The verdict in three sentences
In Miami, a professional logistics website costs 15,000 to 50,000 USD in 2026; for a forwarder or warehouse operator at the Port of Lomé, the same scope costs 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA (about 1,525 to 4,575 EUR), delivered in 6 to 9 weeks, with maintenance of 35,000 to 90,000 FCFA per month. The pages that bring in contracts are a transit time calculator to Ouagadougou, Niamey and Bamako, a warehouse catalog with surfaces and indicative rates, and a quote form that qualifies volume. One annual contract with a Sahelian shipper usually pays the site back in under six months.
What shippers on the Sahel corridor look for
An importer in Ouagadougou or a distributor in Niamey does not choose a forwarder from a brochure. They compare three or four operators online, often on a phone, and want precise answers: door-to-door lead time, storage capacity, customs handling, container tracking. A site showing only truck photos and a phone number loses the lead to the competitor displaying an estimated lead time and a quote button.
The site must speak the shipper's language. French covers Togo, Burkina, Niger and Mali, English targets shipping lines, Ghanaian and Nigerian traders and international principals, and a third language (Portuguese for Brazil and Angola, or Chinese for Asian importers) makes sense depending on the client portfolio.
| Page or feature | Commercial role | Indicative 2026 cost (FCFA) |
|---|---|---|
| Home + corridor positioning | Reassure in 10 seconds: port, corridors, certifications | 150,000 to 300,000 |
| Transit time calculator | Estimate Lomé to Ouagadougou, Niamey, Bamako | 250,000 to 600,000 |
| Warehouse catalog | Surfaces, bonded or not, cold storage, indicative rates | 200,000 to 500,000 |
| Qualifying quote form | Volume, cargo type, Incoterm, frequency | 120,000 to 300,000 |
| Trilingual FR/EN + 3rd language | Reach shipping lines and foreign traders | 200,000 to 600,000 |
| Container tracking area (option) | Online status, fewer phone calls | 400,000 to 1,200,000 |
| Local and regional SEO | Rank for "freight forwarder Lomé Ouagadougou" | 100,000 to 300,000 |
These amounts are a 2026 order of magnitude for a structured agency. A freelancer will quote less, but rarely includes the calculator or tracking integration.
Three budget levels for a logistics website
The right level depends on the number of corridors served and the site's role in prospecting. A warehouse operator working with five loyal clients does not have the same needs as a forwarder trying to win shippers in Niger.
| Package | Content | Price (FCFA) | Lead time | Monthly maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | 6 to 8 pages, bilingual, quote form | 1,000,000 to 1,400,000 | 6 weeks | 35,000 |
| Corridor | Trilingual, transit calculator, warehouse catalog | 1,600,000 to 2,300,000 | 7 to 8 weeks | 60,000 |
| Platform | Corridor + client container tracking + CRM | 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 | 8 to 9 weeks | 90,000 |
| Miami benchmark (USA) | Equivalent logistics site from an agency | 15,000 to 50,000 USD | 10 to 16 weeks | 500 to 2,000 USD |
The Miami comparison, another port hub serving an entire region, shows the cost gap: for the same scope, a site produced in Lomé or Dakar costs five to ten times less without lowering the quality a shipping line expects.
The technical points that make the difference
Three technical choices separate a brochure site from a sales tool. First, speed on mobile networks: many shippers browse on 3G or congested 4G, and a page taking more than 3 seconds to load loses part of its visitors. Second, lead routing: every quote request must land in a shared inbox or CRM, with a WhatsApp alert to the sales rep for the relevant corridor. Third, lead time data: the calculator should not promise a fixed figure but a range (for example 5 to 8 days to Ouagadougou), updated by the operations team.
Mini case study
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Kodjo, sales director of a bonded warehouse operator at the Port of Lomé, receives about 12 quote requests a month through word of mouth. He invests 2,100,000 FCFA in the Corridor package plus 60,000 FCFA a month of maintenance, i.e. 2,820,000 FCFA in year one.
After four months, the site generates 18 additional qualified requests a month. At an 8% conversion rate, that is about 1.4 new clients a month. An average Burkinabe shipper brings him 450,000 FCFA of annual margin. Over the remaining eight months, around 11 signed clients produce nearly 5,000,000 FCFA of margin on a full-year basis: the investment is recovered by the fifth contract.
FAQ
How much does a logistics company website cost in Miami versus Lomé?
In Miami, expect 15,000 to 50,000 USD. In Lomé, the 2026 order of magnitude is 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA (about 1,525 to 4,575 EUR) depending on features.
Do I really need a trilingual site?
If more than 20% of your prospects are English speakers (Ghana, Nigeria, international shipping lines), yes. The third language adds 200,000 to 600,000 FCFA and pays off as soon as one foreign contract is signed per year.
Is the transit time calculator reliable for clients?
It shows a range, for example 5 to 8 days from Lomé to Ouagadougou, not a promise. Operations staff update it from a back office in under 5 minutes when corridor conditions change.
How long until the site goes live?
Between 6 and 9 weeks, of which about 2 weeks depend on you supplying copy, warehouse photos and lead time grids. An Essential site can ship in 6 weeks.
Can I pay in installments?
Yes, the usual schedule is 40% on order, 40% at acceptance and 20% at launch. Bank transfer, Wave and Orange Money are accepted.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your corridors, target languages and number of warehouses to showcase: we price a site between 1,000,000 and 3,000,000 FCFA delivered in 6 to 9 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.
