The verdict in three sentences
In Riyadh, a patient weighing veneers, implants or a full smile makeover checks the dentist's qualifications, the real clinic photos and how easily a consultation can be booked before ever picking up the phone, so a dated site quietly loses the most valuable cases. A redesign with Kolonell costs 4,900 USD (Growth) or 8,900 USD (Premium, the multilingual tier, in Arabic and English), against roughly 9,300 to 75,000 USD at Riyadh agencies. The two real risks are losing Google traffic and publishing health claims that have not been reviewed: both are managed with a URL inventory, a 301 redirect map and a compliance review before go-live.
Is your current site costing you high-value patients?
A smile makeover is often worth several thousand dollars. The patient compares three or four practices in Olaya, Al Malqa or Hittin and quickly drops the ones that raise doubts. These are the signals that lose cases.
| Signal on the current site | What the patient concludes | What the redesign changes |
|---|---|---|
| Stock photos of smiling models | The clinic is new or hiding something | Real photos of the clinic, chairs, sterilisation area and team |
| Dentists listed without qualifications | I do not know who will treat me | One page per practitioner: degrees, SCFHS registration, areas of practice |
| A treatments page listing veneers, implants and whitening with no detail | A generic volume clinic | One page per treatment: steps, number of visits, recovery, who it suits |
| No price indication at all | The fee will be negotiated, maybe inflated | 'From' ranges or the consultation fee, with the factors that change the final cost |
| Arabic version machine translated or missing | Not built for Saudi patients | Arabic first, reviewed by a native speaker, careful RTL layout |
| Booking by phone only during clinic hours | I will book elsewhere, online | Consultation request form with minimal data and SMS or email confirmation |
| Mobile page loading in 6 to 8 seconds | Unprofessional | Target: main content in under 2.5 seconds on 4G |
Saudi patients also look at instalment options when the practice offers them, and at Google reviews. The site has to present all of this without ever promising an outcome.
What does a redesign cost in Riyadh in 2026?
The local figures below are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes in Riyadh, converted at about 3.75 SAR to 1 USD (approximate amounts).
| Option | 2026 ballpark (SAR) | Approximate equivalent (USD) | Usual scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | 8,000 to 25,000 | 2,100 to 6,700 | Theme, little SEO migration work |
| Mid-size Riyadh agency | 35,000 to 90,000 | 9,300 to 24,000 | Custom design, Arabic and English, basic migration |
| Premium agency or healthcare specialist | 120,000 to 280,000 | 32,000 to 75,000 | Brand work, photography, content team, monthly retainer |
| Kolonell Starter | not applicable | 2,900 | Compact site, project manager, native English copywriting |
| Kolonell Growth | not applicable | 4,900 | Treatment and practitioner pages, booking request, SEO migration |
| Kolonell Premium | not applicable | 8,900 | Multilingual tier, Arabic and English, RTL scope set in the quote |
| Patient portal, practice management or booking software | on quote | on quote | Scoped after a technical review |
| Maintenance after the 3 included months | market assumption: 1,500 to 5,000 per month | market assumption: 400 to 1,330 per month | Kolonell: on quote |
Every tier of the Kolonell international offer includes a project manager reachable during Riyadh business hours, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (4 to 6 for Premium) once content is ready, and 3 months of support. Native Arabic medical copywriting remains a third-party cost to budget.
| Phase | Growth | Premium | What the practice provides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit, URL inventory, site structure | week 1 | week 1 | Search Console and analytics access, list of treatments |
| Copy and design | weeks 1 to 2 | weeks 1 to 3 | Practitioner details, real photos, price ranges |
| Build, RTL layout | weeks 2 to 3 | weeks 3 to 5 | Approved Arabic copy |
| Medical and compliance review | week 3 | week 5 | Sign-off from the medical director |
| 301 redirects and go-live | week 4 | weeks 5 to 6 | Final approval |
Which risks deserve a line in the contract?
| Risk | What can go wrong | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| SEO loss | Old treatment URLs return 404 errors, traffic drops for months | Full inventory, page-by-page 301 map, Search Console checks for 4 weeks after launch |
| Content migration | Articles or case pages lost | Export, sort into keep, merge or drop, redirect whatever disappears |
| Health advertising | Before/after photos or claims not acceptable under the applicable rules | Review of every claim, testimonial and image by the medical director, and by an adviser where needed |
| Patient data | A form that collects medical history the practice does not need | Minimal fields, consent text, processing aligned with the PDPL |
| Downtime | Domain or email cut during the switch | DNS change at a quiet hour, rollback plan |
| Integrations | The link to the booking software breaks | Scoped on quote, tested on a staging environment |
In Saudi Arabia, the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) has been enforced by SDAIA since September 2023, and health advertising falls under rules set by the health authorities, sometimes with prior approval. Rules on testimonials and before/after photos vary: have your adviser confirm these points. This is not legal advice.
When is a Riyadh agency the better choice?
To be fair, a local agency wins if you want monthly photo and video shoots at the practice, a dedicated Arabic content team, weekly in-person meetings, a full brand identity or a patient app. For a well-scoped redesign on a controlled budget, a remote studio is often enough. Whatever you choose, ask these questions:
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- Who writes the Arabic copy, and who reviews it medically?
- Is the 301 redirect map delivered in writing before go-live?
- What data does the form collect, and where is it hosted?
- What does support cover after delivery, and what does it cost afterwards?
- Who owns the domain, the code and the analytics accounts?
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Lumina Smile Clinic, four dentists in Olaya, wants a site in Arabic and English with one page per treatment. It chooses Premium, the multilingual tier, at 8,900 USD. It adds native Arabic medical copywriting (market assumption: 1,400 USD) and a half-day photo shoot at the practice (market assumption: 1,200 USD). Total: 8,900 + 1,400 + 1,200 = 11,500 USD. A mid-size agency quote of 120,000 SAR is about 32,000 USD, a gap of roughly 20,500 USD. If the clinic's average veneers case is worth 5,000 USD (assumption), three extra cases, or 15,000 USD, cover the project.
FAQ
How long does a cosmetic dentistry website redesign take in Riyadh?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks on Growth and 4 to 6 weeks on Premium once content is ready. Add 1 to 2 weeks if the medical review of the Arabic copy runs late.
Will we lose our Google rankings?
The risk is real, which is why the 301 map covers 100% of indexed URLs and Search Console is monitored after launch. Fluctuations of 2 to 6 weeks are common, and no serious provider promises a ranking.
Can we publish before/after photos?
It depends on the applicable rules and on written consent from each patient. Plan a review of every image before publication, with no promise of results.
Should we show prices?
A 'from' range per treatment and the consultation fee reassure a patient comparing three or four practices. Explain what changes the final price: number of teeth, materials, visits.
What does a site in Arabic and English cost?
Premium, the multilingual tier, costs 8,900 USD, with the RTL scope set in the quote. Native Arabic medical copywriting is a third-party cost, market assumption 800 to 2,000 USD.
Let's scope your project. A Growth redesign at 4,900 USD or a multilingual Premium site at 8,900 USD, delivered in 3 to 6 weeks depending on the tier, with a 301 map and a compliance review. 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.