Website redesign cost in St. Louis: what changes the price

Your website looks dated. The messaging is off. Your competitors' sites feel more professional. You know you need a refresh—but should you do a light redesign or a full rebuild? And what will it cost?

The answer depends on what's actually broken. If it's just visual styling and messaging, a redesign might be enough. But if your site is slow, hard to update, or built on a shaky foundation, a full rebuild is often cheaper in the long run.

This guide helps you figure out which path makes sense for your St. Louis business—and what to expect to pay.

Redesign vs rebuild: what's the difference?

A redesign means keeping your existing site structure and platform, but refreshing the visuals, layout, and copy. The bones stay the same—you're just giving it a facelift.

A rebuild means starting fresh: new platform, new code, new structure. You're not patching the old site—you're replacing it.

When a redesign makes sense

Your site is fast and mobile-friendly, but the design feels outdated
The content structure is good, you just need better copy or visuals
You're on a modern platform (like Webflow, Shopify, or a well-built custom site) and it's easy to update
You're not changing URLs or site structure (so SEO migration isn't a concern)

Typical cost for a redesign in St. Louis: $3,000–$10,000, depending on how many pages need work and whether you're updating copy.

When a rebuild makes sense

Typical cost for a rebuild in St. Louis: $8,000–$25,000+, depending on complexity and whether you need SEO migration, integrations, or custom functionality.

Yes, rebuilds cost more upfront. But if your current site is holding you back—losing leads because it's slow, or costing you money every time you need to make a simple update—a rebuild pays for itself.

Your site is slow (takes 5+ seconds to load on mobile)
It's hard to update (you have to contact your web developer every time you want to change a sentence)
It's not mobile-friendly (or it looks broken on phones)
You're on an old platform (ancient WordPress install, Flash-based site, custom-coded mess from 2012)
You want to change your site structure or add major new features

The biggest hidden cost: SEO migration

If your current site already ranks for keywords and drives organic traffic, you need to migrate carefully. That means:

Auditing your current URLs and top-performing pages
Setting up 301 redirects for every changed URL (so Google knows where the old pages moved)
Keeping content parity (don't delete pages that drive traffic without a replacement)
Monitoring rankings after launch to catch any drops quickly

SEO migration work isn't optional if you want to keep your traffic. I've seen St. Louis businesses lose 50% of their leads because they changed URLs without setting up redirects. It takes weeks or months to recover—and sometimes you never get back to where you were.

Proper SEO migration adds $2,000–$5,000+ to a rebuild, but it's the difference between maintaining your traffic and starting from zero.

What else changes the price?

Content work: If you need help rewriting service pages, about page, or homepage copy, expect to add $1,500–$5,000
Photography: Stock photos are cheap (or free), but custom photography runs $500–$2,000+ depending on what you need
Integrations: Connecting scheduling, CRM, email marketing, or payment systems adds time and cost
Custom functionality: Anything beyond standard pages (calculators, member portals, custom booking flows) drives up the price

How to decide: redesign or rebuild?

Ask yourself these questions:

Is my site fast on mobile? (Test it on your phone or use Google PageSpeed Insights)
Can I easily update it myself, or do I have to pay someone every time?
Is it built on a modern platform, or something old and clunky?
Does it drive leads, or do visitors leave immediately?

If you answered 'no' to most of those, you probably need a rebuild.

If you answered 'yes' to most of them, a redesign might be enough.

Still not sure? Get a free website audit and we'll tell you what's actually holding you back.

What to do next

If you're planning a redesign or rebuild and want a realistic estimate for your St. Louis business, reach out here. We'll give you a straightforward quote and a clear recommendation on which path makes sense.

FAQ

How long does a redesign vs. rebuild take?

A redesign typically takes 2–4 weeks if you have content ready. A rebuild takes 4–8 weeks depending on complexity, content readiness, and how many rounds of revisions you need. If you're doing SEO migration or complex integrations, add more time.

Will I lose my Google rankings if I rebuild?

Not if it's done right. Proper SEO migration (301 redirects, content parity, sitemap updates) protects your rankings. But if you skip that step and just launch a new site with different URLs, yes—you'll lose rankings and traffic.