The verdict in three sentences
A Melbourne gallery or art advisory whose site still shows a past exhibition on the home page, low-resolution works and a generic contact form loses credibility with collectors before the first meeting. A redesign with Kolonell costs a fixed USD 2,900 (Starter), USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium), against roughly USD 9,800 to 52,000 for typical Melbourne agency quotes, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks (4 to 6 for Premium) once content is ready. The real risks lie elsewhere: losing artist-name search traffic, publishing images without the right authorisations and migrating archives badly, all of which can be controlled before go-live.
The signals that make a collector hesitate
A collector, a wealth adviser or the curator of a corporate collection checks your site before accepting an opening invitation or handing over a search mandate. They look up an artist's name, a current exhibition, your presence at Melbourne Art Fair or Sydney Contemporary, and how your advisory work operates.
| Signal on the current site | What the visitor concludes | Fix in the redesign |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibitions page not updated for a season | The gallery is quiet or disorganised | Current programme, dated archive, upcoming dates |
| Artist pages with a bio but no recent works | The representation may have lapsed | Authorised available works, CV, exhibitions |
| 800 px images with off colours | The works are not taken seriously | High-definition visuals, progressive loading |
| “Price on request” with no request path | Contact will be slow or vague | Per-work enquiry form, stated response time |
| Advisory service described in one sentence | No method, no fee basis | Advisory page: scope, process, fee basis |
| 5 to 6 MB pages on mobile | The visitor leaves before the second work | Lighter pages, modern image formats |
“Price on request” remains the sector norm. The site does not need to show prices; it needs to make the request simple and reassuring.
Budget: the Melbourne market against Kolonell's fixed grid
| Option | Budget (2026 ballpark) | Usually included | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designer in Melbourne | AUD 4,000 to 12,000, roughly USD 2,600 to 7,800 | Design and build | Copywriting and migration often excluded |
| Small local studio | AUD 15,000 to 35,000, roughly USD 9,800 to 22,800 | Custom design, CMS | 8 to 14 week timelines are common |
| Established cultural sector agency | AUD 35,000 to 80,000 and up, roughly USD 22,800 to 52,000 | Strategy, design, development | High maintenance budget |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | Polished showcase site, native English copy | Scope fixed in the quote |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | Artist pages, exhibitions, archive, core SEO | Content supplied on time |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | Multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | Translations approved by the gallery |
| Private collector area, gallery inventory software integration | On quote | Depends on scope | Scope it from the start |
| Maintenance after the 3 included months | Market assumption: AUD 150 to 600 a month, roughly USD 100 to 390; Kolonell on quote | Updates, backups | Compare like for like |
USD conversions are approximate; Kolonell prices are set in USD. Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (4 to 6 for Premium) and 3 months of support. Tier details are on the international offer page.
Timeline, risks and safeguards
| Phase | Starter and Growth | Premium | What the gallery supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping and URL inventory | Week 1 | Week 1 | Search Console access, list of represented artists |
| Design and structure | Week 2 | Weeks 2 and 3 | Approval of mock-ups |
| Build and migration | Week 3 | Weeks 3 to 5 | Authorised images, exhibition texts |
| Compliance read-through and go-live | Week 4 | Weeks 5 and 6 | Final sign-off on statements |
The risks to handle, without drama:
- Losing rankings on artist names: full URL inventory, page-by-page 301 redirect map, Search Console monitoring for the following 8 weeks.
- Image rights: a register per work (photographer, artist consent, duration). Only works and artists genuinely authorised go online.
- Archive migration: past exhibitions are proof of seriousness; they must stay accessible and dated.
- Compliance statements: anti-money-laundering rules cover art market participants in the UK and the EU; if you sell to clients in those markets, only display procedures genuinely in place. For Australia, check your position with your adviser.
- Collector forms: the Privacy Act 1988 may apply; the small business exemption below AUD 3 million turnover has exceptions. The Australian Consumer Law also prohibits misleading claims about provenance or authenticity. This is not legal advice.
- Downtime: a DNS switch planned away from opening nights, with a rollback ready.
Questions to ask, and when a local agency is the better choice
Ask any provider: who writes the artist texts, how redirects are checked, who holds the accounts and the domain, what the price excludes. To be candid: a Melbourne agency is often the better choice if you need works photographed on site, every hang filmed, in-person workshops with a board, or an online viewing room synchronised with your inventory from day one.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: “Fitzroy Lane Gallery”, a fictional Melbourne gallery representing 14 artists with an advisory service. A local studio quotes AUD 28,000, roughly USD 18,200. It chooses Kolonell Growth at USD 4,900 and has 120 works photographed locally at AUD 40 each, so AUD 4,800, roughly USD 3,100 (market assumption). Total: 4,900 + 3,100 = USD 8,000, which is USD 10,200 less than the local quote. If one advisory mandate earns 10% on a USD 60,000 acquisition, so USD 6,000, it takes 8,000 ÷ 6,000 ≈ 1.3, so 2 mandates to cover the whole project.
FAQ
How much does a gallery website redesign cost in Melbourne?
Typical quotes run from roughly USD 2,600 with a freelancer to over USD 52,000 with an established agency (2026 ballpark, converted from AUD). At Kolonell the grid is fixed: USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900.
Should we show artwork prices?
No, “price on request” remains common for works above a few thousand dollars. The site should instead offer a per-work enquiry and state a response time, for example 24 hours.
Will we lose Google traffic during the redesign?
A temporary dip of a few weeks is possible. A URL inventory, a 301 redirect map and 8 weeks of Search Console monitoring sharply limit that risk.
Can we offer a collectors-only area?
Yes, a private area with previews of new works is possible, on quote depending on scope. You also need to decide who manages access, for example 50 or 500 collectors.
How long should we plan for?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks for Starter or Growth and 4 to 6 weeks for Premium, once images and texts are gathered. Collecting artist authorisations often adds 1 to 2 weeks.
Let's scope your project. A redesign of your gallery and advisory site, on Growth or Premium, delivered in 3 to 6 weeks depending on the tier. 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.
