The verdict in three sentences
In Bellevue, a private school website redesign costs USD 25,000 to 70,000 with an Eastside or Seattle agency in 2026, against USD 2,900 (Starter), USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium) with Kolonell, integrations on quote. Above all, the site has to tell the school's story to families who often arrive from abroad: a day in the life, a curriculum explained in plain words, real staff pages, with no invented results or rankings. Allow 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and a 301 redirect map for every old domain if the school has merged.
Five signals that a redesign is due
- Two websites after a merger. Families land on the old name, dates differ from one site to the other, and search engines hesitate between two admissions pages.
- Relocating families who cannot decode your curriculum. Tech-sector parents settling in Downtown Bellevue, Medina, Clyde Hill or Redmond are comparing school systems they do not know.
- Empty or outdated staff pages. A list of names with no role or background reassures nobody.
- An inquiry form that asks too much, including questions about the child's health or special needs.
- Uncaptioned videos and inaccessible PDFs, while ADA Title III website claims against private organizations are frequent in the US.
What should prospective parents read on the new site?
| Page | What a parent looks for | What to leave out | Content source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A day in the life, by grade band | Schedule, lunch, recess, after-school activities | Invented outcomes, identifiable children without consent | Teachers, the real timetable |
| Curriculum explained | What is taught and how, in plain words | Rankings, exam promises | Head of curriculum |
| Staff pages | Role, background, why they teach | Unverified ratios or credentials | Staff, with their agreement |
| Admissions journey | Steps, dates, contact | Health or special-needs questions | Admissions office |
| The merger story | Why the two schools joined, what stays the same | Promises about future results | Head of school and board |
| Getting here and local life | Commutes, school bus, extended-day hours | Superlatives such as best school | Operations |
NWAIS accreditation appears only if the school actually holds it. Child protection pages remain the school's own documents, published as they are.
What does the redesign cost, line by line?
2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages.
| Line | Eastside or Seattle agency | Freelance | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and site map for both sites | USD 3,000 to 6,000 | Rarely offered | Included in the tier |
| Design and build | USD 15,000 to 40,000 | USD 5,000 to 14,000 | USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 by tier |
| Story copy (day in the life, curriculum) | USD 3,000 to 10,000 | Written by the school | Native English or French copywriting included |
| Migration and 301 map for both domains | USD 2,000 to 6,000 | USD 1,000 to 4,000 | Volume set in the quote |
| Photo and video | USD 2,000 to 8,000 | Third-party vendor | Local photographer, third-party cost |
| Admissions portal, payments, SIS, parent app, calendar feeds | Priced separately | Rarely | On quote, kept and linked |
| Website total, excluding on-quote lines | USD 25,000 to 70,000 | USD 6,000 to 18,000 excluding photo | USD 2,900 to 8,900 |
Premium is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote: useful if a share of your inquiries arrives in a language other than English. Details are on the international offer page.
What is the timeline by phase?
| Phase | Kolonell | Typical agency | School's homework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content inventory of both sites | 1 to 2 weeks before kickoff, with our checklist | 2 to 4 weeks | Export pages, decide what to keep |
| Interviews and stories | Week 1 | 3 to 6 weeks | Book 4 to 6 teacher and parent interviews |
| Design and structure | Weeks 1 to 2 | 4 to 8 weeks | One decision-maker for sign-off |
| Build and migration | Weeks 2 to 3 | 6 to 10 weeks | Check policies and accessible PDFs |
| Review, accessibility, compliance | Weeks 3 to 4 | 2 to 4 weeks | Approve every claim |
| Go-live and 301s for both domains | Week 4 | 1 to 2 weeks | Tell families about the new address |
Aim for a summer go-live or a quiet week, outside the admissions peak and open house dates, then watch Search Console for 6 weeks.
Risks of a post-merger redesign
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- Duplicate content across the two old sites: pick one reference page per topic and 301 the other.
- Old domain dropped too early: keep it and redirect it for at least 12 months, or links shared by families and directories break.
- Portal and payment links pointing to two different accounts: inventory them, then re-link on quote.
- Student photos from the former school without documented consent: remove them, with a take-down process on request.
- Sensitive data: Washington's My Health My Data Act targets consumer health data; the simplest path is to collect none in open forms. Newsletters fall under the CAN-SPAM Act. This is not legal advice.
Questions for any provider: who owns both domains? Is the 301 map delivered before the switch? Who captions the videos? Who updates staff pages and dates after the 3 months of support?
A local agency is the better choice if you want repeated filming on campus, a full new identity after the merger, or in-person workshops with two boards.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Cedar Hollow School has merged with Larchmere Primary. Priya, director of communications, runs two websites: 64 URLs on one, 41 on the other, 105 URLs in total. The new site has 52 pages.
- 301 map: 105 old URLs, 93 redirected to their equivalent, 12 to the closest parent page.
- Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote): USD 8,900, English plus the language most frequent in the school's real inquiries.
- Independent native reviewer for the second language: USD 650 (third-party cost).
- Captioning service for 6 short day-in-the-life videos: USD 300 (third-party cost).
- Re-linking the single admissions portal: on quote.
Known total: 8,900 + 650 + 300 = USD 9,850, against an agency range of USD 25,000 to 70,000.
FAQ
How much does a school website redesign cost in Bellevue in 2026? USD 25,000 to 70,000 with a local agency, USD 6,000 to 18,000 with a freelancer. With Kolonell, USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900, integrations on quote.
Should we keep both old domains? Yes, for at least 12 months, redirected with 301s to the new site. Dropping them too early breaks links families have shared.
Can we publish staff ratios or results? Only if they are accurate, verified and approved by school leadership. A well-told day in the life often reassures more than a single number.
How long does it take? 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, plus 1 to 2 weeks of inventory on the school side. Agencies usually plan 3 to 6 months.
Do we need to translate the whole site? No: start with 6 to 10 key pages (admissions, day in the life, curriculum, contact). The exact scope is set in the Premium quote.
Let's scope your project. Send us the URL lists of both websites and the integrations to re-link: we will price the right tier and a switch outside your admissions season. 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.
