The verdict in three sentences
For a Dublin accounting firm with 15 to 40 staff, a redesign budget sits between €4,500 for an adapted WordPress theme and €10,000 to €25,000 for a custom build. The gap is justified once the site must handle online booking, a secure document upload portal that satisfies the Data Protection Commission, and generate 8 to 15 qualified enquiries per month. Below that target, a theme is enough; above it, a custom build pays back in under a year.
What a redesign costs by level of ambition
Dublin practices often compare three very different quotes without knowing what separates them. The table below gives 2026 ballpark figures for a mid-sized firm (excluding VAT at 23 %).
| Option | Budget ex. VAT | Timeline | What is included | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adapted WordPress theme | €4,500 | 3 weeks | 8 to 10 pages, contact form, basic SEO | Generic design, 20 to 30 plugins to maintain |
| Customised WordPress | €7,000 to €9,500 | 4 weeks | Dedicated mock-ups, built-in booking | Client area limited to a third-party plugin |
| Standard custom build | €10,000 to €14,000 | 4 to 5 weeks | Proprietary design, booking, service pages per sector | Simple upload, no workflow |
| Custom build with client portal | €15,000 to €25,000 | 5 to 6 weeks | Encrypted upload, notifications, staff dashboard | Heavier upfront investment |
| Tax calculator add-on | €2,000 to €3,500 | +1 week | Income tax, corporation tax or director pay calculator | Annual rate updates required |
| SEO copywriting | €1,500 to €3,000 | in parallel | 10 to 20 pages per service and sector | Partner sign-off required |
The most underestimated line is copywriting. A practice that delivers its texts late pushes go-live back by 2 to 4 weeks, which means a month of lost leads right before the October Revenue deadline.
Booking and document upload: what changes the maths
Online booking cuts phone back-and-forth, which averages 3 to 5 hours per week for an assistant in a 25-person firm. The upload portal replaces emailed bank statements and payslips, a genuine GDPR exposure for the profession and a recurring topic in Data Protection Commission guidance.
| Feature | Development cost ex. VAT | Estimated gain | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking synced with Outlook | €1,000 to €1,800 | 3 to 5 h per week | Multiple partners' calendars |
| Lead qualification form | €500 to €1,000 | Filters unprofitable requests | Questions on turnover and entity type |
| Encrypted document upload | €4,000 to €8,000 | No more email attachments | Hosting in Ireland or the EU |
| Automatic notifications | €800 to €1,500 | Client chasers halved | Tone suited to small-business clients |
| Practice software connection | €2,500 to €6,000 | Avoided data entry | Depends on your software's API |
| Access log and per-client rights | €1,000 to €2,200 | GDPR traceability | Review rights whenever staff leave |
For maintenance, plan €150 to €300 per month depending on whether the client portal is included. This covers security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring and 1 to 2 hours of monthly changes.
How to set the 8 to 15 qualified enquiries target
An accounting firm website is judged on new engagements, not traffic. In Dublin, a firm well ranked on « accountant Dublin », « startup accountant Dublin » or « contractor accountant Ireland » can aim for 1,500 to 3,000 monthly visits after 6 months. With a 0.5 to 0.8 % conversion rate on a qualified form, that gives 8 to 15 enquiries per month. The key is one page per audience: startups, contractors, landlords, hospitality, medical practices.
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Aoife, partner at a 28-person practice in Dublin 2, is choosing between a €4,500 theme and a €17,000 custom redesign with a client portal. Her average new client brings €2,800 in annual fees. Her current site generates 3 qualified enquiries a month and she signs 1. With the redesign she targets 10 enquiries and a 30 % close rate, so 3 new clients a month. That is 2 extra clients monthly, adding €5,600 in recurring annual fees every month. The €12,500 difference is covered by the third month of signings, before counting the 4 weekly admin hours saved by online booking.
FAQ
What does an accounting firm website redesign cost in Dublin in 2026?
Expect €4,500 for an adapted WordPress theme and €10,000 to €25,000 for a custom build. The upper range includes an encrypted upload portal and synced booking.
How long does a redesign take?
Between 4 and 6 weeks for a custom project if content is approved on time. Avoid launching in the weeks before the October income tax deadline.
Is the document upload portal GDPR compliant?
It is if files are encrypted, hosted in the EU and access rights are logged. Budget €1,000 to €2,200 for the access log and a defined retention period, for example 6 years for accounting records in Ireland.
Should we keep WordPress?
If your firm targets fewer than 5 enquiries per month and needs no client area, yes. Beyond that, a custom build reduces plugins from 25 to fewer than 5 and halves maintenance time.
What monthly budget should we plan after launch?
Between €150 and €300 for maintenance, plus €400 to €1,000 per month if you outsource SEO content. That second line is what drives qualified enquiries up.
Let's scope your project. We price your redesign based on your service pages, client portal and monthly enquiry target, with an indicative budget of €10,000 to €25,000 and a 4 to 6 week timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
