The verdict in three sentences
For a 110-employee manufacturer near Amsterdam that exports half of its valves to Germany, Belgium and France, a trilingual Dutch, English and German website costs 22,000 to 55,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026, plus technical translation at 0.12 to 0.20 EUR per word. The heaviest item is not design but the catalogue of 250 to 700 product sheets with materials, pressure ratings, diameters and certificates, which must stay synchronised across all three languages. A buyer in Düsseldorf or Lyon who cannot find the datasheet in their language asks a competitor: each lost enquiry often outweighs a full year of maintenance.
Multilingual architecture: the choices that drive search rankings
The first technical decision is URL structure. For a mid-sized manufacturer, subdirectories (/nl/, /en/, /de/) on one domain concentrate SEO authority and cost less than country domains. Hreflang tags tell Google which version to serve to a German, Flemish or British engineer. A common mistake is translating the interface but not the PDF datasheets, which sends the buyer to a document in Dutch.
| Architecture choice | Advantages | Drawbacks | Indicative extra cost 2026 (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subdirectories /nl/ /en/ /de/ | Shared SEO authority, single maintenance | Less explicit country targeting | Included |
| Subdomains de.example.com | Simple technical separation | Diluted SEO authority | 1,500 to 3,000 |
| Country domains (.de, .be, .fr) | Strong local trust | Three sites to rank | 6,000 to 15,000 |
| Automated hreflang in the CMS | No mapping errors | Careful initial setup | 1,000 to 2,500 |
| Datasheet PDFs generated per language | Always up to date | Templates to design | 2,500 to 6,000 |
| PIM or ERP connector | Technical data at the source | Integration project | 5,000 to 15,000 |
If product data already lives in the ERP (Exact, SAP Business One, AFAS), a connector avoids double entry. Without a usable PIM or ERP, a structured initial import followed by CMS editing works for 250 to 400 references.
2026 budget: site, translation and maintenance
| Item | Assumption | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Design and build of the trilingual site | 30 editorial pages, filterable catalogue | 22,000 to 55,000 |
| Technical translation into EN and DE | 400 sheets of 180 words, 2 languages, translation memory | 12,000 to 22,000 |
| Translation of editorial pages | 30 pages of 600 words, 2 languages | 4,300 to 7,200 |
| Review by a native-speaking engineer | 10 % of sheets, terminology check | 1,500 to 3,500 |
| Adding French later | Same volume, memory reused | 9,000 to 16,000 |
| Maintenance and hosting | Updates, backups, hreflang monitoring | 300 to 900 per month |
Translation memory cuts the bill by 25 to 40 % on a valve catalogue, because sheets share many segments (materials, EN 1074 or EN 593 standards, temperature ranges). The overall 4 to 6 month timeline includes 6 to 10 weeks of translation and review running in parallel with development.
Mini case study
Sanne, sales director of an industrial valve maker near Amsterdam, prices her project: 38,000 EUR for the site, 15,000 EUR for English and German translation and 500 EUR a month for maintenance, 59,000 EUR in year one.
Before the project she estimates losing 8 enquiries a month for lack of translated datasheets. Recovering half of them, 4 a month, with a 20 % win rate and an average order of 12,000 EUR, she signs about 10 extra orders a year, 115,000 EUR of revenue. At a 35 % margin, the gain reaches 40,000 EUR in year one, and the project becomes clearly profitable in year two, when only maintenance remains.
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FAQ
How much does a multilingual website cost for a manufacturer in the Netherlands?
In 2026, budget 22,000 to 55,000 EUR excluding VAT for the trilingual site, plus 12,000 to 22,000 EUR of technical translation for 400 sheets. The total depends mainly on the number of references.
Is machine translation enough?
As a first draft, yes, but review by a technical translator remains necessary: an error on a pressure rating or material can cost an order. Plan at least 10 % review by a native-speaking engineer.
Do we need a domain per country?
Not necessarily. Subdirectories with hreflang are enough for a mid-sized manufacturer and avoid ranking three sites. Country domains add 6,000 to 15,000 EUR.
What timeline should we expect?
4 to 6 months, including 6 to 10 weeks of translation run in parallel with development. Loading and checking product sheets often takes longer than design.
What about French?
It can be added in a second phase for 9,000 to 16,000 EUR thanks to the translation memory already built. It usually pays off once France and Wallonia exceed 15 % of export sales.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of references, target languages and the source of your product data (ERP, spreadsheets, PDFs): we will price the site, translation and schedule with an indicative budget. 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.
