What a website redesign should cost a contractor in 2026

You ask three companies to quote a website redesign. You get back three wildly different numbers: $800, $4,500, and $12,000. All three claim they'll build "the same thing." Something's off. Usually it's not that one of them is a scam. "Website redesign" just means something different depending on who you ask.

Why the range is so wide

A website redesign can mean swapping out a few outdated photos and a new color scheme. Or it can mean a full rebuild. That could include new copy, new photos, a booking system, and review integrations. It could mean a custom design from scratch. Two contractors can ask for "a redesign" and mean completely different projects.

Before you can judge a quote, you need to know roughly what should be in it.

Rough price ranges for a contractor site

These aren't guarantees. Every job varies. But here's a general sense of what different levels of work tend to run:

• A basic refresh (new template, your existing photos and text cleaned up, no new pages): roughly $500 to $1,500
• A full custom redesign (new copy, new structure, mobile friendly, a handful of pages): roughly $2,000 to $6,000
• A larger build (many service and location pages, booking tools, review automation, ongoing SEO work): $6,000 and up, sometimes well past that

If someone quotes you $300 for a full custom site, ask what exactly you're getting. If someone quotes $15,000 for five pages and a contact form, ask the same thing from the other direction.

What actually drives the price up

A handful of things move the number more than anything else:

• Number of pages. A site with pages for every service and every town you cover costs more than one homepage and a contact page.
• Custom photography or copywriting. Someone writing your website copy from scratch adds real cost. So does a photographer shooting your crew and jobs.
• Booking and automation. A form that just emails you is cheap. A system that books appointments, sends reminders, and syncs to your calendar costs more.
• Ongoing SEO and content. A one time build is different money than a monthly retainer. A retainer keeps adding pages and tracking rankings.

Questions that keep a quote honest

Before you sign anything, ask the company these directly:

1. 01Do I own the domain and hosting when this is done, under my own name?
2. 02What happens if I want to cancel later? Can I take the site with me?
3. 03Is this a flat price, or will there be extra charges for revisions, extra pages, or photos?
4. 04How long will the build actually take, and what happens if it runs late?
5. 05What do I pay monthly after launch, and what does that monthly fee actually include?

A company that answers these clearly, without dodging, is one worth trusting with your money. A company that gets vague or defensive about ownership questions is a flag worth taking seriously. It's the kind of flag covered in our ownership guide.

Watch the total cost, not just the sticker price

Some companies quote a low upfront number. Then they lock you into a high monthly fee. Over two or three years, that adds up to far more than an honest flat quote would have. Always ask for the total cost over 12 and 24 months. Do this before comparing offers.

Want to see what a redesign could look like before spending anything? Tanner Preserve builds a free site during a 14 day trial. A card is on file, but nothing gets charged until the trial ends. After that, it's Run at $97 a month or Grow at $297 a month, depending on what you need. It's one way to compare a real built site against whatever quote you're weighing. See what's included before you pick a route.

There's no single right price for a redesign, but there is a right process. Know what level of work you're actually asking for. Get the ownership and cancellation terms in writing. Compare the full cost over time. Don't just look at the number on page one of the quote.