The verdict in three sentences
A 10-person architecture practice targeting public contracting authorities and developers should plan EUR 5,500 to 11,000 excl. VAT for a serious portfolio website in 2026, whether based in Bordeaux or Berlin. Most of the budget goes into the portfolio filterable by building type and into heavy image optimisation (AVIF, lazy loading), because a slow site loses a jury before the second photo. Competition and award pages and local SEO for your metropolitan area complete a setup that costs about EUR 90 excl. VAT per month to maintain.
The budget of an architect's website, line by line
An architect's website is judged first on image quality and clarity of references. The ranges below are 2026 orders of magnitude for practices of 6 to 15 people.
| Item | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Art direction and mock-ups | 1,200 to 2,500 | Editorial grid, typography, image rhythm |
| Build (Next.js or headless WordPress) | 1,800 to 3,500 | Practice, team, contact, legal pages |
| Filterable portfolio (type, status, client) | 900 to 2,000 | Housing, public buildings, offices, refurbishment |
| Image optimisation (AVIF, WebP, lazy load) | 400 to 900 | Automated pipeline, 3 sizes per visual |
| Competitions, awards and publications | 400 to 800 | Wins, mentions, press, exhibitions |
| Local SEO and content | 500 to 1,000 | City, region, target building types |
| Loading the first 25 to 40 projects | 300 (flat fee) | Flat fee if texts and visuals are supplied |
| Total | 5,500 to 11,000 | 6 to 8 weeks |
The main source of overruns is project loading. Prepare standard project sheets: brief, floor area, construction cost, client, completion, scope of services, BIM, photo credits.
Heavy images: performance versus quality
An architectural photographer delivers 15 to 40 MB files. Uploaded as is, they produce 50 MB pages unusable on mobile. An optimisation pipeline keeps perceived quality while dividing weight by 20 to 40.
| Format and technique | Average full-screen image weight | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer's original JPEG | 18 MB | Page unusable on 4G |
| JPEG at 80% quality | 900 KB | Acceptable but slow in a gallery |
| WebP 2,400 px | 380 KB | Good compromise, universal support |
| AVIF 2,400 px | 220 KB | Best quality-to-weight ratio in 2026 |
| AVIF + lazy load + responsive sizes | 90 to 220 KB | Only visible images load |
| Target Lighthouse score | 90 and above | SEO bonus and jury comfort |
With this pipeline, a 20-photo project page drops from about 360 MB of raw files to under 3 MB transferred on first load.
SEO: being found by the right clients
Public buyers visit your site after seeing your bid. Developers search on Google. Three actions matter:
- Building-type pages: 'housing architect Bordeaux', 'school architect Berlin', with 4 to 6 projects each.
- Indexable project pages: descriptive title, municipality, brief, year. Each page becomes an entry point.
- Google profile and professional directories: chamber of architects, competition platforms, specialist press.
Maintenance at EUR 90 excl. VAT per month covers updates, backups, monitoring and adding 2 projects a month.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Hélène, partner at a 10-person practice in Bordeaux, answers 18 competitions and tenders a year and wins 3. Her old site, built in 2017, takes 9 seconds to load a gallery. She invests EUR 8,200 excl. VAT in a new site with 32 filterable projects, plus EUR 1,080 a year of maintenance. Within 12 months, two developers contact her directly after searching 'housing architect Bordeaux'. A single 120-unit commission represents about EUR 180,000 excl. VAT in fees: even if the site is credited with only 5% of the developer's decision, EUR 9,000, the site pays for itself. A Berlin practice of the same size would see a comparable equation.
FAQ
Should we display the construction cost of each project?
It is recommended for public projects, where amounts are known. An order of magnitude such as 'EUR 4.2M excl. VAT' reassures clients about your ability to hold a budget.
How many projects should go live at launch?
Between 20 and 40 projects are enough, favouring the last 5 years. Beyond that, loading costs about EUR 60 to 120 excl. VAT per extra project.
Can we publish 3D renders of ongoing projects?
Yes, with a 'design stage' or 'on site' status and the client's consent. Renders should be optimised like photos to stay below 250 KB.
WordPress or custom build?
WordPress works below EUR 8,000 excl. VAT if the practice wants to edit alone. A Next.js front end with a headless CMS delivers better image performance, for EUR 1,000 to 2,000 more.
How long does the project take?
About 6 to 8 weeks, including 2 for art direction. Collecting texts and photo credits is often the bottleneck on the practice's side.
Let's scope your project. The number of projects to publish, your target building types and available visuals are enough to price a site between EUR 5,500 and 11,000 excl. VAT, delivered in 6 to 8 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
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.
