Engineering and construction firm website cost in Geneva: local agencies vs Kolonell (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

In Geneva, a website for an engineering and construction firm built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, between 12 000 and 45 000 CHF, and more with a project extranet or extensive photo and drone production. Kolonell builds the services pages, project references, qualifications page and recruitment flow at a fixed price of 2 700 CHF, 4 500 CHF or 8 200 CHF, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth. Compare the three-year total, how each quote handles site photography (a Geneva agency can come on site, Kolonell cannot) and how your public and private references are presented.

This version is written for the English-speaking partners and managers of engineering firms in Geneva; the French version is the primary one.

What do Geneva agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

The amounts below are cautious orders of magnitude, not official figures. They draw on public price lists of agencies in French-speaking Switzerland, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates commonly published by Geneva digital agencies (often 130 to 200 CHF per hour) and rates shown on Malt and Upwork by freelancers in French-speaking Switzerland and Greater Geneva.

Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery. A project manager answers in your time zone: Google Meet calls at an hour that suits the firm, a written update every week. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), one hour behind Geneva in winter and two in summer. Plan details are on our international websites page.

What is the real three-year cost for an engineering firm?

A firm adds references at each project handover, posts job openings and refreshes its site photos. The table assumes the same maintenance budget on both sides, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted on request.

These amounts structure the discussion; they do not predict your invoice. Ask each supplier to fill in the same grid.

What does a Geneva engineering firm need from its website?

Geneva's construction market has its own features: large urban projects such as the Praille-Acacias-Vernets area, energy renovation of the building stock driven by cantonal building performance requirements, buildings for international organisations, and a cross-border labour pool reaching into the Pays de Gex and Haute-Savoie. Readers include public and private project owners, property managers, partner architects, general contractors and engineering candidates, many of them cross-border commuters.

A German version for the German-speaking Swiss market is supplied by you or quoted separately. A project extranet, a plan upload portal or an integration with your project management software is a custom application, quoted on request, as is ongoing SEO.

On compliance and credibility, the facts. References name a project owner only with written consent, especially for sensitive buildings. Engineers' entries in the Swiss REG register, SIA membership and ISO 9001, 14001 or 45001 certifications appear only if the firm or its staff actually hold them. For public contracts under the intercantonal agreement on public procurement (AIMP), the website showcases capabilities, while the procedure itself runs on the official tender platform. Candidate and form data fall under the nLPD, in force since 1 September 2023, which affects cookies, hosting and how long CVs are kept. This is not legal advice.

How should you compare quotes, and which red flags matter?

• A quote that does not say who writes the project references: it is often the longest task.
• Site photos without usage rights, or images of buildings without the owner's agreement.
• A closed CMS that makes you pay for every new reference or job post.
• No ownership clause for the domain, code and design files.
• Certifications or labels added by the supplier without checking with you.
• No mobile performance target: candidates and project owners often open the site from a building site.

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Marc D. is a partner in a 30-engineer structural and HVAC firm in Carouge, working for property managers, housing cooperatives and a few international organisations. A Geneva agency quotes 32 000 CHF for a bilingual site with one day of filming. He picks Kolonell Premium at 8 200 CHF, bilingual FR/EN included, and books a local photographer with a drone for two days at 2 400 CHF. Total: 10 600 CHF, 21 400 CHF less. The trade-off: his team supplies the technical project descriptions and chooses which sites to photograph.

FAQ

Can Kolonell photograph our building sites?

No, Kolonell does no shoots or site visits. A local photographer with a drone often costs 1 000 to 1 500 CHF per day in Geneva, and we send them the list of useful shots.

Can we add new references ourselves?

Yes, from Growth at 4 500 CHF, project references are editable in the CMS. A well-written reference usually takes your team 30 to 45 minutes.

Can the site be in German?

Copywriting is included in native French or English, and bilingual FR/EN is included in Premium. German is supplied by you or quoted separately, for example for 8 to 10 key pages.

How long does the project take?

Starter and Growth are delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is in. Premium follows a written schedule set at kickoff, usually 4 to 6 weeks.

How is payment handled?

By bank transfer or Wise in CHF: 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery, so 4 100 CHF at each step for Premium.

Let's scope your project. Send us your current site, your list of services and around ten references to feature, and we will reply with a fixed-price plan delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.