The verdict in three sentences
For a private or international school in Sandton, Bryanston, Morningside or Fourways, a redesign costs about ZAR 70,000 to 300,000 (USD 3,900 to 16,500) with a Johannesburg agency in 2026, against a fixed USD 2,900 (Starter), USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium) at Kolonell. School redesigns that go wrong usually share one cause: a badly timed cutover in the middle of an admissions campaign, or a DNS change that cuts off staff email. Fix the go-live window first, then plan the 3 to 4 week build backwards from it.
How do you know a redesign is due?
Three situations come up again and again at Sandton schools serving corporate and diplomatic families. Each campus or phase has its own site, with conflicting information on hours and transport. Admissions enquiries arrive through three channels with no tracking. And the site is slow on mobile, even though most parents check it between meetings. Add a hand-edited calendar page and pupil photos whose consent forms nobody can find, and the redesign becomes a risk management question too.
What budget should a Sandton school plan?
2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public rate pages in Johannesburg, converted at about ZAR 18 to the US dollar (approximate).
| Provider | Typical quote (ZAR) | Approx. USD | Usual timeline | Cutover support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | 25,000 to 70,000 | 1,400 to 3,900 | 4 to 8 weeks | Often limited, DNS left to the school |
| Rosebank or Fourways studio | 70,000 to 160,000 | 3,900 to 8,900 | 6 to 10 weeks | Basic redirects |
| Established Sandton agency | 160,000 to 300,000 | 8,900 to 16,500 | 8 to 14 weeks | Cutover plan, training |
| Agency with portal or SIS work | 300,000 and up | 16,500 and up | 3 to 6 months | Full integrations |
| Kolonell Starter | fixed price | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | 301 map, DNS checklist |
| Kolonell Growth | fixed price | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | 301 map, DNS checklist, several campuses |
Premium at USD 8,900 is the multilingual tier (languages set in the quote), useful if the school publishes in English and another language. Every tier includes a project manager reachable in Johannesburg working hours, native English or French copywriting and 3 months of support; maintenance after that is on quote. See the international offer.
On quote, each on its own line: admissions portal, fee payment, SIS or MIS, parent app, calendar feeds. They are kept and linked from the new site.
When can you switch without disrupting families?
| Window | What is happening | Go-live verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Main admissions campaign | Peak in enquiries and tours | Avoid |
| Open days and open mornings | Traffic concentrated on event pages | Avoid, freeze event pages 2 weeks before |
| Exams (IEB or others, if the school sits them) | Staff unavailable | Avoid |
| Winter holiday (June to July) | Low parent traffic, staff around | Good window |
| December to early January holiday | Lowest traffic, staff away | Possible with a named on-call contact |
| Short mid-term break | Short window | Possible for a small site |
Which DNS and email items must you check?
| Item | Risk if missed | Action |
|---|---|---|
| MX records | Staff and parent email stops arriving | Do not change them, copy them exactly |
| SPF, DKIM, DMARC | School emails land in spam | Verify after cutover |
| Subdomains (portal, parents) | Portal unreachable | Full inventory before any change |
| TTL | Slow propagation | Lower it to 300 seconds 48 hours before |
| SSL certificate | Browser security warning | Issued and tested before the announcement |
| Form routing | Admissions enquiries lost | Live test on go-live day and the day after |
On power cuts and connectivity, the site is hosted in external data centres; what matters is that staff can post a closure alert from a phone.
Which other risks need a plan?
- Search: URL inventory, 301 map and 6 weeks of Search Console checks for admissions, fees (if published), curriculum, open days, transport and term dates.
- Children's data: POPIA sets specific conditions for children's personal information, overseen by the Information Regulator. Keep open forms minimal, with no health, special needs, school report, passport or custody data; documents go through the secure portal.
- Claims: registration with the Gauteng Department of Education, IEB exams and accreditations only as actually held; safeguarding policies published as the school's own documents. General consumer protection rules apply to statements about fees.
- Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA, captioned videos, accessible PDFs.
This is not legal advice.
When is a local agency the better choice?
Need a professional website?
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If the school wants a provider physically present on cutover day, photo shoots at each campus through the year, or a redesign tied to a new admissions portal, a Johannesburg agency remains the right call. Ask any provider: who touches the DNS, and when? Will MX records be documented first? Who tests the forms the day after?
Mini case study
Illustrative example (fictional group). Tinkerwood Pre-Schools, a group of three nursery and pre-school sites under one brand (Bryanston, Morningside, Fourways), runs three old sites on three domains.
- Kolonell Growth: one site with three campus pages, USD 4,900
- Independent photographer, photos with parental consent (third-party cost): about ZAR 9,000, roughly USD 500
- Total: 4,900 + 500 = USD 5,400
- Sandton agency quote for the same scope: ZAR 140,000, about USD 7,800
- Hosting of the three old sites (market assumption): 3 x ZAR 400 = ZAR 1,200 a month, about USD 67, retired after cutover
All three domains are kept and 301-redirected to the campus pages. Go-live in the winter holiday, TTL lowered 48 hours before, MX records untouched. Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
FAQ
How much does a school website redesign cost in Sandton in 2026?
About ZAR 70,000 to 300,000 (USD 3,900 to 16,500) with a local agency. Kolonell offers USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 at a fixed price, portals on quote.
How long does the cutover take?
DNS propagation takes from a few minutes to 48 hours depending on the TTL. With a 300-second TTL, most visitors see the new site within an hour.
Will school email go down?
Not if MX records are copied exactly and verified. A send and receive test is run within an hour of the switch.
Can several campuses share one site?
Yes, Growth at USD 4,900 covers several campus pages. Old domains are kept and 301-redirected.
What about the admissions portal?
It stays a separate line on quote, kept and linked. Every link is tested on go-live day and for 6 weeks after.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your campuses, current domains and target cutover window, and we will return a scope, a fixed USD price and a 3 to 4 week plan. 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.
