The verdict in three sentences
For a Charleston accounting firm serving property investors and landlords, much of the website's value lives in its content: insights, tax deadline guides and newsletter archives. A redesign runs a 2026 ballpark of USD 9,000 to 22,000 at a local studio, against USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium) with Kolonell, in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The main risk is losing those pages, or hurting email delivery just as the domain setup changes.
What content do you actually need to migrate?
Take inventory before any quote. The volumes below are a typical assumption for a 4 to 8 person firm that has published for several years.
| Content type | Typical volume (assumption) | Recommended action | Redirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insights (landlords, short-term rentals, fix and flip) | 40 to 80 | Keep those with traffic, merge duplicates | 301 to the kept article |
| Tax deadline guides | 6 to 12 | Update dates for 2027, keep the URL | Same URL |
| Newsletter archive | 30 to 60 issues | Group into a dated archive, no personal data | 301 if the URL changes |
| Service pages | 6 to 10 | Rewrite, partner review | 301 page by page |
| Fee pages | 1 to 3 | Keep if they rank, check every amount | Same URL preferred |
| Downloadable PDFs | 5 to 20 | Remove outdated PDFs, redirect the rest | 301 to the replacement page |
Deadline guides should stay descriptive: they give dates and general steps, with no personal tax advice and no outcome promises.
What does a redesign cost in Charleston?
2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public rate pages of Charleston and Southeast agencies.
| Option | Budget (ballpark) | Timeline | Content migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | USD 3,000 to 8,000 | 6 to 10 weeks | Often billed hourly |
| Charleston studio (peninsula, Mount Pleasant) | USD 9,000 to 22,000 | 8 to 14 weeks | Often an add-on, USD 1,500 to 4,000 |
| Regional agency (Charlotte, Atlanta) | USD 18,000 to 40,000 | 10 to 18 weeks | Included depending on volume |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Volume set in the quote |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Volume set in the quote |
| Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) | USD 8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Volume set in the quote |
Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. On quote: client portal, secure document exchange, e-signature, links to QuickBooks, Xero or your practice management software, SEO work. Details on the international offer page.
How do you protect email deliverability?
Changing host or sending tool often touches DNS records. A newsletter landing in spam during tax season costs real client goodwill.
| Checkpoint | Why | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| SPF up to date | Authorizes the sending tool to use your domain | Kolonell with your DNS provider |
| DKIM active | Signs your messages | Sending tool and DNS |
| DMARC published | Effectively required by major mailbox providers since 2024 | Kolonell with the firm |
| Unsubscribe link and postal address | CAN-SPAM requirements | Newsletter template |
| List imported with documented consent | Avoids complaints and blocks | Firm |
| Test send to several mailbox providers | Catches problems before the real send | Kolonell |
Other risks: SEO traffic loss (URL inventory, 301 redirect map, 30 days of Search Console tracking), broken client portal link (tested on staging), downtime (DNS TTL lowered 48 hours ahead), overreaching forms (name, contact, property type and need, never a tax ID or bank statement, in line with the FTC Safeguards Rule), professional titles (CPA only for people who hold the state license). Client onboarding remains the firm's own procedure. This is not legal advice.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Schedule: week 1 inventory and DNS, week 2 design and guide rewrites, week 3 migration and redirects, week 4 compliance read-through, test send and go-live. Recommended window: late May to August, away from the January to mid-April peak and the fall extensions.
Questions to ask your provider: how many articles are migrated within the price? Who checks SPF, DKIM and DMARC? Do newsletter archives keep their URLs?
When a local agency is the better choice: if you want a Charleston team writing monthly articles on the local rental market, or running your email campaigns on an ongoing basis, a local studio with an editorial retainer fits better.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example.* Ashley Marsh Accounting, a 6-person firm in West Ashley, serves long-term landlords and short-term rental hosts on the peninsula, in Mount Pleasant and on James Island. Inventory: 62 articles, 9 deadline guides, 48 newsletter issues.
- Triage: 38 articles kept, 24 merged with a 301 redirect
- Kolonell Growth: USD 4,900, migrated volume confirmed in the quote
- Newsletter tool for 12 months (third-party tool, market assumption): USD 30 x 12 = USD 360
- First-year total: USD 5,260, against USD 14,000 for a local studio + USD 2,500 for migration, so USD 16,500
Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote. Go-live in late May, first test newsletter 48 hours later.
FAQ
Should we migrate every newsletter issue? No, only those with lasting value. A dated archive of 20 to 50 issues is usually enough.
Will deadline guides lose their rankings? Not if they keep their URL and are updated each year. A guide page can stay in place for 5 years or more.
How long does the inventory take? Plan 2 to 4 days for a site of 60 to 100 URLs.
Does Kolonell check deliverability? Yes, SPF, DKIM and DMARC are checked before the switch. The choice of sending tool remains the firm's.
Which tier for a large article volume? Growth at USD 4,900 or Premium at USD 8,900, with the exact volume set in the quote.
Let's scope your project. A redesign with migration of insights, guides and newsletter archives, USD 2,900 to 8,900, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
