The verdict in three sentences
For a Miami insurance brokerage, the right provider depends mostly on your clients' language, the need for on-site shoots and how clearly the contract covers domain and code ownership. If your clientele is mainly English or French speaking and your photos already exist, a remote studio delivers a site with one page per line of coverage for USD 2,900 to 8,900 in 3 to 4 weeks. If you want native Spanish copy, video shot in your Coral Gables office and one vendor for paid ads, a local agency remains the more coherent choice despite a budget three to five times higher.
Which criteria really separate a Miami agency from a remote studio?
Price is only one criterion. For a brokerage, time zone matters because quote requests tend to land in the morning, before you call carriers, and language matters because a large share of Miami-Dade clients speak Spanish, and some Portuguese.
| Criterion | Miami agency | Miami freelancer | Kolonell (remote studio) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time zone | Same zone (Eastern Time) | Same zone | Team in Dakar (GMT), 4 to 5 hours ahead: overlap on Miami mornings and early afternoons |
| Meetings | On-site workshops possible | Coffee or video call | Video calls only, no on-site meetings |
| Languages | Native English and Spanish common | Depends on the person | Native English or French copywriting; Spanish not included |
| Build price (2026 ballpark) | USD 10,000 to 40,000 | USD 50 to 120 per hour, so USD 4,000 to 12,000 | USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 |
| Domain and code ownership | Often in the agency account by default | Varies, rarely written | Written into the quote: accounts in the brokerage's name |
| On-site photo and video | Often offered | Sometimes | Not offered |
| Timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | Highly variable | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Post-launch support | Per contract, often paid | Rarely formalised | 3 months included, maintenance afterwards on quote |
These local ranges come from pricing pages published by South Florida agencies, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles and hourly rates shown on Upwork. They are deliberately wide.
How much does a Miami brokerage website cost by scope?
| Tier | Typical scope for a brokerage | Kolonell price | Comparable local ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Home, firm and licences, three lines of coverage, contact form | USD 2,900 | USD 8,000 to 15,000 |
| Growth | One page per line (auto, home, windstorm, commercial, marine, life) and a qualified quote form per line | USD 4,900 | USD 15,000 to 30,000 |
| Premium | Complete bilingual English and French site, resource centre, richer structure | USD 8,900 | USD 25,000 to 45,000 |
| Custom | Client portal for certificates of insurance, comparative rater or quoting tool integration | Quoted on request | Quoted on request |
| Included in every tier | Project manager reachable in your time zone, native copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks, 3 months of support | Included | Varies |
| Payment | Bank transfer, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery | Fixed | Often 30 to 50 % deposit |
The tiers are detailed in the international website offer. Ongoing SEO has no monthly package: it is quoted on request.
What does a Florida brokerage site need to show?
Commercially, a brokerage site that converts presents your lines of coverage one by one, short forms tailored to each risk (a Brickell condo raises different questions from a boat in Key Biscayne), useful content ahead of hurricane season and clearly visible licence numbers. Carrier logos appear only with the carriers' permission.
On the regulatory side, agents and brokers are licensed by the Florida Department of Financial Services, and Chapter 626 of the Florida Statutes prohibits unfair trade practices, including misleading advertising about coverage. The Florida Information Protection Act of 2014 requires reasonable safeguards and breach notification for personal information, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act governs privacy notices for financial institutions. If your forms collect consent for calls or texts, the federal TCPA and the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act apply. For accessibility, target WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA: Florida federal courts are among the busiest venues for ADA Title III website lawsuits. This is not legal advice.
When is the Miami agency the better choice?
To be honest: if 60 % of your clients prefer Spanish, a Miami agency writing natively in Spanish will save you time and credibility. The same holds if you want an introduction video shot in your office, team portraits, monthly in-person meetings, or one vendor for the site, Google Ads and an SEO retainer. Kolonell does no shoots and no on-site meetings.
Which questions should you ask both types of provider?
- Will the domain, hosting and analytics accounts be opened in the brokerage's name?
- Who writes the coverage pages, and in which languages, at no extra cost?
- How are quote requests routed to the right producer?
- What accessibility test is planned before delivery?
- How many weeks from kickoff to launch, and what makes the schedule slip?
- What does a change cost after the support period?
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
To compare on a written basis, request a free quote with your list of coverage lines.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example.* Carolina M. runs a nine-person brokerage in Coral Gables focused on homeowners and small business coverage. A local agency proposes USD 18,000 for an English and Spanish site in 12 weeks. She looks at Kolonell Growth at USD 4,900, written in English, plus a Spanish translation from an independent translator for about USD 1,800: total USD 6,700, a gap of USD 11,300. In return, she handles the Spanish review herself and books her photo session with a local photographer. If the site brings two extra commercial policies a month at USD 600 commission each, the gap equals roughly nine months of that extra income.
FAQ
Can a remote studio handle the time difference?
Yes, being 4 to 5 hours ahead of Miami, the team covers your morning and early afternoon. Work runs over video calls, with a dedicated project manager throughout the 3 to 4 week project.
Will the site be available in Spanish?
Included copywriting is native English or French, and the Premium tier at USD 8,900 is bilingual English and French. Spanish requires a separate translation that you should budget for.
What about urgent changes before a storm?
During the 3 months of support, fixes are covered. After that, maintenance is quoted: agree on a response time in advance, for example 24 business hours.
Should we display our licence numbers?
Clients expect it and it builds trust. Check with your adviser which exact disclosures the Florida Department of Financial Services requires for your line of business.
How is the project paid?
By bank transfer: 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery, so USD 2,450 then USD 2,450 for the Growth tier. No subscription is required.
Let's scope your project. List your lines of coverage and target languages and we will propose a USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 tier, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.
