The verdict in three sentences
For a Berlin B2B site targeting France and the UK, a multilingual headless architecture with next-intl gives the editorial flexibility and performance a monolithic CMS no longer guarantees. The key line item is i18n integration (5,000-11,000 EUR ex. VAT) paired with technical translation at 0.12-0.20 EUR/word. The subdirectories vs subdomains vs ccTLD choice drives SEO and must be settled before the first line of code.
Comparing i18n approaches
Three languages (DE/EN/FR) demand an architecture that carries the editorial load without duplicating work. Here is the structuring comparison.
| Approach | URL type | SEO cost | Effort for 3 languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subdirectories /fr/ | site.com/fr/ | Shared authority | Low, single domain |
| Subdomains | fr.site.com | Diluted authority | Medium |
| ccTLD | site.fr | Strong geo-targeting | High, separate domains |
For an exporter building French awareness from scratch, subdirectories remain the default choice: they concentrate domain authority and simplify maintenance. A .fr ccTLD is only justified with a legal entity and a local team in France.
The headless multilingual budget (2026 ballpark)
Headless architecture (decoupled front, API CMS) costs more upfront but cuts technical debt across three languages. Here is the breakdown.
| Item | 2026 range (EUR ex. VAT) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Headless setup + design system | 8,000 - 16,000 | Next.js front, components |
| i18n integration (next-intl) | 5,000 - 11,000 | Routing, fallback, formats |
| Multilingual CMS (3 languages) | 3,000 - 7,000 | Content model, workflow |
| Technical translation FR + EN | 4,800 - 8,000 | ~20,000 words, 0.12-0.20 EUR/word |
| Acceptance + SEO hreflang | 2,000 - 4,500 | QA, 90-day monitoring |
| Total | 22,800 - 46,500 | Project day rate 500-680 EUR |
Multilingual maintenance runs 350-700 EUR/month: synchronised publishing across three languages, design-system evolution, hreflang fixes. The full timeline runs 10 to 15 weeks depending on source-content maturity.
Mini case study
Sabine, CEO of a machining mid-cap in Berlin, exports 35 % of revenue to France. She migrates to a headless DE/EN/FR site. Quote: headless setup 12,000 EUR, i18n 8,000 EUR, CMS 5,000 EUR, translation 21,000 words x 0.16 EUR = 3,360 EUR, acceptance 3,200 EUR, i.e. 31,560 EUR ex. VAT, maintenance 550 EUR/month. At an internal day rate of 620 EUR, the project mobilises the equivalent of 51 man-days. Goal: halve the time to publish a new product line (from 6 to 3 days per language). Across 8 launches/year and 3 languages, that is 72 person-days saved per year on the marketing side, roughly 22,000 EUR of internal cost redeployed.
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FAQ
Why go headless for a trilingual site?
Headless separates content from display, letting you manage DE/EN/FR in a single model and publish faster. It also improves Core Web Vitals, often above 90 on mobile, a decisive SEO advantage in France.
Do I need a specialist French technical translator?
Yes: industrial B2B French has precise terminology (standards, technical compounds). A specialist translator at 0.14-0.20 EUR/word avoids mistranslations that would cost far more in commercial credibility.
next-intl or another i18n library?
next-intl is a robust standard for Next.js: localised routing, date/number formats, language fallback. Integration is 5,000-11,000 EUR ex. VAT depending on the number of templates and routing complexity.
How long before SEO results in French?
Expect 3 to 6 months for Google to index and rank the /fr/ pages with clean hreflang. Native content (not a literal translation) markedly speeds up ranking.
Can I migrate one language at a time?
Yes: teams often ship DE + EN first, then FR as a second batch. This spreads translation spend and validates the architecture before industrialising the third language.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your target languages, content volume and current CMS: we will price the headless architecture and i18n in a 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.
