The verdict in three sentences
If your 2017 Joomla website still runs on an unsupported version and brings only 4 quote requests a month, a visual redesign will not fix the underlying problem. A full rebuild, at 12,000 to 25,000 EUR excl. VAT with a German agency, is justified as soon as security, speed and product page structure are at stake. A redesign at 5,000 to 9,000 EUR excl. VAT only makes sense if the technical base is current and the problem is mostly visual.
Redesign or rebuild: what you are actually buying
A redesign changes the theme, colours, a few templates and the homepage copy. A rebuild reworks the sitemap, the technology, the product content and the quote request flow. The first takes about 6 weeks, the second 10 to 12 weeks.
| Criterion | Joomla redesign | Full rebuild | Kolonell Premium tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 budget | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR excl. VAT (market estimate) | 12,000 to 25,000 EUR excl. VAT (market estimate) | 3,050 to 5,340 EUR excl. VAT (2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA) |
| Timeline | 6 weeks | 10 to 12 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Technical base | Unchanged, old extensions kept | New CMS or framework | Next.js with a headless CMS |
| Mobile speed | Limited gain, often 10 to 20% | Pages 2 to 4 times lighter | Lighthouse target above 90 |
| Product and application pages | Carried over as is | Restructured by customer industry | Restructured, filterable technical data |
| SEO risk | Low | Medium, controlled with a redirect plan | 301 redirect plan included |
| Expected lifespan | 2 to 3 years | 5 to 7 years | 5 years or more |
Watch out: Joomla 3 has been unsupported since August 2023. If your site still runs on it, a redesign forces a migration to Joomla 5 anyway, which often breaks extensions and the theme. The real cost of a simple redesign then exceeds 10,000 EUR excl. VAT. In Germany, also check that the Impressum meets the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG) and that cookie consent complies with the TDDDG.
The decision tree in 7 questions
- Is your Joomla version supported? No: rebuild or heavy migration, a redesign alone is ruled out.
- How many third-party extensions do you run? More than 15: every update becomes a risk, lean towards a rebuild.
- Do your product pages answer buyer questions (tolerances, materials, certifications, lead times)? No: the content needs rework, and so does the structure.
- Does organic traffic exceed 3,000 visits a month? Yes: plan a line-by-line redirect map in either scenario.
- Can buyers attach a drawing or specification to the quote form? No: this is often the main reason for low enquiry volume.
- Must the site connect to your CRM or ERP? Yes: a rebuild is cheaper than patching the existing site.
- Can your sales team edit a page alone? No: choose a simpler CMS, which means a rebuild.
Three or more unfavourable answers: rebuild. One or two: a redesign is enough if the base is current.
The 3-year cost, not just the quote
The initial quote says nothing about what the site costs afterwards. Old Joomla sites accumulate corrective work.
| 3-year item | Keep and redesign | Rebuild with an agency | Rebuild with Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial project | 7,000 EUR | 18,000 EUR | 4,500 EUR |
| Joomla 5 migration and extensions | 3,000 EUR | Included | Included |
| Maintenance (36 months) | 36 x 150 = 5,400 EUR | 36 x 200 = 7,200 EUR | 36 x 110 = 3,960 EUR |
| Unplanned security fixes | 2,000 to 4,000 EUR | Low | Low |
| Hosting | 1,100 EUR | 1,100 EUR | Included in maintenance |
| Estimated 3-year total | 18,500 to 20,500 EUR | 26,300 EUR | 8,460 EUR |
Agency figures are 2026 orders of magnitude for Berlin, excluding VAT. The Kolonell Standard maintenance plan is 75,000 FCFA a month, or 110 EUR.
To protect traffic: export every indexed URL from Search Console, map each old URL to a new one, test 301 redirects before switching and monitor errors for 8 weeks. A poorly prepared migration commonly loses 20 to 40% of organic traffic for several months.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Stefan, managing director of an 80-employee precision machining company in Berlin (illustrative example), receives 4 quote requests a month. His conversion rate is 25%, an average order is worth 32,000 EUR and the gross margin is 30%.
After a rebuild with industry-specific pages and a form that accepts drawings, he targets 8 requests a month. Four more requests at 25% conversion add one order a month, or 9,600 EUR of monthly margin. On an 18,000 EUR budget, payback takes two months; even with only one extra order per quarter, it stays under six months.
FAQ
Can we keep Joomla and simply update it?
Yes, if you are already on Joomla 4 or 5 with fewer than 10 extensions. Beyond that, migration often costs 3,000 to 6,000 EUR for a result that remains fragile.
How long does a rebuild take?
Between 10 and 12 weeks with an agency, including 3 to 4 weeks to rewrite product content. Delays almost always come from internal sign-off of technical data sheets.
Will we lose our search rankings?
Not if every old URL is 301-redirected to its equivalent. Without a redirect plan, traffic commonly drops 20 to 40% for 3 to 6 months.
Should the site be in German and English?
If more than 20% of revenue comes from exports, yes for product pages. Budget 0.10 to 0.15 EUR per word for technical translation.
Who should lead the project internally?
A sales and engineering pair, at 2 to 3 hours a week. Without that pair, product pages stay generic and quote requests do not grow.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL and current enquiry volume: we will price a rebuild on the Kolonell Premium tier, 3,050 to 5,340 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 6 to 8 weeks. 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.
