The verdict in three sentences
For a 140-employee corrugated packaging manufacturer exporting 40% of its output, a four-language NL/EN/DE/FR website costs EUR 15,000 to 28,000 excluding VAT in 2026, translation included. The cost driver is not design but the volume of technical content to translate (product sheets, standards, FSC certifications) and the quality of the guided quote request form. Plan 10 to 12 weeks, three of them dedicated to translation and review by your export sales team.
What each building block of a multilingual industrial site costs
A packaging buyer in Antwerp or Düsseldorf compares three or four suppliers before launching a tender. They look for board grades, flute types, lead times and a contact who speaks their language. The website must answer those questions without a phone call.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| UX design and mockups (4 languages) | EUR 2,500 to 4,500 | Templates built for German text 30% longer |
| Multilingual CMS development | EUR 4,500 to 8,000 | Language management, media library, editor roles |
| Product catalogue and PDF data sheets | EUR 2,000 to 4,500 | 40 to 80 SKUs, automatic PDF generation |
| Guided quote form | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 | Dimensions, flute, quantity, print, CRM export |
| Professional translation EN/DE/FR | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | EUR 0.12 to 0.18 per word, 8,000 words per language |
| International SEO and hreflang | EUR 1,000 to 2,000 | Tags, per-language sitemaps, Search Console |
| QA, launch, training | EUR 500 to 1,000 | Tests in 4 languages, 2 editor sessions |
The low total (EUR 15,000) matches a 25-page site per language with a simple catalogue. The high end (EUR 28,000) includes a quote configurator connected to your CRM and a catalogue of more than 80 SKUs.
Domains, hreflang and translation: the choices that drive traffic
Your URL structure determines visibility in each country. For an industrial SME, the 2026 rule is simple: one strong domain with subfolders, unless you already run local subsidiaries.
| Option | Annual cost | Advantage | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subfolders (/nl/, /de/, /fr/) | EUR 15 to 40 | Concentrated SEO authority | Weaker country signal |
| Subdomains (de.site.com) | EUR 15 to 40 | Separable hosting | Diluted authority |
| Country domains (.be, .de, .fr) | EUR 60 to 150 | Strong local trust | Link building per country |
| Machine translation only | EUR 0 to 300 | Fast | Technical errors, weaker image |
| Machine translation + post-editing | EUR 0.06 to 0.09 per word | Good volume compromise | Expert review required |
| Specialised human translation | EUR 0.12 to 0.18 per word | Exact packaging terminology | 2 to 3 week lead time |
Hreflang must link each page to its equivalents in the other three languages, with an x-default tag. A common mistake: translating pages but keeping the same Dutch title tags. Google then ignores the foreign versions. Also plan PDF data sheets per language: German buyers download them and pass them around internally, and they are often the first document that circulates on their side.
A typical timeline: weeks 1 and 2 for the workshop and sitemap, 3 to 5 for mockups, 4 to 9 for development, 6 to 9 for translation in parallel, 10 to 12 for QA and launch.
Mini case study
Thomas, sales director of a 140-employee corrugated packaging plant near Amsterdam, receives 12 export quote requests a month today, mostly by email. After launching a NL/EN/DE/FR site at EUR 22,000 with a guided form, the target is 20 qualified requests a month. With a 15% win rate and an average annual account of EUR 45,000, 8 extra requests a month means about 1.2 new customers monthly, close to EUR 650,000 in additional revenue over a year. Even dividing that projection by four, the site pays for itself in under six months. The guided form also saves time: customer service estimates 25 minutes saved per quote because dimensions and quantities arrive pre-filled.
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FAQ
Do we need to translate the whole site into four languages?
No. Product pages, the quote form and certification pages should be 100% translated. News can stay in two languages, which cuts translation volume by 20 to 30%.
How much does translating a 25-page industrial site cost?
Count around 8,000 words per language, so EUR 1,000 to 1,450 per language with human translation at EUR 0.12-0.18 per word. For three languages, budget EUR 3,000 to 4,350.
Is French really necessary for Belgium?
For Wallonia and Brussels, yes: about 40% of Belgians are French speakers, and buyers there respond much better to a site in their language. Dutch alone cuts you off from a large share of the market.
What timeline should we plan for a multilingual industrial site?
10 to 12 weeks in most cases. The critical path is translation review by your export teams, to be scheduled from week 6.
How do we measure return on investment?
Track quote requests per language and country in your CRM. A realistic target is a 30 to 60% increase in qualified export requests over 12 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your catalogue, target languages and export volumes: we price a multilingual site between EUR 15,000 and 28,000 with a 10 to 12 week plan. 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.
