Website redesign
A rebuild of a site that is slow, dated, or locked away from you costs the same as a new site — R2 950 to R7 950 — and usually takes less time because the content already exists.
The four reasons people rebuild
It is slow. Usually an old theme carrying a dozen plugins and uncompressed images. On a phone this is the difference between an enquiry and a bounce, and it is now a direct ranking factor.
It looks dated. Small sliders, tiny text, a layout that assumes a desktop. Visitors read design age as business age, which is unfair but consistent.
You have lost access. This is more common than anyone admits. The person who built it stopped replying, the hosting is on their account, and nobody knows the domain registrar login. It is recoverable more often than people expect.
The business changed. You dropped a service, added three, moved town, or rebranded, and the site still describes the old business.
Redesign without losing your Google rankings
This is the part that goes wrong most often, and it is worth understanding before you hand the job to anyone.
Existing rankings, where you have any, are attached to specific URLs. Rebuild without mapping the old URLs to the new ones and every one of them returns a 404 — Google drops the pages, and the traffic you had disappears overnight. Recovering from that takes months and sometimes does not fully happen.
So every rebuild we do starts with the same three steps, before any design work:
- Export the full list of existing URLs and check which ones actually receive traffic or have links pointing at them.
- Map every old URL to its closest equivalent on the new site.
- Put permanent 301 redirects in place at launch, then verify them in Search Console afterwards rather than assuming.
Any redesign quote that does not mention redirects should be questioned before you pay a deposit.
When you have lost access to your site
Tell us on the enquiry and we will work out what is recoverable. Usually more than you expect: the domain can be recovered through the registrar with proof of ownership, the site's content can be pulled from the live pages or the Wayback Machine even without hosting access, and a new site can be pointed at the same domain once control is back.
The one thing that is genuinely difficult is a domain registered in someone else's name who will not cooperate. Even then there is a dispute process. Start the conversation before the domain expires — after expiry it can be bought by anyone.
Common questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
Only if it is done without redirects. Old URLs must be mapped to new ones with permanent 301 redirects at launch. Done properly, rankings hold and usually improve, because the new site is faster and better structured.
Can you rebuild my site if I have lost the login?
Usually yes. We can recover content from the live site and help you recover the domain through the registrar. What we need from you is proof you own the business and any old invoices or emails from whoever set it up.
How much does a website redesign cost?
The same as a new build — R2 950 to R7 950 depending on page count. It is often faster than a new site because the content already exists in some form.
Can you keep our existing design and just make it faster?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking. If the design is sound and the problem is purely speed or mobile layout, that is a smaller job than a rebuild and we will price it as one rather than selling you a full redesign you do not need.
Tell us what you need
We will come back with a fixed price, usually the same working day.
Last reviewed .