The verdict in three sentences
In Bridgetown, an architecture firm website redesign represents a ballpark of USD 9,000 to 24,000 with a local agency, against USD 2,900 for Starter and USD 4,900 for Growth with Kolonell (USD 8,900 for Premium), in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. For a residential practice, the decisive work is the portfolio migration: sorting project pages, checking the rights and credits of every image, redirecting every old URL. A portfolio migrated without method loses Google positions and exposes the firm to claims from photographers or homeowners.
Five signals the redesign cannot wait
- The portfolio exceeds 40 project pages, some with no text or photo credit.
- Private villas appear with their address or an overly precise location.
- Project pages weigh more than 8 MB on mobile.
- Heritage and new-build projects are mixed with no filter.
- Plans arrive by email through the contact form.
Keep, merge or retire: auditing the portfolio
| Page type | Criterion | Decision | Redirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recent project with client permission and credits | representative of current work | keep and rewrite | URL kept where possible |
| Project receiving visits from Google | visible in Search Console | keep | 301 if the URL changes |
| Several small similar projects | 3 kitchen renovations, for instance | merge into one page | 301 from each page to the merged page |
| Project without client permission | uncertain right of use | retire | 301 to the category |
| Competition entry or unbuilt scheme | keep only if real and documented | keep or retire | 301 to the category |
| News page older than 4 years | no traffic | retire | 301 to the news page |
Projects within Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, the World Heritage property, or on other historic buildings, are described in general terms: approach and constraints respected, without detailing Planning and Development Department procedures or presenting them as advice.
Rights and credits: the list to close before go-live
| Item | Who supplies it | Blocks go-live? |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer credit for every image | firm | yes |
| Web licence for the photos | photographer | yes |
| Written client permission per project | firm | yes |
| Removal of private house addresses | firm and Kolonell | yes |
| Image alt text | Kolonell | no, but recommended |
| Professional titles of the team | firm | yes |
The word architect is used only for people who hold that title, and membership of a professional body is cited only if real. Awards, publications and certifications appear only if supplied by the firm.
Budget and timeline
Ranges are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages on the island, in USD (the Barbados dollar is pegged to the US dollar).
| Option | 2026 price | Duration | 301 redirect map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local agency, full redesign | USD 9,000 to 24,000 | 8 to 12 weeks | usually included |
| Local agency, new theme | USD 4,000 to 8,000 | 4 to 6 weeks | often missing |
| Freelance designer | USD 2,000 to 6,000 | 4 to 8 weeks | rarely |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | included |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | included |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | included, the multilingual tier (languages set in the quote) |
Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting and 3 months of support. See the international offer. Typical schedule: portfolio audit and sorting upfront, design in week 1, migration in weeks 2 and 3, testing and go-live in week 4, then 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.
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The other risks to manage
- Orphaned images: files left on the old server and still indexed. They are removed or redirected.
- Gallery weight: conversion to WebP or AVIF, lazy loading, responsive sizes.
- Downtime: DNS switch outside office hours, after testing on staging.
- Personal data: the Barbados Data Protection Act 2019 governs your form. Minimum fields: name, contact, project type, area, rough budget; plans sent through a secure channel on quote. This is not legal advice.
- Compliance review: all marketing copy reviewed before go-live.
On quote, linked or embedded: project extranets, BIM viewers, client portals, tender document rooms, CRM.
When is a local agency better? If you want a photographer coordinated on every villa, in-person workshops with both partners, or a client portal built under the same contract. Either way, ask who decides the portfolio sort and who tests the redirects.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Flamboyant Row Studio, a Bridgetown residential practice led by two partners, about eight staff. Its portfolio has 45 project pages: 20 kept, 15 merged into 5 pages, 10 retired for lack of client permission, leaving 25 project pages; the new structure changes all 45 old URLs, hence 45 tested 301 redirects. Growth tier at USD 4,900. Third-party cost: retouching of 60 photos by a freelance retoucher, USD 400 (market assumption, third-party cost). Total: 4,900 + 400 = USD 5,300, against USD 16,500 for the middle of a local agency range, a gap of USD 11,200. Maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
FAQ
How many project pages should we keep? Those with client permission, credits and current value. For an 8-person practice, 15 to 25 pages are often enough.
Can we show a villa without the owner's permission? Better not. Without written permission, the page is retired and 301-redirected to its category.
How long does the portfolio sort take? About 1 to 2 days for 45 pages, before the 3 to 4 weeks of build.
Do heritage projects need their own page? It is worth it from 3 projects. The page describes the approach in general terms, with no value as regulatory advice.
What happens after go-live? 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring, then 3 months of included support; beyond that, maintenance on quote.
To price your migration, request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. Send your number of project pages and your target date: we price the redesign and migration between USD 2,900 and 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.
