The verdict in three sentences
In Eindhoven, a growing share of enquiries comes from international companies, their expat staff and Belgian or German partners, so a practice website has to work in Dutch, English and sometimes German, with correct hreflang tags. A redesign of this kind costs a 2026 ballpark of EUR 9,000 to 22,000 at a local agency, against EUR 8,200 on Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) and EUR 4,500 on Growth for one language. Production takes 3 to 4 weeks once texts are ready; the real risk is breaking the Dutch pages that already rank.
Which signals say a redesign is due?
| Signal | What it costs you | What the redesign fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Machine-translated English version | International clients leave the page within seconds | English copy written by a native writer |
| Language switcher sends visitors to the homepage | The visitor loses the project page they were reading | Switcher that keeps the equivalent page |
| No hreflang tags | Google shows the Dutch page to English queries | Reciprocal hreflang and x-default |
| Project pages above 6 MB | Slow loading on mobile, especially off wifi | WebP or AVIF images, responsive sizes, lazy loading |
| Schools and public buildings mixed with houses | Public clients cannot find relevant references | Filters by building type |
| Form asking for plans as attachments | Sensitive documents in an inbox | Minimal form and separate secure channel, on quote |
What budget for a multilingual redesign in Eindhoven?
2026 ballpark from typical quotes by agencies in the region, translation and photography excluded.
| Item | Freelancer | Local agency | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-language redesign, 10 to 15 pages | EUR 2,500 to 7,000 | EUR 9,000 to 15,000 | Growth, EUR 4,500 |
| Three-language redesign with hreflang | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | EUR 14,000 to 22,000 | Premium, EUR 8,200 |
| Small brochure site, 5 pages | EUR 1,500 to 3,500 | EUR 5,000 to 8,000 | Starter, EUR 2,700 |
| German translation, about 13,500 words | EUR 1,600 to 2,000, freelance translator | Often subcontracted | Third-party cost, freelance translator |
| Project extranet, BIM viewer, client portal | Rarely offered | On quote | On quote, linked or embedded |
| Production time | 4 to 8 weeks | 8 to 14 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in the Amsterdam time zone, native English copywriting and 3 months of support. Tiers are detailed on the international offer page. Always on quote: extranets, client portals, tender document rooms and CRM integrations.
How do you build the multilingual journey without losing rankings?
Plan the journey page by page, not language by language. The rules that matter:
- One URL per language: /nl/, /en/, /de/, with translated slugs.
- Reciprocal hreflang: every page declares all its equivalents and itself, plus an x-default pointing to Dutch.
- No automatic redirect by IP address: the visitor chooses, and the switcher keeps the same page.
- No hreflang to a missing page: an untranslated project stays in Dutch only, with no tag pointing to an empty page.
- Inventory before migration: every old Dutch URL gets a 301 to its new /nl/ address, then Search Console is monitored for 6 weeks.
| Week | Work | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | URL inventory, choice of pages to translate | Spreadsheet of old and new URLs per language |
| 2 | Structure, design, English copywriting | Approved mock-ups and English texts |
| 3 | Build, project migration, German translation received | Three-language staging site |
| 4 | Compliance review, hreflang and redirect tests, go-live | Live site, check report |
Which other risks should you watch?
Content compliance first. In the Netherlands the title architect is protected by the Architectentitelwet and reserved for people listed in the Architectenregister, so the team page and its translations are reviewed before go-live. Procedures under the Omgevingswet, in force since 1 January 2024, are described generally, never as advice. The form falls under the GDPR (AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, and asks only for name, contact, project type, area and rough budget. This is not legal advice.
Next, photo rights: a credit on every project, a licence covering web use, client permission, and the public commissioning body's agreement for schools. Finally, downtime: DNS switch on a weekday evening, old version backed up for 30 days. The recruitment page for architects and technologists is translated into English at least.
A local agency remains the better choice if you want workshops in Dutch on site, a photographer coordinated by the same team or a custom partner portal. Whoever you pick, ask who checks the hreflang tags, who writes the redirect map and who pays for translation.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example. Atelier Gestel Noord, a fictional Eindhoven firm of about 18 people designing schools and public buildings, has a Dutch-only site: 12 core pages and 35 project pages. It wants English for international clients and German for cross-border partners.
Volume to translate: 12 × 400 words + 35 × 250 words = 13,550 words. Native English copywriting is included in Kolonell Premium at EUR 8,200 (the multilingual tier, Dutch, English and German set in the quote). German goes to a freelance translator at about EUR 0.13 per word: 13,550 × 0.13 = about EUR 1,760, a third-party cost. Total: 8,200 + 1,760 = EUR 9,960, against a local three-language quote of about EUR 20,000 before translation. The 47 old URLs get a 301 to /nl/.
FAQ
How much does a three-language redesign cost for an Eindhoven architecture firm?
Expect EUR 14,000 to 22,000 at a local agency in 2026, or EUR 8,200 on Kolonell Premium plus third-party translation. For one language, Growth costs EUR 4,500.
Do we have to translate every project?
No. Translating the 10 to 15 most representative projects is often enough; the rest stay in Dutch, with no hreflang to a page that does not exist.
Are hreflang tags enough to appear in English results?
They prevent confusion between versions, but an English page also needs real text. Plan at least 250 words per translated project.
How long does the redesign take?
3 to 4 weeks once texts are ready with Kolonell, against 8 to 14 weeks at a local agency. The German translation must arrive by week 3 at the latest.
Can we integrate our project extranet?
Yes, linked or embedded and priced on quote, on top of the EUR 8,200 Premium tier. It is never rebuilt inside the site.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your languages, project page count and go-live date, and we will return a fixed price from EUR 2,700. 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.
