The verdict in three sentences
A 90-truck cold-chain haulier whose website dates from 2016 loses ground mainly in two places: driver recruitment and quote requests from shippers. A redesign at roughly GBP 4,000 to 8,000 or CAD 7,000 to 13,000 is enough if the structure holds and the CMS is maintainable; otherwise a new build at GBP 8,000 to 16,000 or CAD 13,000 to 26,000 costs less over three years. Either way, the project ships in 4 to 8 weeks and pays back first through job ads you no longer buy.
Redesign or rebuild: the decision grid
The current site runs on a 2016 WordPress install with an abandoned theme, 12 pages, no careers section and a generic contact form. The operations manager receives incomplete transport requests: no temperature range, no pallet count, no date. Before choosing, check a few simple criteria.
| Criterion | Redesign is enough if | Rebuild needed if |
|---|---|---|
| Technical base | CMS up to date, maintained plugins | Abandoned theme, outdated PHP, known vulnerabilities |
| Page structure | 70% of the sitemap reusable | No service or careers sections |
| Mobile | Readable, LCP under 3 s | Broken mobile layout, LCP over 5 s |
| Search visibility | Ranking for 'refrigerated haulage Manchester' | No industry keyword ranking |
| Brand | Recent logo and guidelines | Brand refresh needed in parallel |
| Forms | Adding fields is enough | Full quote journey needed |
In this case, four of six criteria point to a rebuild: the base is obsolete and the structure has neither careers nor quotes. Keeping the existing domain and redirecting the 12 current URLs protects what little search equity exists.
What a real careers page is worth
The company needs about 25 drivers a year for rigid and articulated reefers. In the UK that means Class 1 or Class 2 licences with a Driver CPC; in Ontario, AZ or DZ licences. A specialist job board ad costs roughly GBP 250 to 500 in Manchester or CAD 400 to 900 in Toronto, and each role often needs two or three postings.
| Recruitment cost line | Without careers page | With optimised careers page |
|---|---|---|
| Paid ads per year | 60 ads | 30 ads |
| Average cost per ad | GBP 380 / CAD 650 | GBP 380 / CAD 650 |
| Annual ad budget | GBP 22,800 / CAD 39,000 | GBP 11,400 / CAD 19,500 |
| Direct applications per month | 2 to 3 | 8 to 12 |
| Average time to fill a role | 7 to 9 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Truck days idle avoided | Baseline | 40 to 60 days a year |
An effective careers page shows real routes (regional, long-haul, home every night), the equipment (recent tractors, reefer units), indicative pay, and lets a driver apply in under two minutes from a phone. These figures are estimates, to be tracked by application source.
Market budget and timelines
| Option | Manchester (GBP) | Toronto (CAD) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redesign of existing site | 4,000 to 8,000 | 7,000 to 13,000 | 4 to 5 weeks |
| New custom site | 8,000 to 16,000 | 13,000 to 26,000 | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Solo freelancer | 2,000 to 5,000 | 3,500 to 8,000 | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Kolonell website tiers | EUR 1,220 to 5,340 | EUR 1,220 to 5,340 | 4 to 8 weeks |
At Kolonell, the website grid runs from Starter at 800,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA (EUR 1,220 to 1,830) to Premium at 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA (EUR 3,050 to 5,340). For this haulier, the Growth tier at 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA (EUR 1,830 to 3,050) covers the careers page, the quote form and an industry blog. Basic maintenance is 35,000 FCFA per month (EUR 53). See the website service for details.
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Tom, managing director of a 90-truck reefer haulier near Manchester, posts 60 job ads a year at GBP 380, or GBP 22,800. With a careers page and a mobile application form, he aims to cut 30 ads, saving GBP 11,400 a year. Each idle truck costs about GBP 550 of margin per working day. By shortening time to hire by 3 weeks on only 4 roles a year, he recovers 60 truck days, or GBP 33,000 of margin. A GBP 10,000 rebuild pays back in under four months, even with assumptions twice as cautious. A Toronto operator running the same numbers at CAD 650 per ad and CAD 900 per truck day would recover roughly CAD 19,500 in ads and CAD 54,000 in margin.
FAQ
Can we keep our current domain name?
Yes, and you should. The 12 existing URLs are redirected one by one to keep their history, which takes less than a day.
Should we show driver pay?
An indicative range noticeably increases applications, often by 20 to 40% according to job boards. It can stay broad and tied to your pay scale.
Which fields belong in the quote form?
Origin, destination, pallet count, temperature range (chilled, frozen, deep frozen), date and frequency. These 6 fields are enough for a first price.
How long until the site is live?
Allow 4 to 5 weeks for a redesign and 6 to 8 weeks for a rebuild, if fleet photos are ready.
Does a rebuild help local search?
Yes, if pages target queries like 'refrigerated transport Manchester' and your Google Business Profile is current. Early effects show in 2 to 4 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current site address and hiring needs, and we will tell you whether to redesign or rebuild, with a 4 to 8 week plan. 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.
