The verdict in three sentences
On the Vaud Riviera, an architecture firm website now has to speak to two audiences: clients, often international, and the candidates the practice wants to attract. A redesign costs a ballpark of CHF 12,000 to 40,000 with a local agency, against CHF 2,700, 4,500 or 8,200 on the Kolonell fixed grid, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The risk to watch is twofold: losing project pages that already rank well, and publishing environmental or professional claims the firm cannot document.
Why is your current site holding back hiring?
A candidate hesitating between two practices in the canton of Vaud looks at the projects, then looks for what daily life would be like. If the site is just a gallery and a generic email address, they find nothing. Here are the most common symptoms and their effect.
| Symptom on the current site | Effect on clients | Effect on candidates |
|---|---|---|
| No team or culture page | Faceless contacts | Hard to picture the job |
| Job ads as PDFs by email | None | Applications lost on mobile |
| No internship or apprenticeship page | None | Young talent pool ignored |
| Timber and retrofit projects mixed up | Expertise unclear | Studio specialism invisible |
| Low-carbon approach not explained | Doubt about the method | Studio values unclear |
| French-only site | English-speaking Riviera clients lost | International candidates shut out |
| Slow pages on mobile | Exit before the gallery | Exit before the job ad |
A strong employer brand is built on facts the firm supplies itself: working methods, tools, project types, support for juniors. No growth figure, culture score or testimonial should be invented.
What does a hiring-focused redesign include?
- Culture page: how the practice works, how design reviews run, what room there is for research on timber or reuse.
- Open roles: one page per role, readable on mobile, with the exact job title. The title of architect is not protected at federal level: use it for profiles holding the required degree or registration, and mention REG or SIA only if the firm genuinely belongs. Draughtspeople with a CFC and technologists get their own page too.
- Internships and graduates: application calendar, duration, mentoring, described without promising a job.
- Application form: name, contact, role, link to a portfolio. Large files go through a separate secure channel, on quote.
What budget, and how does it compare?
A 2026 ballpark drawn from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages around Lake Geneva. Amounts exclude photography and translation.
| Provider | Full redesign | Careers section | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riviera freelancer | CHF 5,000 to 12,000 | Often optional, CHF 1,000 to 3,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Local agency | CHF 12,000 to 25,000 | CHF 2,000 to 5,000 | 10 to 14 weeks |
| Lausanne or Geneva agency | CHF 25,000 to 40,000 | Included or on quote | 12 to 18 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | CHF 2,700 | One simple careers page | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | CHF 4,500 | Culture, roles, internships, blog | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | CHF 8,200 | Same, multilingual tier | 3 to 4 weeks |
Premium is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, useful if you want an English version for Montreux's international clients. Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting and 3 months of support. Maintenance after that stays on quote. Tier details are on the Kolonell international offer.
Schedule: what happens each week?
| Week | Main work | What the firm supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Before kick-off | Content gathering | Culture copy, role descriptions, credited photos |
| Week 1 | URL inventory, 301 map, sitemap | Search Console and hosting access |
| Week 2 | Project, culture and careers mock-ups | Sign-off by a partner |
| Week 3 | Build, project migration | Review of professional claims |
| Week 4 | Mobile, speed and accessibility QA | Final sign-off |
| Weeks 5 to 10 | Search Console monitoring | Flagging missing pages |
Avoid switching over during an active hiring campaign: launch first, open the roles afterwards.
Risks specific to this redesign
| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic drop on retrofit pages | Medium | Full inventory, 301 redirects, 6 weeks of monitoring |
| Unsupported low-carbon claim | Medium | Review: only labels and calculations supplied by the firm |
| Photo published without consent | Low to medium | Credit and written consent per project, villas without address |
| Excessive candidate data | Medium | Minimal form, limited retention under the revFADP |
| Galleries too heavy | High | WebP or AVIF, lazy loading, responsive sizes |
| Downtime at switchover | Low | DNS at an off-peak hour, old site backed up |
The revFADP (nLPD) has been in force since 1 September 2023, overseen by the FDPIC; the GDPR may add to it if you target EU residents. Building permit procedures, municipal and cantonal, are described in general terms. This is not legal advice.
Still on quote: project extranet, BIM viewer, client portal, tender document room, CRM or applicant tracking tool. They are linked or embedded, never rebuilt inside a fixed-price site.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
When should you prefer a Riviera agency?
If you are also redoing your identity, want to film the team across several sites, or value in-person workshops in Montreux, a local agency is better placed. To ask the right questions, check with any provider who writes the redirect map, how a partner publishes a job ad, and what maximum weight is guaranteed per project page.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Atelier Lignum Riviera, a practice specialised in timber construction and energy retrofit, has 45 project pages and is looking for two profiles. Its current site has neither a culture page nor a careers page.
Chosen option: Kolonell Growth at CHF 4,500 in French, plus team portraits by a local photographer estimated at CHF 1,800, a third-party cost. Total: 4,500 + 1,800 = CHF 6,300. The firm adds English later by moving to the Premium tier at CHF 8,200, languages set in the quote. Against a local agency quote of CHF 18,000 plus CHF 3,000 for the careers section, the gap is 21,000 minus 6,300, so CHF 14,700.
FAQ
Should salaries be published in job ads?
It is not a general obligation in Switzerland, it is the firm's choice. An indicative range, if you supply one, goes on the role page in 1 line.
How many pages should the careers section have?
Usually 3 to 5 pages: culture, open roles, internships, apprenticeship. The Growth tier at CHF 4,500 covers them.
Can you talk about the carbon footprint of projects?
Yes, if the firm supplies real calculations or labels. Without supporting evidence, the review removes the claim before launch.
How long should applications be kept?
It depends on your retention policy under the revFADP. Many practices keep them for a few months, to be set with your adviser.
Does the redesign take the site offline?
No, the DNS switch usually involves less than 1 hour of transition, with the old site kept as a backup.
To price your exact case, request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. A redesign with a careers section, from CHF 2,700 to 8,200, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is gathered. 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.
