The verdict in three sentences
For an industrial mid-cap of 300 to 1,500 employees around Berlin, a group website rebuild costs EUR 35,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT in 2026, and the main price driver is the number of templates (12 to 25), not the number of pages. The structural decision is editorial governance: a headless CMS with a two-level approval workflow stops each plant from publishing on its own. A realistic schedule is 4 to 6 months, provided copy and translations are locked by month two.
What the audiences of an industrial group site expect
A mid-cap corporate site serves at least five audiences: OEM customers (automotive, rail, food processing), candidates (hiring operators and technicians is often the largest traffic source), lenders, local authorities and the regional press. With 3 production sites, for example Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden, you also need a page per plant with its certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF 16949), capacities and job openings.
The 2017 site on shared WordPress hosting no longer copes: 6 contributors publish without review, the English and French versions are 18 months behind and the sustainability page lacks the CSRD indicators large customers now request.
Cost items of a corporate website rebuild
| Item | 12 templates (tight scope) | 25 templates (full group scope) | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping, workshops and audit | EUR 3,000 | EUR 7,000 | 8% |
| UX, site map and prototypes | EUR 5,000 | EUR 12,000 | 13% |
| Art direction and design system | EUR 6,000 | EUR 14,000 | 15% |
| Copywriting and rewrites (40 to 120 pages) | EUR 5,000 | EUR 13,000 | 14% |
| Translation DE, EN, FR (EUR 0.14 to 0.20 per word) | EUR 4,000 | EUR 11,000 | 12% |
| Front-end build and headless CMS | EUR 9,000 | EUR 25,000 | 28% |
| QA, accessibility (BITV/WCAG) and launch | EUR 3,000 | EUR 8,000 | 10% |
| Total excl. VAT | EUR 35,000 | EUR 90,000 | 100% |
On top of this come EU hosting, EUR 150 to 600 per month depending on traffic and availability, and application maintenance, EUR 400 to 1,200 excl. VAT per month.
Governance: the two-level workflow
A headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi or Directus) separates content from presentation. The recommended workflow for a mid-cap:
- Contributor (plant HR, sales manager, communications assistant): drafts and submits.
- Business approver (plant director or group HR lead): checks accuracy.
- Communications approver (head of communications): checks brand, tone and publishes.
Job ads can follow a short one-level path to go live within 24 h. Financial and sustainability content requires both levels, with version history kept for 3 years.
Typical schedule and overrun risks
| Phase | Duration | Main overrun risk | Observed extra cost if it slips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping and workshops | 3 to 4 weeks | Steering committee too large (over 8 people) | + 2 to 4 weeks |
| UX and design | 5 to 7 weeks | Late sign-off by the executive board | + EUR 3,000 to 8,000 |
| Copywriting | 4 to 8 weeks, in parallel | Plant content delivered late | + 4 to 6 weeks |
| Translations DE, EN, FR | 3 to 4 weeks | Source copy edited after translation | + 15 to 25% of the item |
| Development | 8 to 12 weeks | Templates added mid-project | + EUR 1,500 to 3,000 per template |
| QA and launch | 2 to 3 weeks | Redirect mapping forgotten | Loss of 20 to 40% of SEO traffic |
The most profitable rule: freeze the template list at the end of UX and name a single decision-maker on the client side.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Thomas, head of communications at an 850-employee machining company serving the rail industry, with 3 plants in eastern Germany, launched his rebuild in January 2026. Scope: 18 templates, 75 pages, 3 languages, Sanity with a two-level workflow. Budget: EUR 62,000 excl. VAT, plus EUR 320 per month of hosting and EUR 700 per month of maintenance. First-year cost: 62,000 + 3,840 + 8,400 = EUR 74,240 excl. VAT.
Measured gain at 5 months: unsolicited applications through the site rose from 40 to 110 per month. At an average cost of EUR 1,800 per hire through agencies or paid job boards, avoiding 6 technician hires per quarter saves EUR 43,200 a year, a payback under 2 years on that lever alone.
FAQ
What budget for an industrial mid-cap corporate website in 2026?
EUR 35,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT depending on templates, languages and copy volume. A scope of 15 to 18 templates in 3 languages typically lands around EUR 55,000 to 65,000.
Why a headless CMS rather than classic WordPress?
It provides a native approval workflow, better performance (LCP under 2 s) and a smaller attack surface. The upfront premium is about 10 to 15%, offset by simpler maintenance.
How long does the project take?
Plan for 4 to 6 months from scoping to launch. Projects that exceed 7 months almost always have an oversized steering committee or late plant content.
Do we need to translate the whole site into French?
No. Translate customer, capability and contact pages, around 30 to 40% of the site. At EUR 0.14 to 0.20 per word, that halves the translation budget.
Where should the site be hosted to satisfy large customers?
With an EU-based host offering daily backups and 99.9% availability. Expect EUR 150 to 600 per month.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many plants, languages and contributors you have: we price group websites between EUR 35,000 and 90,000 excl. VAT, delivered in 4 to 6 months. 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.
