Website redesign for an architecture firm in Gaborone: budget, timeline and risks (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For an architecture firm in Gaborone, a successful redesign is one whose portfolio stays current after the supplier leaves, which needs clear governance: who adds a project, who confirms client permission, who publishes. Kolonell offers USD 2,900 (Starter), USD 4,900 (Growth) and USD 8,900 (Premium), against roughly BWP 45,000 to 140,000 (about USD 3,300 to 10,400) at a Gaborone agency, 2026 ballpark. For a workplace fit-out practice, the main risk lies in the confidentiality of corporate clients rather than in the design.

How do you know your site needs a redesign?

In Gaborone, practices work for public bodies, companies, some linked to mining or to the diplomatic community, and private clients. The site must reassure a facilities manager as much as a property director. The most frequent signals:

• the latest project online is more than 12 months old although the practice delivers several fit-outs a year;
• nobody knows who holds the admin logins;
• every project was laid out by hand, each with a different structure;
• corporate projects are shown with no written record of client permission;
• project pages take more than 4 s to display on mobile;
• the form asks for drawings or internal documents as attachments.

What budget for a redesign in Gaborone in 2026?

Ranges based on typical quotes from agencies and freelancers in Botswana, 2026 ballpark, converted at roughly BWP 13.5 to USD 1.

The tiers of the international offer include a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and 3 months of support. On quote: project extranet, client portal, BIM viewer, tender document room, CRM and a secure channel for exchanging drawings, linked or embedded in the site. Setswana touches are possible if the practice already uses them.

Who does what once the site is live?

Governance is decided during the redesign, not after it. Here is a simple split for a practice of 8 to 20 people.

The project template enforces the same fields: project type, city or district, floor area only if the client allows it, the practice's role, photo credit, 6 to 12 images. A corporate project can be anonymised (offices for an industrial group) when the client prefers not to be named.

Which risks and which schedule?

Week 1: URL and access inventory. Week 2: project template, roles and training. Week 3: portfolio migration and compliance review. Week 4: go-live, 301 redirects, then 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.

• Lost access. Domain, hosting and admin registered in the practice's name, with two named accounts.
• Ranking loss. A page-by-page 301 redirect map for projects and services already indexed.
• Confidentiality. No corporate project published without written permission; private houses without an address.
• Titles and credentials. The title architect appears only for people registered with the national registration council; awards and certifications only if real and supplied by the practice.
• Processes. Development control by the local authority is described in general terms, never as advice.
• Personal data. A form limited to name, contact, project type, area and rough budget, in line with the spirit of Botswana's Data Protection Act, overseen by the Information and Data Protection Commission. This is not legal advice.

Questions for any supplier: do you deliver a written publishing guide? How many user accounts are included? Who trains the team, and for how long? How are changes billed after the 3 months of support?

A Gaborone agency remains the better choice if you want the supplier to publish your projects every month, if your sites need regular photography, or if you prefer face-to-face meetings.

Mini case study

*Illustrative example.* Neo is a partner at Marula Line Studio, a Gaborone practice focused on workplace and commercial fit-out. The practice delivers about 8 projects a year, yet the site shows only 5, all old.

Before: each upload took about 3 hours (manual layout, hunting for photos, chasing client permission). With the template and the role split above, it drops to about 75 minutes. Over 8 projects: 24 hours against 10, so 14 hours freed per year.

Budget: Growth at USD 4,900, plus an independent photographer (third-party cost) for 3 recent projects, about BWP 8,000 (roughly USD 590). Total of about USD 5,490, against a hypothetical local quote of BWP 95,000 (about USD 7,000).

FAQ

How long does it take to publish a project after the redesign?

With a template, about 75 minutes shared between four people, against 3 hours with free layout. Kolonell's project manager trains the team during the 3 months of support.

Can we show a corporate project without naming the client?

Yes, with an anonymised description and written client permission. Out of 10 projects, it is common that some cannot be named.

Is the USD 2,900 Starter tier enough for a Gaborone practice?

For 5 pages and fewer than 10 projects, yes. Growth at USD 4,900 adds user roles and the blog.

What happens to the old site addresses?

Every indexed page gets a 301 redirect, then Search Console is monitored for 6 weeks. Remaining 404 errors are fixed within that period.

Do we need a Setswana version?

Only if the practice already uses it with clients. A full language belongs to Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), at USD 8,900.

Let's scope your project. A Gaborone redesign with a project template and publishing governance, USD 2,900 to 8,900, in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.