How to Choose a Website Redesign Company

Choosing a website redesign company comes down to five checks: whether sites they redesigned a year or more ago still work well, whether they protect search rankings during a move, whether content and migration are in their quote or left to you, whether you will own everything they build, and whether they are still there after launch. The pitch, the portfolio screenshots and the awards tell you less than those five. This guide covers how to check each, the questions for the first call, how to read a quote, and the warning signs.

Before you talk to anyone

Write a one-page brief: what the site is for, what is wrong with the current one, roughly how many pages, which systems must connect to it, what content exists, and when you need it. Send the same page to each company. A good one comes back with questions. One that comes back with a price has not read it.

The five checks

1. Sites that have aged well

Ask for three sites they redesigned more than a year ago, and open each on your phone on mobile data. Fast? Clear first screen? Forms working? Content still current, which tells you whether the client could edit it? A site that has aged well is worth more than any case study. Then ask to speak to one of those clients.

2. They protect search rankings

Ask how they handle a site move. The right answer includes a list of every old address, a map to the new ones, permanent redirects kept for at least a year, the new sitemap submitted, and monitoring in Search Console afterwards. That is what Google’s own site move guidance describes. An agency that shrugs at the question will cost you traffic.

3. Content and migration are in the quote

Ask who writes the words, who takes the photographs, and who moves the old content across. If the answer is “the client”, the quote is for part of the job, and the rest will take you longer than you think. An agency that includes copywriting and migration, or at least prices them as options, is being honest about what the project involves.

4. You own everything

Domain, hosting account, the site, the theme, any custom code, the analytics and search console properties. In your name, from day one. Some agencies hold these “to make it easier”, and clients discover it when they try to leave.

5. Support after launch

Who do you call when a form stops working? How fast do they respond? What does ongoing care cost, and what does it cover? An agency that treats launch as the end has no answer, and the site starts decaying the day it goes live.

Questions for the first call

What would you keep from the current site, and why?
How do you handle redirects, and for how long do you keep them?
Who writes the content, and when is it due?
Who exactly will design and build it, and will I speak to them?
What is the most common reason your redesigns run late?
If I left you in two years, what would I take with me?

Judge the answers on specificity. Vague answers to specific questions are the warning sign, whatever the portfolio looks like.

Reading the quote

Compare quotes on what they include, not the total. A good quote lists the review of the current site, the page plan, the number of page designs, content writing and photography, integrations, migration and redirects, testing, launch, and support, and says which are in and which are out. A low total with half of those missing is not low. Be wary of any quote that guarantees rankings, traffic or sales; nobody controls Google or your customers. And ask how changes are priced, because there will be some.

Warning signs

A price before questions. “We work on every platform.” No live sites older than a year. Accounts in the agency’s name. Guarantees about rankings. No mention of redirects. Content assumed to be yours without saying so. No support after launch. Any two of these together, and keep looking.

Want this as a one-page checklist? Ten things to check when choosing a website redesign company, on one A4 page.

Download the checklist (PDF)

A worked example

This is a hypothetical, not a client. Take an Albury law firm comparing three redesign companies. The first is cheapest, has a striking portfolio, and when asked about redirects says the new site “will be optimised for SEO”. The second is mid-priced, shows three sites from 2023 that still load fast and read as current, walks through its redirect process without being prompted, includes copywriting for the practice area pages, and puts the firm in touch with a past client. The third is most expensive and proposes a brand refresh the firm did not ask for. The second is the choice, and the deciding factor was the redirect answer, because the firm’s practice area pages rank well and losing them would cost more than any quote.

How High10 helps

High10 does website redesigns for Australian businesses with the review, the page plan, content, migration and redirects, and support in the quote, and everything in your name from day one. We answer a brief with questions before a price, and every project is quoted in writing with inclusions and exclusions listed so you can compare it against anyone else’s.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose a local website redesign company?

Not necessarily. Most of the work is remote. Time zone, responsiveness and whether they will meet you for the first session matter more than the suburb. An Australian agency understands local search, Australian Consumer Law and the privacy rules, which matters more than distance.

Freelancer or agency for a website redesign?

A freelancer suits a small, well-defined refresh. A redesign with content, migration, integrations and support usually needs more than one skill and someone managing it, which is what an agency provides. Judge either on the five checks above rather than on the label.

How many quotes should I get?

Two or three, from the same one-page brief. More than that dilutes the comparison into a price contest. Compare on what each quote includes, and on how each company answered the redirect and content questions.

What is the biggest risk when choosing a redesign company?

Losing the search traffic the old site had, through missing redirects and removed pages. It is invisible in a portfolio and devastating after launch. Ask every company how they handle a site move before you ask about anything else.