The verdict in three sentences
Over the years a Wellington family dental practice piles up parent guides, FAQs and very short treatment pages that dilute the site more than they help it. A useful redesign starts with a content triage: keep, merge or drop each page, with a 301 redirect for every URL removed. At Kolonell this work fits the Growth tier at USD 4,900 (Starter at USD 2,900 for a shorter site), against roughly NZD 8,000 to 26,000 with a local agency.
Which pages should you keep, merge or drop?
In a practice that treats children and parents, from Karori to Johnsonville via Te Aro, the most visited content is usually practical: a child's first visit, baby teeth, emergencies after a fall, funded care for children and adolescents. Old pages of a few lines bring neither traffic nor answers.
| Page type | Common state | Decision | URL handling |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Your child's first visit" guide | Useful but dated | Keep and rewrite | URL kept |
| FAQs spread over 6 to 10 pages | Duplicate answers | Merge into one FAQ per topic | 301 to the merged FAQ |
| Treatment pages of 80 to 150 words | Too thin | Merge by treatment family | 301 to the family page |
| News posts older than three years | No traffic | Drop | 301 to the advice section |
| Funded care for children and adolescents | Read by parents | Keep, general wording | URL kept |
| Dental emergency page | Essential | Keep, make more visible | URL kept |
| Pages for former practitioners | Out of date | Drop | 301 to the team page |
The rule: no URL disappears without a destination. Pages that bring visits, identified in Search Console, are rewritten first.
What does the redesign cost and what does each option include?
2026 ballpark figures from typical quotes and public rate pages of Wellington agencies, converted approximately (NZD 1 = about USD 0.60).
| Line | Freelancer | Wellington agency | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total price 2026 | NZD 3,000 to 7,000 (approx. USD 1,800 to 4,200) | NZD 8,000 to 26,000 (approx. USD 4,800 to 15,600) | USD 2,900 (Starter) or USD 4,900 (Growth) |
| Content audit and triage | Rarely | Often, in a workshop | Included in week 1 |
| Rewriting thin pages | Depends on the quote | Often billed extra | Native copywriting included |
| 301 redirect map | Variable | Yes | Included |
| Timeline | 4 to 8 weeks | 6 to 12 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready |
| Booking, recalls, patient portal | Link | Embed as an option | On quote |
The USD 8,900 Premium tier (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) only makes sense if some of your families need another language. Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone and 3 months of support. Practice management software integrations (Dentally, Exact or Pearl-type tools) stay on quote, embedded or linked. Details on the international offer.
How does content migration run, week by week?
- Week 1: export of every URL, Search Console data for the last 12 months, page-by-page decision, 301 map.
- Week 2: rewriting parent guides and merged FAQs in short, readable sentences for a busy parent.
- Week 3: build, internal links rebuilt, redirects checked on a staging environment.
- Week 4: compliance review by the practice, go-live, new sitemap in Search Console, Google Business Profile check.
Schedule the switch outside the school holidays: that is often when parents book appointments for their children.
Which risks for a family practice?
| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Well-ranked parent guide dropped by mistake | Medium | Decision checked against Search Console data |
| Redirect chains after merging FAQs | Medium | Every old URL points straight to its final destination |
| "Paediatric dentist" title not registered | Low to medium | The practitioner must be registered as a specialist with the Dental Council of New Zealand |
| Form collecting a child's data | Medium | Parent contact details and a short reason only (Privacy Act 2020, Health Information Privacy Code 2020) |
| Misleading claims | Low | No "painless" promises, review against the Fair Trading Act |
| Wrong information on funded care | Medium | General wording, eligibility confirmed by the practice; accident-related care under ACC described the same way |
Advertising pixels on treatment pages are reviewed with the practice's privacy adviser. This is not legal advice.
When should you favour a local agency?
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
If you want content workshops at the practice with your team and a few parents, a photo shoot with children (consents included) or a provider who also runs your local campaigns, a Wellington agency makes sense. Ask every candidate: who decides which pages are dropped? How are redirect chains avoided? How many pages are rewritten within the price?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Tui Street Family Dental, a fictional Karori practice, has 64 indexed URLs. Proposed triage:
- 22 pages kept and rewritten;
- 18 pages merged into 9 topic pages;
- 24 pages dropped, each with a 301 redirect.
Check: 22 + 18 + 24 = 64 URLs handled. The new site has 22 + 9 + 3 new pages = 34 pages. Budget: Kolonell Growth USD 4,900, plus an independent illustrator for child-friendly visuals, third-party cost estimated at USD 800, giving USD 5,700. Comparable local quote: NZD 20,000, about USD 12,000.
FAQ
Does dropping pages hurt search rankings?
Not if every removed URL gets a 301 redirect to the closest page. In the case above, all 24 dropped pages are redirected.
How many pages need rewriting?
Start with those that received visits over the last 12 months. A useful treatment page often runs to 400 to 700 words.
Should we keep old news posts?
Rarely beyond three years, unless they still get traffic. Redirect them to the advice section.
Is online booking included in USD 4,900?
No, booking, recalls and the patient portal stay on quote. Your current widget is embedded or linked.
Can the redesign take less than 3 weeks?
Rarely with a triage of 60 URLs or more. Allow 3 to 4 weeks once the practice has supplied its content.
Let's scope your project. Send the list of your current pages and your family-care priorities for a Starter or Growth estimate 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.
