How much does a website migration cost, and how long does it take?

"How much does it cost?" is the first question on most calls, and the answer depends on a few things you can count. Here's what they are, so you can estimate roughly before talking to anyone.

What drives the cost

Page count on its own is a poor predictor. Template count and content complexity matter more.

Typical timelines

As a rough guide, a marketing site with a blog and a handful of templates often takes three to six weeks from kickoff to launch. Larger content hubs, multi-language sites, or sites with many integrations take longer. A redesign on top can add weeks of design and review.

Content freezes are short, usually a day or two before cutover. Your current site stays live the whole time.

Running costs after launch

This is where migrations often save money, but not always. Compare them line by line.

• Hosting: often low for static or mostly static sites, more if you need server rendering at scale
• CMS: free to self-host for open source options, per-seat or usage pricing for hosted ones
• Maintenance: someone has to update dependencies and fix things, either your team or a care plan
• What you stop paying: platform plans, add-ons, and the workarounds you were buying to get around limits

Get a fixed scope first

Estimates made on a first call are guesses. A short assessment, where someone reviews the site, the CMS, the integrations, and the SEO setup, turns the guess into a fixed scope and timeline. It also tells you when not to migrate, which saves the most money of all.