The verdict in three sentences
A facelift (3,000 to 8,000 EUR, about 3,300 to 8,800 USD) makes sense when the technical foundation is sound and only the design or content has aged. Once the CMS is no longer maintained, the mobile score drops below 50 or the conversion rate stays under 1%, a rebuild (10,000 to 30,000 EUR, about 11,000 to 33,000 USD) becomes cheaper over time. Think in cost per year of use, not in the initial quote.
The five signals that decide it
A six-year-old site almost always combines three problems: an outdated WordPress or PHP version, abandoned plugins and a theme never designed for mobile. In 2026, more than 65% of B2B visits arrive from a smartphone, even for professional purchases. Before requesting quotes, measure these indicators.
| Indicator | Facelift is enough | Rebuild recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Age of the technical base | Under 4 years | Over 5 years |
| Mobile PageSpeed score | Above 60 | Below 50 |
| Visitor-to-lead conversion rate | 1.5 to 2% | 0.5 to 1% |
| Unmaintained plugins | 0 to 2 | More than 5 |
| Time to edit a page | Under 15 minutes | You have to call the vendor |
| Positioning of the offer | Unchanged | New services or new target |
| Reported security flaws | None | At least one in 12 months |
If three or more signals fall in the right-hand column, a facelift amounts to repainting a facade over cracked foundations: you will pay a second time within 18 months.
Compare the real cost per year of use
| Item (2026 order of magnitude) | Facelift | New website |
|---|---|---|
| Initial investment | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR (3,300 to 8,800 USD) | 10,000 to 30,000 EUR (11,000 to 33,000 USD) |
| Delivery time | 3 to 6 weeks | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Expected lifespan | 1.5 to 2 years | 4 to 6 years |
| Annual maintenance | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR (frequent fixes) | 900 to 2,400 EUR |
| Cost per year of use | 3,000 to 7,000 EUR | 3,000 to 7,500 EUR |
| Typical conversion gain | +0.2 to +0.5 point | +0.8 to +1.5 points |
At a comparable annual cost, the new site delivers a conversion gain two to three times higher. A facelift still makes sense for a firm planning to change its business model within two years, or whose budget for the year is capped.
The technical debt trap
Technical debt is the pile of patches: plugins added for a one-off feature, code edited directly in the theme, hosting never migrated. Each fix costs more than the last. A simple tell: if your vendor bills more than 2 days to add a service page, the debt is already high. A prior technical audit, billed 600 to 1,500 EUR (about 650 to 1,650 USD), keeps you from funding a doomed facelift.
What a new website must deliver in 2026
A rebuild is more than a new design. It must deliver load times under 2 seconds on 4G, service pages built for local search (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables for a Florida firm), short forms connected to your CRM, privacy compliance and an accessible foundation. Require 301 redirect mapping in the quote: without it, a redesign can lose 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.
Sophie runs a 25-employee industrial maintenance company. Her site gets 2,400 visits a month at a 0.6% conversion rate, i.e. 14 inquiries. Each signed contract brings an average margin of 6,500 EUR (about 7,150 USD) and she closes one in seven. A 6,000 EUR facelift would lift conversion to 0.9% (22 inquiries), an 18,000 EUR rebuild to 1.6% (38 inquiries). Annual margin gain: about 89,000 EUR for the facelift versus 267,000 EUR for the rebuild. Over five years the new site costs 3,600 EUR a year and pays for itself in less than one month of extra inquiries. A Miami firm with the same traffic and margins reaches the same conclusion.
FAQ
How much does a website redesign cost for an SME?
A visual and editorial facelift costs 3,000 to 8,000 EUR (3,300 to 8,800 USD), a full rebuild 10,000 to 30,000 EUR (11,000 to 33,000 USD) in 2026. The gap depends on page count, features (client portal, configurator) and content migration.
Does a redesign hurt SEO?
It can lose 20 to 40% of traffic if 301 redirects are forgotten. Done properly, with a redirect plan and tested migration, traffic stabilises within 4 to 8 weeks and then grows.
Can we keep the existing content?
Yes, part of it, but 30 to 50% of the copy on a six-year-old site is usually outdated. Budget 1,500 to 4,000 EUR (1,650 to 4,400 USD) for rewriting key service pages.
How long does a new website last?
A well-built site on a maintained foundation lasts 4 to 6 years before the next rebuild, with regular improvements in between. A facelift extends an old site by only 18 to 24 months.
Should we switch CMS?
If you are more than two major versions behind or more than 5 plugins are unmaintained, yes. Migration represents 15 to 25% of a rebuild budget.
Let's scope your project. We audit your current site and price both options (facelift and rebuild) with their cost per year of use and a realistic timeline. 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.
