The verdict in three sentences
For an industrial site around Amsterdam that hires 60 technicians a year, a dedicated careers site costs EUR 10,000 to 22,000 excluding VAT and pays for itself as soon as it replaces about ten agency hires. The lever is not the visual design but concrete proof of daily work: job videos, published salaries, shift patterns, commute from the surrounding towns. Plan 8 weeks of work, ATS integration included, provided HR content is ready.
Dedicated careers site, careers page or job boards: what you are buying
Most factories with 300 to 500 employees settle for a 'Join us' page on the corporate site, fed by ads copied onto Indeed or national job boards. The result: a maintenance technician weighing three local employers finds no reason to choose yours. The table below compares the three options as 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Criterion | Dedicated careers site | Careers page on corporate site | Job boards only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront budget | EUR 10,000 to 22,000 | EUR 2,000 to 5,000 | EUR 0 |
| Annual running cost | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 (hosting, maintenance) | Included in the site | EUR 6,000 to 15,000 in sponsored ads |
| Job profiles and videos | 6 to 12 detailed roles | 1 generic page | None |
| ATS integration | API (Recruitee, Workday, Greenhouse) | External link | Manual import |
| Local search ('technician jobs Amsterdam') | Strong, pages per role and site | Weak | Depends on the platform |
| Candidate data | Owned, reusable | Partial | Stays with the job board |
| Observed cost per hire | EUR 500 to 800 | EUR 1,200 to 1,800 | EUR 900 to 1,500 |
The dedicated site does not replace job boards: it becomes the landing page for your ads, LinkedIn posts and local campaigns. Candidates who land on a complete job profile apply about twice as often as those who see a bare ad.
Cost items for an industrial careers site in 2026
A serious budget breaks down into identifiable building blocks. This breakdown is what lets you negotiate with general management and finance.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, candidate personas, sitemap | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 | Workshops with team leaders and HR |
| Design and development (15 to 25 pages) | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | Mobile first: 70% of technician candidates apply on a smartphone |
| ATS integration via API | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 | Sync of job openings and applications |
| Job videos (2 to 3 min) | EUR 1,500 each | Filmed on the line, operator interview |
| Job profile copy and SEO | EUR 1,000 to 2,500 | Salaries, 2-shift or 3-shift patterns, bonuses |
| GDPR compliance for candidates | EUR 500 to 1,000 | Retention period, talent pool consent |
With 4 videos, a complete project lands around EUR 16,000 excluding VAT. Typical timeline: 2 weeks of scoping, 1 week of filming, 4 weeks of production, 1 week of testing with the ATS.
What makes a technician apply
2026 industrial hiring data points the same way: published salary, working-time organisation and site access weigh more than company values. An effective job profile gives the gross annual range (for example EUR 28,000 to 36,000 for an experienced maintenance technician), the shift pattern, bonuses and the internal training path. Add an application form that takes under 2 minutes, with no account creation, and SMS follow-up: drop-off commonly falls from 60% to under 25%.
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Nathalie, HR director of a 400-employee electronic components plant, hires 60 technicians a year. Today, 25 hires go through agencies at EUR 3,500 each, or EUR 87,500 a year. She invests EUR 18,000 excluding VAT in a careers site with 5 job videos and ATS integration. In year one, the site captures 15 of the 25 agency hires, at a full cost of about EUR 600 each. Savings: 15 x (3,500 - 600) = EUR 43,500. After deducting the site and EUR 2,000 of maintenance, net gain in year one reaches EUR 23,500, and exceeds EUR 40,000 from year two.
FAQ
How much does a factory careers site cost in 2026?
A dedicated site with ATS integration costs EUR 10,000 to 22,000 excluding VAT depending on the number of roles and videos. An improved careers page stays under EUR 5,000 but converts far less.
What timeline should we expect?
Allow 8 weeks if job descriptions and salaries are approved upfront. Filming job videos usually takes 1 to 2 days on site.
Should we publish salaries?
Yes, ads with a salary range receive up to 30% more applications. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, applicable from June 2026, pushes in that direction anyway.
Which ATS can be connected?
Most market ATS (Recruitee, Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors) expose APIs or XML feeds. Integration costs EUR 1,500 to 4,000 excluding VAT depending on complexity.
How do we measure cost per hire?
Divide the channel's annual spend (site, maintenance, campaigns) by the number of hires it produces. Source tracking in the ATS is enough, with a realistic target of EUR 500 to 800 per technician.
Let's scope your project. Send us your priority roles and hiring volume: we will price a careers site with ATS and videos, indicative budget EUR 10,000 to 22,000, delivered in 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.
