The verdict in three sentences
A multilingual institutional website in New York runs between 25,000 and 70,000 EUR (about 27,000-76,000 USD) in 2026, depending on languages, editorial depth and required security. The most underestimated line is not design but editorial governance: multi-level approval workflow, roles, translation and legal review. Plan for 10 to 16 weeks and a headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful) when several departments publish in parallel.
The cost lines of a 2026 corporate website
A communications director running a group should split the budget by line, not by page. The range below matches an EN/FR/AR project of 30 to 60 pages with a press room and an investor section.
| Line item | 2026 range (EUR) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & UX/architecture | 4,000 - 9,000 | Workshops, sitemap, wireframes |
| Design system & mockups | 5,000 - 12,000 | Brand, components, dark/light |
| Front-end build (Next.js) | 8,000 - 20,000 | Responsive, AA accessibility |
| Headless CMS & modeling | 4,000 - 10,000 | Sanity/Contentful, editorial roles |
| Multilingual (per language beyond EN) | +15 to +25% | i18n structure, hreflang, RTL for AR |
| QA, SEO, go-live | 3,000 - 8,000 | Testing, redirects, sitemap |
| Project total | 25,000 - 70,000 | Depending on languages and scope |
Adding a third language such as Arabic requires RTL support (right to left) that affects CSS, components and proofreading: it is the main cause of budget overrun when decided mid-project.
Governance, hosting and SLA
An institutional website is not just a design object: it is a communications asset with availability and compliance requirements. EU hosting is almost systematic for groups mindful of GDPR and data localization.
| Element | 2026 standard | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|
| EU hosting (OVH/Scaleway/Vercel EU) | EU region, GDPR | 30 - 150 EUR/month |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% (approx. 8 h downtime/year max) | Included premium |
| CDN + WAF | Global cache + firewall | 20 - 80 EUR/month |
| Backup & DR | Daily, 30-day retention | 20 - 60 EUR/month |
| Maintenance & updates | Patches, monitoring | 400 - 1,200 EUR/month |
| Editorial governance | 2-3 level approval workflow | Included in CMS |
The multi-level approval workflow (writer -> comms lead -> executive/legal) is what separates a real corporate site from a brochure site. It prevents a press release from going out unreviewed and traces every publication.
Mini case study
Helene, communications director of a 900-employee industrial group, wants an EN/FR/AR site with a press room and an ESG section. Scope: 45 pages, Sanity CMS, EU hosting. Chosen quote: 48,000 EUR for build + 9,500 EUR for the third language (Arabic, RTL) + 750 EUR/month for maintenance and hosting.
Over 3 years, total cost of ownership is 48,000 + 9,500 + (750 x 36) = 84,500 EUR. Spread across 900 staff and 200 annual press mentions, the investment pays off through fewer internal update requests, previously handled in 3 to 5 days by the incumbent agency.
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FAQ
Why a headless CMS rather than WordPress for a group?
Headless (Sanity, Contentful) separates content from presentation, which eases multilingual delivery, performance and reuse across channels. For a group publishing in several languages and formats, it cuts technical debt over 3 to 5 years.
What does an extra language really cost?
Plan for +15 to +25% of the build budget per language beyond English. Arabic sits toward the top of the range because of RTL support and specialized proofreading.
What is a realistic timeline for a 45-page EN/FR/AR site?
Between 10 and 16 weeks in 2026, governance and translations included. Multi-level approval and content production are often the critical path, not development.
What does a 99.9% SLA cover?
Roughly 8 hours of tolerated downtime per year, monitoring, backups and a recovery commitment. It is the minimum expected for an institutional site visible to investors and the press.
Is EU hosting mandatory?
Not legally in every case, but strongly recommended for GDPR compliance and data localization. Most groups require it in their specifications.
Let's scope your project. Tell us the number of languages, page volume and your editorial governance needs, and we will frame the budget (25,000-70,000 EUR) and timeline. 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.
