What a Website Redesign Services Company Actually Does
A website redesign services company rebuilds an existing site so it is faster, clearer on a phone, and set up to win enquiries, not just to look newer. You should expect a written page list, a named platform, redirects from old URLs, and a choice between a one-off fee or a setup-plus-monthly plan. I will set out the work, typical UK prices, and the questions that stop a rebuild going wrong.
What you are paying a redesign company to do
A redesign is not a new colour scheme on the same pages. You are paying someone to decide which pages earn their keep, rewrite the structure so a stranger can find a phone number or a quote form in two taps, and rebuild the site on a platform you can actually run. The visual bit is the part you notice. The work that matters is the rest.
A competent company treats your current site as evidence: which pages get visits, which forms get used, where people drop off on a phone. Then they should propose a smaller, clearer site. More pages is not a better website. Clearer paths to contact are.
When you need a company, not a template swap
If the copy is still accurate and the site already works on a phone, a visual refresh and a speed pass may be enough. That is a few hundred pounds with a freelancer, or a weekend on a builder such as Squarespace.
Hire a website redesign services company when three or more of these apply:
- The layout breaks on a phone or buttons are too small to tap.
- You cannot add a page or change a price without the original developer, who has vanished.
- The site takes more than three seconds to become usable on normal 4G.
- Contact forms go nowhere, or spam has made the inbox useless.
- You have outgrown a one-page brochure and need service pages, locations or a simple shop.
- The platform is so old that plugins no longer get security updates.
A DIY theme swap will paper over those cracks for six months. Then you pay again.
A process that actually finishes
I will not start designing until there is a written page list, a named platform, and a note on who owns the domain. If a company cannot give you that before the mood boards, they are guessing.
- Audit the current site. Export URLs. Note forms, phone numbers and files people still download. Keep a list of pages that get search clicks so they can be redirected.
- Agree scope in writing. Named pages, who supplies photos and words, who hosts after launch, and a timeline in weeks.
- Map the structure first. One primary action per page is enough for most small firms: call, email or request a quote.
- Design with real content. Placeholder Latin hides problems. Use your prices, your town names and a real photo.
- Build and test on a cheap phone. Forms, click-to-call, maps, cookie notice, compressed images. Check performance in Chrome before launch, not after.
- Launch with 301 redirects from every old URL that had a purpose. Keep the same domain if you can. Changing domain and design on the same day is how search listings fall away.
- Hand over logins and a short how-to, or keep managing the site if that is the deal. You must know who renews the domain and who pays for hosting.
Four to eight weeks is typical if content arrives on time. Twelve weeks usually means copy or photos are stuck in someone's inbox.
One-off fee or pay monthly
UK firms sell rebuilds two ways. Neither is a trick if the contract is clear.
One-off. You pay a project fee and own the site. Hosting is separate or billed on top. This suits you if you have the cash and can make small text edits. After launch you still need a host, backups and updates. Budget £10 to £40 a month for a maintained WordPress stack, more if you want a person on call.
Pay monthly. A setup fee, then a monthly amount that covers hosting, updates and ongoing management. Genuinely hands-off, which suits a small business without a few thousand pounds spare. Read two clauses: what happens if you stop paying, and whether you can take the site with you. If it lives on a locked platform, you are renting, not owning.
I offer both routes from my Kent studio because some clients can pay once and some cannot. Current figures are on arlowebstudio.com. A guide is the wrong place to pin a price that will change.
Typical UK prices
These are ranges I see quoted to small businesses. Scope, copy and photography swing the number more than the palette does.
| Provider type | Typical cost | What that usually buys |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder refresh | £0 to £400, then £15 to £30 a month | New template, your time, little control of the code |
| Freelancer, simple brochure | £800 to £2,500 | Five to eight pages, your logo, your photos or cheap stock |
| Small studio rebuild | £2,500 to £6,000 | Page structure, mobile-first build, working forms, basic training |
| Agency, brand-led | £6,000 to £15,000+ | Workshops, custom design, copy support, a project manager |
| Shop or booking-heavy site | £4,000 to £20,000 | Payments or diaries, extra testing, product or slot setup |
Pay-monthly packages in the wider UK market often sit around £50 to £150 a month after a setup fee of a few hundred pounds to a couple of thousand, depending on page count. A £400 full custom redesign of ten pages is a template with your logo on it. Fine if that is the brief. Not fine if you expected original layout work and a migration plan.
What a quote must spell out
Before you pick a company, get these in the quote, not in a sales call.
- Named pages in scope, not a vague cap of ten pages.
- Who writes or edits the copy. Words take longer than layouts.
- Photography: your images, licensed stock, or a half-day shoot, which often runs £200 to £800.
- 301 redirects from old URLs, and who checks them after launch.
- The CMS you will use, if any, and training measured in hours.
- Hosting for year one: included, extra, or your own account.
- Who owns the code, the design files and the domain registrar login.
- The rate for a new page after launch, so extras are not a surprise.
If one quote is £2,000 and another is £5,000, put both against that list. The gap often shrinks, or you see what you would still have to buy yourself.
I walk away if they will not name the platform, have no plan for old URLs, promise unlimited pages and unlimited revisions, or will not let you export the site if you leave. Homepages in a portfolio are not enough. Ask to see a contact form and a service page on a phone. That is where most rebuilds fail.
Hire the firm that talks about pages, forms and ownership in the first conversation, not the one that leads with a mood board.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a small business redesign take?
Four to eight weeks is typical once you have agreed the pages, if you send copy and photos on time. Simple five-page brochure sites can be quicker. Anything past twelve weeks is usually waiting on content, extra shop features, or a sign-off that has not happened yet.
Do I have to change my domain when the site is rebuilt?
No, and you usually should not. Keep the same domain and move the new site onto it with 301 redirects from every old URL that mattered. Changing the domain and the design at the same time makes it harder for search engines and for anyone who bookmarked a page.
Is a pay-monthly redesign more expensive than paying once?
Over three to five years it can cost more in cash terms, because you are also buying hosting, updates and management. The trade-off is no large upfront bill and no CMS to look after. Add up the one-off fee plus £10 to £40 a month of hosting and occasional freelance hours, then compare that to the monthly plan over the same period. Pick the cashflow you can actually sustain.
What should I have ready before I speak to a company?
A list of pages you need, examples of sites you like and why, login access to the current host and domain registrar, and a note on who will supply words and photos. If you have Google Search Console, export the pages that already get clicks. That list is the starting point for redirects.
Who should own the site after launch?
You should own the domain, and you should be able to take the code and content if you leave. Some monthly plans are a rental on a locked platform. That can still be a fair deal if the price is low and you accept the lock-in. It is not a fair deal if you thought you were buying an asset. Get the ownership terms in the quote.
Will a redesign wipe my existing search listings?
It can, if old URLs die with no redirects, or you change domain on launch day. It does not have to. Keep the domain, map every useful old URL to a new one, and do not strip out pages that already earn clicks unless you are replacing them with a clear equivalent. Ask the company to show you the redirect list before go-live.