The verdict in three sentences
A Berlin engineering consultancy that lives on word of mouth can win 15 to 30 qualified enquiries a month with an expertise-led website costing 9,000 to 20,000 EUR excl. VAT. The key is publishing pages per discipline and per building type, backed by references with hard numbers. The content budget of 600 to 1,200 EUR a month affects results more than the design itself.
The budget for a website that generates leads
Developers, property owners and architects in Berlin and Brandenburg now search Google for an Ingenieurbüro before calling their network: "HVAC engineering Berlin", "GEG energy assessment", "building services planning office". A 5-page site listing services captures none of that traffic.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Expertise site, 10 to 15 pages | 9,000 to 13,000 EUR | Pages per discipline (HVAC, energy, plumbing, GEG), contact |
| Full site, 20 to 35 pages | 14,000 to 20,000 EUR | Pages per discipline and building type, filterable references |
| Reference sheets (10 projects) | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR | Writing, photos, performance figures |
| Monthly content and SEO | 600 to 1,200 EUR per month | 2 to 4 technical articles, optimisation |
| Light CRM and qualifying forms | 1,000 to 2,500 EUR | Project, floor area, deadline fields, routing |
| Maintenance and hosting | 100 to 250 EUR per month | Security, backups, changes |
Delivery takes 8 to 12 weeks, including writing the references. The first SEO leads usually arrive between month 3 and month 6.
Cost per lead: SEO versus other channels
The figures below are 2026 estimates for engineering firms with 5 to 40 staff in Germany.
| Channel | Cost per qualified lead | Time to results | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO (site + content) | 40 to 120 EUR | 3 to 6 months | High, traffic stays |
| Google Ads on discipline keywords | 80 to 200 EUR | 1 to 2 weeks | Zero once budget stops |
| LinkedIn Ads targeting architects | 150 to 350 EUR | 2 to 4 weeks | Low |
| Trade fairs | 300 to 800 EUR | One-off | Low |
| Lead marketplaces | 50 to 150 EUR per shared contact | Immediate | Lead shared with 3 to 5 firms |
| Word of mouth | Near zero | Unpredictable | Cannot be managed |
SEO becomes the cheapest channel from year two, because pages that already rank keep generating enquiries at no extra cost.
The pages that turn a visitor into an enquiry
An engineer or developer wants three things before contacting you. First, proof that you master their exact topic: a page on "energy concept for multi-family housing under GEG" reassures more than a generic "energy" page. Second, references with numbers: floor area, consumption before and after, works budget, study lead time. Third, a qualifying form asking for project type, floor area and deadline, so you call the right contacts back first.
Add genuinely useful technical content: guides on GEG thresholds, KfW and BEG subsidies, heat pump sizing. These articles attract decision makers in research mode and steer them to your expertise pages.
Mini case study
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Julian, managing partner of a building services engineering firm in Berlin (12 engineers), signs about 20 new assignments a year, all through referrals. Average assignment value: 9,000 EUR excl. VAT.
- Investment: site 15,000 EUR + references 2,000 EUR + content 900 EUR a month for 12 months (10,800 EUR) = 27,800 EUR excl. VAT in year one.
- Target from month 6: 18 leads a month, 15% signed, so about 2.7 assignments a month.
- Over the last 6 months of the year: about 16 extra assignments, or 144,000 EUR of revenue.
- Even at a 20% net margin, the investment is covered in year one (28,800 EUR of margin).
FAQ
How many pages do I need to generate leads?
At least 10 to 15 pages, one per discipline. Firms reaching 25 leads a month often have 30 pages or more including technical articles.
How long before the first SEO leads?
Usually 3 to 6 months after launch. A Google Ads budget of 500 to 800 EUR a month can bridge that gap.
Should we publish study prices?
Not fixed prices, but indicative ranges (for example energy assessment from 1,500 EUR excl. VAT) lift contact rates by 10 to 20%.
Who writes the technical content?
A specialist writer works from a 30-minute interview with an engineer. That costs 150 to 300 EUR per article and takes only half an hour of your team's time.
How do we avoid unqualified enquiries?
A form asking for project type, floor area and deadline filters out 30 to 50% of off-target requests before the first call.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your disciplines, service area and references and we will price a lead-generating site between 9,000 and 20,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 8 to 12 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.
