The verdict in three sentences
For a civil and structural engineering office in Lausanne, choosing between a Vaud agency and a remote studio is less about price than about the logistics of site photography and the ownership of code, domain and photos. A local agency remains the better choice if the website is part of a full rebrand, with repeated face-to-face workshops with the partners. For a site built around project references, recruitment and prequalification documents, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks, a remote studio working with a third-party local photographer covers the essentials for CHF 4,500 (Growth tier), while quotes from agencies in French-speaking Switzerland typically sit around CHF 18,000 to 35,000.
Which criteria really separate a Lausanne agency from a remote studio?
An office working on housing densification around Malley and Renens, on projects near the EPFL and UNIL campuses or on infrastructure around Lake Geneva does not buy a website the way a retailer does. Public owners, developers and general contractors who visit it want verifiable references, clear expertise by field and up-to-date documents. If you run an English-speaking engineering business in Lausanne, the same logic applies. Here are the criteria that matter for this audience, and what to check whichever option you pick.
| Criterion | Lausanne agency | Remote studio (e.g. Kolonell) | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time zone and responsiveness | Same time zone, office meetings possible | Project manager reachable during your office hours, video meetings | Response time written into the contract, e.g. 24 business hours |
| Site visits and meetings | Visit possible within half a day | No travel, briefing by video with drawings and photos | How many workshops you really need, often 2 or 3 |
| Copywriting | Native French, sometimes outsourced | Native English or French copywriting included | Technical review by one of your engineers |
| Site photography and drone | Often subcontracted to a Vaud photographer | Third-party local photographer or drone pilot, briefed remotely | Rights assigned to the firm, owner approval |
| Build price | CHF 18,000 to 35,000 (2026 ballpark) | CHF 2,700, 4,500 or 8,200 depending on tier | Pages, languages and copy actually included |
| Code and domain ownership | To negotiate, sometimes a licence on an in-house CMS | Written into the contract, domain in the client's name | .ch domain in the firm's name, admin access, full export |
| Time to launch | 8 to 16 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Schedule compatible with your bid deadlines |
The agency ranges reflect typical quotes and public rate pages of agencies in French-speaking Switzerland. They vary widely with page count and the scope of brand work: read them as a ballpark, not as market research.
When a Lausanne agency is clearly the better choice
To be candid, several situations favour going local. If you are redesigning the firm's whole identity (logo, guidelines, report templates, site hoardings), the website is just one piece and face-to-face workshops with the partners justify the extra cost. The same holds if your leadership insists on approving each step in a physical meeting, or if you want a team that comes back to your sites several times a year to film progress and interview your project managers.
Heavy integration with an intranet or an ERP already maintained by a Vaud provider is another reason to stay local. At Kolonell, that kind of custom development is priced on quote.
A remote studio is enough in the opposite case: the identity is already in place and you need a fast, clear, well-written site with solid references and a careers page that helps you hire in a market where technical profiles are scarce. Either way, the photography stays local: no agency replaces a good architectural photographer on a building site in Malley.
What does each option cost over three years?
| Item (CHF, 2026 ballpark) | Lausanne agency | Vaud freelancer | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and development | 18,000 to 35,000 | 7,000 to 14,000 | 4,500 |
| Native copywriting | 2,000 to 5,000 | 1,500 to 3,000 | Included |
| Photos and drone (third-party local photographer) | 2,000 to 4,000 | 2,000 to 4,000 | 2,000 to 4,000 |
| Hosting and maintenance over 3 years (market assumption, CHF 100 to 200 per month) | 3,600 to 7,200 | 3,600 to 7,200 | 3,600 to 7,200 |
| 3-year total | 25,600 to 51,200 | 14,100 to 28,200 | 10,100 to 15,700 |
At Kolonell, the first three months of support are included, then maintenance is on quote: the maintenance line above is a market assumption applied to every column to compare like with like, not a Kolonell price. Photography is a third-party cost, identical in each scenario. The Starter tier at CHF 2,700 suits a small five-page office; Premium at CHF 8,200 is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote. Details are on our international offer.
What should the site contain, and what should you ask both providers?
An effective engineering office website rests on a few blocks: project references with large images (published only with the owner's approval), pages by field (structures, civil works, assessment of existing buildings), a strong careers page, a library of downloadable prequalification documents, a sober health and safety page and a team page with roles. Professional titles and registrations appear only as they are actually held. Pages must stay light: your site managers open them on tablets over 4G.
On the regulatory side, the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD/revFADP) has been in force since 1 September 2023, overseen by the FDPIC. It requires a clear privacy notice, which matters as soon as you receive CVs through a form. The GDPR may also apply if you target candidates or clients living in the EU, for instance in neighbouring France. For accessibility, make WCAG 2.1 AA a contractual requirement. For public procurement, link to the official notices rather than summarising the rules yourself. This is not legal advice.
Questions to ask both providers:
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- Are the domain, hosting and code in the firm's name from day one?
- Who owns the rights to site photos and videos, and for which uses?
- Who reviews the technical vocabulary before launch, and in how many rounds?
- What response time is guaranteed during a bid period?
- How do we take the site back if the relationship ends?
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Nathalie Rochat is a partner in a 22-person structural and civil engineering office in Renens. A Lausanne agency quotes CHF 28,000 and 12 weeks, brand workshops included. Her visual identity is two years old and still works.
She compares it with a remote studio: Growth at CHF 4,500, plus one day with a third-party architectural photographer at CHF 2,200 and a third-party drone pilot at CHF 900, for a total of CHF 7,600. The gap is CHF 20,400. More importantly, the site can go live in 4 weeks, ahead of a prequalification file due in 6 weeks. She keeps the one thing that requires being on site, the shoot day, and gives half a day of a senior engineer's time to reviewing the reference sheets.
FAQ
Can a remote studio write engineering content properly?
Yes, provided the process includes a technical review by your office. Allow 2 to 3 engineer hours to validate around ten reference sheets and field pages.
Do we really need a local photographer for an engineering site in Lausanne?
For credible references, yes: a day typically costs CHF 1,500 to 3,000 with a third-party architectural photographer. That cost is the same whichever web provider you choose.
How long does it take to launch the site?
A remote studio delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content is gathered. A local agency more often quotes 8 to 16 weeks, especially when identity work is included.
Should the site be in both French and English?
Not necessarily: most Vaud project owners read French. If you target international investors, Premium at CHF 8,200 is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote.
What happens after the three included months of support?
Your call: maintenance with Kolonell on quote, with a local provider or in-house. Since code and domain stay in your name, switching providers only costs the handover.
Let's scope your project. A references, careers and documents site for a Lausanne engineering office, from CHF 2,700 to 8,200, live in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.