
Request a redesign quote, try the website cost calculator for an indicative figure, or read the mistakes that kill SEO and leads during a redesign before you brief anyone.