The verdict in three sentences
For a 300-employee manufacturer, a dedicated careers site costs between EUR 7,000 and 14,000 excl. VAT in 2026, plus ATS integration and trade videos. The real comparison is against the cost of a failed hire, estimated at EUR 30,000 for a maintenance technician or a welder. With an 8-week lead time, the project must start before the spring hiring peak.
What you are actually buying: the budget breakdown
A careers site is not a "Join us" page bolted onto the corporate website. It is a conversion tool built for technical profiles who browse jobs on their phones, often after their shift, and who compare your plant with others in Brandenburg or across the region.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Careers site, 8 to 15 pages | EUR 7,000 to 14,000 | Trade pages, benefits, hiring process, candidate journey |
| ATS integration (Personio, Welcome to the Jungle, Flatchr) | + EUR 2,000 | Automatic sync of job ads and applications |
| Trade video (technician, welder, line operator) | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 each | Shot on the shop floor, 60 to 90 seconds, subtitled |
| Bilingual version German / English | + 25 % | Essential to reach international skilled workers |
| Photo shoot of teams and site | EUR 1,200 to 2,500 | Real photos, no stock images |
| Express application form (no CV) | EUR 600 to 1,200 | Apply in 2 minutes from a smartphone |
| Maintenance and hosting | EUR 80 to 180 per month | Updates, backups, monitoring |
For a typical full project (12-page site, ATS, 3 videos, bilingual), the ballpark is EUR 18,000 to 26,000 excl. VAT.
Three project levels based on your hiring volume
| Level | Hires per year | Content | Budget excl. VAT | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Fewer than 15 | 8 pages, jobs via ATS, express form | EUR 7,000 to 9,000 | 6 weeks |
| Standard | 15 to 40 | 12 trade pages, 2 videos, bilingual | EUR 14,000 to 19,000 | 8 weeks |
| Advanced | More than 40 | 15 pages, 4 to 6 videos, ATS, apprenticeships, referrals | EUR 22,000 to 30,000 | 10 weeks |
| Jobs SEO option | All | JobPosting markup for Google for Jobs | EUR 1,200 to 2,000 | 2 weeks |
| HR analytics option | All | Application source tracking, cost per candidate | EUR 900 to 1,500 | 1 week |
The Standard level fits most sites with 250 to 400 employees. Employee referrals (a bonus paid to staff who recommend a candidate) deserve a dedicated page: in manufacturing they often account for 20 to 30 % of successful hires.
What makes the difference for technical profiles
Maintenance technicians and welders do not read HR mission statements. They want to know the pay, the shift pattern (two shifts, three shifts, days), the machines, the in-house training and how far the site is from home. An effective trade page shows a salary range, the equipment used and a filmed testimonial from a colleague in the role.
The English version is not a gimmick: a qualified welder relocating from Poland, Portugal or Turkey compares your offer with other German employers in English first. A page with relocation conditions (housing, language courses, transport) widens your candidate pool measurably.
Technically, JobPosting markup lets your ads appear in Google for Jobs without paid sponsoring, and a mobile load time under 2.5 seconds avoids losing candidates who browse from the car park of their current plant.
Mini case study
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Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Nadine, HR director of a metalworking manufacturer on the outskirts of Berlin (320 employees), hires 22 technical profiles a year. She spends EUR 1,400 a month on sponsored ads and suffered two failed hires in 2025, roughly EUR 60,000 in direct and indirect costs.
Her project: bilingual Standard site at EUR 16,000, ATS integration at EUR 2,000, 3 trade videos at EUR 2,000 each, for EUR 24,000 excl. VAT. Realistic target: cut sponsored ads by 40 % (EUR 6,700 saved per year) and avoid a single failed hire (EUR 30,000). Payback comes in under 10 months, before counting the time her team saves screening applications.
FAQ
How much does a careers site for a manufacturer cost in 2026?
Budget EUR 7,000 to 14,000 excl. VAT for the site alone. With ATS integration, trade videos and a second language, a full project lands between EUR 18,000 and 26,000 excl. VAT.
Do we really need a second language?
For hard-to-fill roles, yes: the bilingual version costs about 25 % more but opens up international skilled workers. On a EUR 14,000 site, that is around EUR 3,500 excl. VAT.
Can we keep our current ATS?
Yes. Personio, Welcome to the Jungle, Flatchr and most ATS tools offer an API or job feed. Integration costs EUR 2,000 excl. VAT on average and removes double entry of job ads.
How long does it take to go live?
The standard lead time is 8 weeks, including 2 weeks of filming and photography. An Essential level without video can ship in 6 weeks.
How do we measure return on investment?
Track the source of each application, the cost per candidate and the conversion rate to hire. An HR dashboard costs EUR 900 to 1,500 excl. VAT and lets you compare the site with paid ads from month three.
Let's scope your project. Share your hard-to-fill roles, annual hiring volume and ATS: we price a bilingual careers site between EUR 7,000 and 26,000 excl. VAT, 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.
