The verdict in three sentences
For a Wellington aesthetic clinic whose clients include diplomats, expatriates and visitors, the riskiest hour of a redesign is the cutover: the moment DNS, email and booking links move to the new site. A typical Wellington agency quotes NZD 12,000 to 40,000 (about USD 7,100 to 23,600) in 2026, while Kolonell's fixed grid is USD 2,900, USD 4,900 or USD 8,900 (Premium, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), with booking, deposits and clinic software integrations on quote. Launch on a quiet weekday morning, well before the pre-Christmas rush, with a written runbook and a rollback plan.
Why does the switch-over deserve its own plan?
Clinics around Lambton Quay, Thorndon and Te Aro serve people who often book from abroad before they arrive, or between postings. If the domain stops resolving, if email bounces or if the booking button points to a dead page for even a day, an international client rarely tries twice. Most of these failures come from three places: DNS records changed without lowering the TTL, mail records (MX, SPF, DKIM) overwritten by the new host, and booking widgets hard-coded to old URLs.
What does a clean cutover look like, day by day?
| When | Task | Owner | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day minus 14 | Full URL inventory and 301 map signed off | Kolonell and clinic | Every ranking page mapped |
| Day minus 7 | Booking links and embedded widgets tested on staging | Kolonell | Test booking at each service |
| Day minus 2 | DNS TTL lowered to 300 seconds; MX, SPF and DKIM records copied | Kolonell, domain holder | Records compared line by line |
| Day 0, 10 am | DNS switched on a Tuesday or Wednesday | Kolonell | Site live in all regions within 1 hour |
| Day 0, noon | Redirect test, forms, email send and receive | Kolonell and clinic | 100 percent of mapped URLs return 301 or 200 |
| Day plus 1 | Google Business Profile, hours, practitioner list confirmed | Clinic | Profile matches the site |
| Days plus 7 to 30 | Search Console coverage and 404 report weekly | Kolonell | Errors fixed within 48 hours |
The rollback plan is simple: the old site stays on its host for 30 days, so pointing DNS back takes minutes if something critical fails.
How much should a Wellington clinic budget?
Local figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical Wellington agency quotes, converted at about 0.59 USD per NZD.
| Provider | 2026 ballpark | Approx. USD | Cutover handled? | Multilingual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | NZD 4,000 to 10,000 | 2,400 to 5,900 | Often left to the clinic | Rare |
| Wellington agency | NZD 12,000 to 40,000 | 7,100 to 23,600 | Usually | Extra, quoted per language |
| Kolonell Starter | Fixed | USD 2,900 | Yes, runbook included | No |
| Kolonell Growth | Fixed | USD 4,900 | Yes, runbook and 301 map | No |
| Kolonell Premium | Fixed | USD 8,900 | Yes | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, with hreflang |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in New Zealand hours, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. On quote: online booking, deposits and payment, consultation photo upload, CRM and clinic software integrations (Pabau, Zenoti, Phorest, Fresha type tools), embedded or linked, never rebuilt. Details on the international offer page.
What must be checked before go-live?
A redesign is also the moment to bring every page in line with current New Zealand rules, stated generally here. Medicines advertising is governed by the Medicines Act 1981 and Medsafe guidance, so injectable treatment pages describe the consultation and the practitioner, and the clinic checks any medicine reference with its adviser. The Fair Trading Act applies to claims, so copy avoids promised results and superlatives. The Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 shape the forms: name, contact and treatment of interest only, with photo upload kept inside the clinic software. Testimonials and before-and-after images stay only where your adviser confirms they are allowed, with written consent and no editing. Medical Council and Nursing Council registration details are confirmed by the clinic for every practitioner listed. This is not legal advice.
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When is a local agency the better choice?
If your clinic wants someone physically present on launch day, an ongoing local ads retainer, or a bespoke client portal for repeat international clients, a Wellington agency is the stronger fit. A fixed-grid remote studio works when the page list is clear and the cutover can be run from a written runbook.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Thorndon Quay Skin Rooms (fictional) serves many expatriate clients. Elena, the operations manager, wants English plus one other language, and the clinic's email runs on a separate provider that must not move.
- Kolonell Premium (multilingual tier, languages set in the quote): USD 8,900
- Independent translator for 12 treatment pages, third-party cost: NZD 1,800, about USD 1,060
- Email: unchanged, MX, SPF and DKIM records copied to the new DNS zone, no extra fee
- Total: 8,900 + 1,060 = USD 9,960
Timing: content ready on 1 August, build of 4 weeks, launch on Tuesday 1 September at 10 am. That leaves about 12 weeks of margin before early December.
FAQ
How long is the site offline during the switch? With a TTL lowered to 300 seconds 48 hours ahead, most visitors see the new site within an hour, and the old one keeps answering meanwhile. Real downtime is usually zero.
Will our email stop working? Not if MX, SPF and DKIM records are copied before the switch. They are checked line by line on day minus 2.
Which day should we launch? A Tuesday or Wednesday morning, at least 8 weeks before the pre-Christmas peak. Fridays and public holidays are avoided.
What if booking breaks after launch? Booking stays in the clinic software and is linked, so a broken link is a 5-minute fix. The old site also stays available for 30 days as a rollback.
Can the clinic keep its domain registrar? Yes, only DNS records change. Request a free quote with your registrar and email provider names.
Let's scope your project. A multilingual redesign with a written cutover runbook and rollback plan, from USD 4,900 to USD 8,900, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. 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.
