The verdict in three sentences
A visual redesign on top of a 2017 Joomla base only fixes the surface: technical debt, security holes and slowness remain. For a 60-employee manufacturer selling to aerospace prime contractors, a full rebuild (EUR 11,000 to 17,000 excl. VAT) usually pays for itself in under three years thanks to maintenance cut in half and a site buyers can actually use. A light redesign (EUR 5,000 to 7,000 excl. VAT) only makes sense if the CMS is current, secure and the site structure still holds up.
Redesign or rebuild: both options priced
The first instinct of a managing director is to ask for "a fresh coat of paint". The problem: an unmigrated Joomla 3 has been unsupported since August 2023, extensions are abandoned and every PHP update breaks something. Here is the comparison for a typical aerospace subcontractor scope.
| Criterion | Visual redesign | Full rebuild |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 budget (estimate) | EUR 5,000 to 7,000 excl. VAT | EUR 11,000 to 17,000 excl. VAT |
| Timeline | 6 to 8 weeks | 10 to 12 weeks |
| CMS | Joomla kept, theme replaced | Modern CMS (Next.js + headless or recent WordPress) |
| Pages handled | 300 pages carried over as-is | 180 pages after audit, 120 removed or merged |
| Mobile performance (Lighthouse) | 45 to 60 | 90 and above |
| Annual maintenance | EUR 2,400 to 3,600 excl. VAT | EUR 1,200 to 1,800 excl. VAT |
| Security | Ad hoc patches | Maintained stack, scheduled updates |
| Machine capability sheets | Static PDFs | Filterable by process, material, certification |
The point that often settles it: a visual redesign costs about 45% of a rebuild, but it leaves 100% of the hidden costs in place.
Auditing 300 pages: what stays, what goes
Before choosing, audit. On an industrial site this size, experience shows that around 40% of pages received no organic visits over the last 12 months: old trade show news, discontinued product sheets, duplicated pages in incomplete translation.
| Page category | Count | 12-month traffic | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability and process pages (5-axis machining, surface treatment) | 45 | 38% of traffic | Rewrite and enrich |
| Certifications (EN 9100, Nadcap) | 8 | 9% | Keep, highlight |
| News 2017-2022 | 110 | 4% | Archive or delete with 301 redirects |
| Obsolete product sheets | 52 | 2% | Delete, redirect to process page |
| Careers pages | 20 | 21% | Rebuild as a careers hub |
| Partial translated pages | 65 | 6% | Retranslate only the 40 key pages |
The audit costs EUR 1,200 to 2,000 excl. VAT if sold on its own; a serious rebuild package includes it. Without it, you pay to restyle 120 pages nobody reads.
What aerospace buyers actually look for
A tier-1 buyer qualifying a subcontractor checks the website before issuing a request for quotation. In order, they look for: current certifications, the machine park with dimensional capabilities, materials processed (titanium, Inconel, 7075 aluminium), approved client references and a direct technical contact. A rebuild lets you structure this data into filterable sheets and an RFQ form with secure drawing upload (STEP, PDF). A redesign leaves it in 2019 PDFs.
Realistic 2026 timelines: 2 weeks of audit and site structure, 3 weeks of mockups, 4 to 5 weeks of development and content integration, 1 to 2 weeks of acceptance testing and redirects. Total: 10 to 12 weeks for a rebuild, 6 to 8 for a redesign.
Mini case study
Thomas, managing director of a 60-employee aerospace subcontractor near Amsterdam (Schiphol area), is torn between both options. His current site costs EUR 3,000 excl. VAT per year in corrective maintenance and was hacked twice in 2025, with 4 days of downtime in total.
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- Redesign option: EUR 6,000 + EUR 3,000/year maintenance, i.e. EUR 15,000 excl. VAT over 3 years.
- Rebuild option: EUR 14,000 + EUR 1,500/year, i.e. EUR 18,500 excl. VAT over 3 years.
The gap is EUR 3,500 over three years. The new RFQ form, however, generates on average 3 more qualified requests per month. With a 10% conversion rate and an average margin of EUR 8,000 per new programme, a single won deal per year covers the gap more than twice. Thomas picks the rebuild.
FAQ
Can we migrate Joomla 3 to Joomla 5 instead of rebuilding?
It is possible, but on a 300-page site with abandoned extensions, migration often costs EUR 4,000 to 6,000 excl. VAT for a result close to what you have. Compare that figure with a rebuild quote before signing.
Will we lose search rankings by deleting 120 pages?
No, if every deleted page is 301-redirected to the closest page. These pages account for less than 6% of traffic, and consolidation usually lifts process page rankings within 3 to 6 months.
How much time must management spend on the project?
Plan 2 to 3 hours per week for an internal lead over 10 to 12 weeks, plus half a day to approve mockups. Technical sheets are reviewed by the engineering office.
Should the site be multilingual?
For a subcontractor targeting Airbus, Fokker or European tier-1s, yes: the 40 key pages in a second language are enough to start, for an extra EUR 1,500 to 2,500 excl. VAT in professional translation.
What maintenance should we plan after launch?
A EUR 100 to 150 excl. VAT monthly contract covers updates, backups, monitoring and 1 hour of improvements, half of today's corrective cost.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current site URL: we price the audit, the redesign option and the rebuild option with an indicative budget and a 10 to 12 week schedule. 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.
