The verdict in three sentences
For a manufacturing SMB in Berlin whose website dates from 2018, a redesign at €9,000-15,000 (ex. VAT) is the right call if the technical foundation still holds and the catalogue is already structured. A new site at €16,000-30,000 is justified as soon as the 300-item technical catalogue must become filterable, multilingual or connected to the ERP. Either way, without a redirect plan, you risk losing 20 to 60% of SEO traffic within weeks.
The decision grid in seven criteria
The sales director of an 80-employee precision engineering firm does not need an agency's opinion; they need verifiable criteria. Score your current site on each one.
| Criterion | Lean towards redesign if... | Lean towards a new site if... |
|---|---|---|
| Tech foundation | Maintained CMS, PHP 8.x compatible | Abandoned CMS or locked proprietary theme |
| Catalogue | 300 items already in a database, structured pages | Data sheets as PDFs, no usable data |
| Mobile performance | LCP between 2.5 and 4 s | LCP above 5 s, not responsive |
| Organic traffic | Over 1,500 visits/month and growing | Under 300 visits/month |
| Languages | German alone is enough | Export: EN and FR required |
| Integrations | Simple forms | ERP link, configurator, distributor portal |
| Brand image | Recent brand guidelines | Repositioning or new offer |
If you tick four or more criteria in the right-hand column, a redesign will make you pay twice: once now, once again in two years.
Comparing budgets, timelines and risks
| Item | Redesign | New site |
|---|---|---|
| Build budget ex. VAT 2026 | €9,000 to €15,000 | €16,000 to €30,000 |
| Timeline | 10 to 12 weeks | 12 to 14 weeks |
| 300-item catalogue | Migration and clean-up of product pages | Data model, technical filters, generated PDF sheets |
| Multilingual DE/EN/FR | + €2,500 to €4,000 | Built into the architecture (+ €3,000 to €5,000 translation) |
| 301 redirect plan | €800 to €1,500 | €1,500 to €2,500 |
| Traffic loss without redirects | 20 to 35% | 40 to 60% |
| Monthly maintenance | €120 to €200 | €180 to €350 |
| Estimated lifespan | 3 years | 5 to 6 years |
Per year, a €12,000 redesign over 3 years costs about €4,000 a year, and a €24,000 new site over 5.5 years about €4,360 a year. The yearly gap is small; what decides is the site's ability to generate qualified quote requests.
Protecting SEO during the switch
Migration is where manufacturing SMBs lose the most. The essential steps: export every indexed URL (Search Console and a crawl), a one-to-one mapping table for the 300 product pages, 301 redirects tested on a staging environment, keeping high-performing title tags, then weekly monitoring for 8 weeks. A proper plan costs under €2,500; a 40% traffic drop on a site that brings in 15 quote requests a month costs far more.
Mini case study
Katrin, sales director of an 80-employee precision engineering firm in Berlin, receives 12 web quote requests a month, 25% of which turn into orders worth €8,500 on average. Her 2018 site lists items as PDFs. She opts for a new site at €24,000 with a filterable DE/EN/FR catalogue. After six months, requests rise to 18 a month. Gain: 6 × 25% × €8,500 = €12,750 of additional orders per month. Even at a 30% gross margin, the project pays back in just over six months.
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FAQ
Can we redesign only the look and keep the CMS?
Yes, if the CMS is maintained and PHP 8.x compatible. Expect €9,000 to €12,000, but the catalogue will stay limited to what the current database allows.
How much does putting the 300-item catalogue online cost?
Between €3,000 and €7,000 depending on source data quality. If specifications live in the ERP, an automated import saves weeks of data entry.
Should the site be multilingual from day one?
If more than 15% of revenue comes from export, yes. Planning a DE/EN/FR architecture in the build costs half as much as adding it later.
How much time must the company commit?
About 25 to 40 hours over 12 weeks: workshops, sign-off on technical sheets and acceptance testing. Appoint a single internal owner.
Does traffic always drop after a migration?
A 5 to 10% dip for 2 to 4 weeks is normal. Beyond 20%, the redirect plan is at fault and must be fixed immediately.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current site URL, your catalogue size and a budget between €9,000 and €30,000, and we will recommend redesign or rebuild with a 10 to 14 week plan. 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.
