The verdict in three sentences
A credible corporate website for a mid-market industrial group sits in 2026 between EUR 25,000 and 80,000, depending on the number of languages, CMS depth and animation level. The realistic timeline is 10 to 16 weeks, driven by content production and internal sign-off, not by code. Then budget EUR 400 to 900/month for maintenance and EUR 150 to 400/month for high-availability EU hosting: a corporate site is a living asset, not a frozen deliverable.
What the budget actually covers
The price of an institutional website is far more than design. For a mid-market group (150 to 500 staff, several production sites), the budget splits across strategy, design, headless integration, content and QA. Here is a 2026 order of magnitude for an EN + FR corporate site of 20 to 35 pages.
| Line item | Share of budget | Range (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, UX, site structure | 12% | 3,000 - 9,600 |
| Art direction & mockups | 18% | 4,500 - 14,400 |
| Front-end + headless CMS build | 32% | 8,000 - 25,600 |
| Content, copywriting, imagery | 15% | 3,750 - 12,000 |
| Second language | 8% | 2,000 - 6,400 |
| QA, accessibility, technical SEO | 10% | 2,500 - 8,000 |
| Project management | 5% | 1,250 - 4,000 |
The most underestimated line remains content: an industrial group publishes capability pages, client references, ESG and careers sections that require internal interviews. Expect 15 to 20% of the budget just to structure and write.
The impact of languages and governance
Each additional language adds roughly 15% to the budget: translation, SEO adaptation, variant management in the CMS and dedicated QA. Editorial governance (approval workflow, roles, calendar) is what separates an institutional site from a brochure site.
| Configuration | Surcharge vs single language | Added timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Single language | baseline | baseline |
| EN + FR | +15% | +1 to 2 weeks |
| EN + FR + ES | +28 to 32% | +2 to 3 weeks |
| EN + FR + ES + ZH | +40 to 45% | +3 to 4 weeks |
| Multi-level approval workflow | +6 to 10% | +1 week |
A headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi, Contentful) is now the standard for this kind of site: it separates content from display, enables a review workflow and secures publishing. It avoids the technical debt of a WordPress overloaded with plugins.
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Mini case study
Mark, communications director of a precision-engineering group in Toronto (280 staff, 3 sites), wants an EN + FR corporate site, 28 pages, with a press room and investor page. Accepted quote: EUR 48,000 for design, EUR 620/month maintenance and EUR 260/month hosting. Over 3 years, total cost of ownership reaches 48,000 + (880 x 36) = EUR 79,680. Set against a single EUR 400,000 industrial contract signed through the site, ROI lands in year one. Mark defends it in committee as a smoothed monthly cost of EUR 2,213, far easier to approve than a single ticket.
FAQ
How much does a mid-market corporate website cost in 2026? Between EUR 25,000 and 80,000 depending on scope. An EN + FR, 25-page project with a headless CMS typically lands around EUR 40,000 to 55,000.
What timeline should I expect? Count on 10 to 16 weeks. Content production and sign-off, often internal, make up 40 to 50% of the critical path.
Why a headless CMS over WordPress? Headless delivers a 30 to 50% performance gain, better security and a clean editorial workflow. It avoids plugin bloat and technical debt over 3 to 5 years.
What annual maintenance budget? Between EUR 400 and 900/month for maintenance plus EUR 150 to 400/month for hosting, i.e. EUR 6,600 to 15,600/year. That covers security, updates and evolutions.
Can payment be staged? Yes, usually across 3 to 4 milestones: scoping (30%), mockups (25%), build (30%), go-live (15%). Recurring fees start at delivery.
Let's scope your project. Send us your target site structure, number of languages and indicative budget: we will define a precise scope with maintenance and hosting ranges. 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.
