Website redesign for a private medical clinic in Fribourg: budget, timeline and risks (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre in Fribourg, a bilingual French and German website redesign costs, as a 2026 ballpark, CHF 12,000 to 35,000 with a Fribourg or Bern agency, against CHF 4,500 (Growth) or CHF 8,200 (Premium, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) on Kolonell's fixed grid. The riskiest moment is neither design nor copy: it is the cutover, when a DNS change can stop email, break the booking link or block the reminders sent to patients. Allow 3 to 4 weeks of production once content is approved in both languages, and a cutover planned to the hour.

What can break on cutover day?

In a rehabilitation centre the website is not on its own: it often shares its domain with email, the booking tool and the reminder sender. Switching host or server without an inventory means risking a morning without email at Pérolles and in Bulle alike. English-speaking residents running a practice in the canton face exactly the same set-up.

How does a zero-disruption cutover work?

Before that, Kolonell production runs 3 to 4 weeks once French and German copy is approved: inventory and architecture in week one, design in week two, build and accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA) in week three, staging and cutover in week four.

What budget should you plan in Fribourg?

Ranges are a 2026 ballpark, based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in the Fribourg and Bern area.

Kolonell writes native French or English; German copy is supplied by the centre or an independent translator (third-party cost). The project manager is reachable in your time zone, and maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote. Details are on the international website offer page.

What other risks, and which questions should you ask?

• Content migration: every treatment page (post-operative rehab, sports physiotherapy, neurorehabilitation) must exist in both languages and say the same thing, reviewed by a therapist.
• Forms: under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD/revFADP), in force since 1 September 2023 and supervised by the FDPIC, health data is sensitive personal data. The public form is therefore limited to name, contact details and preferred slot; never prescriptions, diagnoses or insurance numbers. For patients living in the EU, the GDPR may also apply.
• Tracking tags: review them with your adviser before go-live, especially on appointment pages.
• Advertising: health professionals' communication must stay objective and not misleading under federal and cantonal rules, and the canton licenses facilities. No promise of results or recovery times.

This is not legal advice.

Questions for any provider: have you taken over a DNS zone with live email before? What time do you switch, and who tests email? Is the 301 map delivered as a file? What is on quote?

When is a local agency preferable?

If your centre wants a single on-site provider for the website, practice IT and email, or plans a custom patient area with exercise videos, a Fribourg agency that also manages infrastructure is often simpler. Kolonell fits when you want a polished bilingual site, a controlled cutover with your IT contact and a fixed price.

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Belmont-Sarine Rehabilitation Centre, an imaginary physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre with two sites, at Pérolles and in Bulle, employs 11 physiotherapists. Its domain carries the website, 14 mailboxes and the appointment reminders sent by its vendor.

• Choice: Premium at CHF 8,200 (French and German, languages set in the quote).
• German translation, third-party cost: 6,000 words at CHF 0.25 = CHF 1,500, paid to an independent translator.
• DNS: TTL lowered from 86,400 seconds to 300 seconds two days before, so changes, including a rollback, propagate 288 times faster.
• Cutover on a Thursday at 7 pm; tests at 8 pm: 14 mailboxes checked, 1 test reminder, 2 test bookings (FR and DE).
• External budget: 8,200 + 1,500 = CHF 9,700, against CHF 20,000 to 35,000 for a similar bilingual agency scope.

FAQ

Will our email stop during the redesign?

Not if MX, SPF and DKIM records are copied exactly before any change. The cutover happens in the evening with a 5-minute TTL, and email is tested within the hour.

Will appointment reminders keep working?

Yes, if they are sent by your vendor's tool and the links inside them are checked before cutover. Allow 1 to 2 hours of checks with the vendor.

Do we really need German in Fribourg?

In a bilingual canton, a good share of patients search in German. Premium at CHF 8,200 is the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote.

How long will the site be unreachable?

With a prepared cutover, visible disruption is measured in minutes, not hours. Full DNS propagation usually takes under 24 hours with a lowered TTL.

What does post-launch support cover?

The 3 included months cover fixes, 301 checks and Search Console monitoring. After that, maintenance is on quote.

Let's scope your project. A bilingual redesign of 25 to 40 pages, CHF 4,500 to 8,200, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks with a cutover planned outside treatment hours. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.