New website for a commodity trading house in Doha: real cost vs local agencies (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

A commodity trading house in Doha does not need a marketing site; it needs a credibility and compliance site that a trade finance bank, a counterparty or a regulator can check in five minutes. Doha agencies typically quote roughly USD 9,600 to 68,700 for such a project, while Kolonell builds it at a fixed USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium), the multilingual tier in English and Arabic with the right-to-left scope set in the quote. Over three years, the gap narrows once you add maintenance, source content, translation and compliance review, so compare total cost, not the build price alone.

What a trading house site has to prove

Product marketing barely matters in this business. The people who visit are counterparties checking who they are dealing with, banks running onboarding, auditors, NGOs tracking supply chains, journalists and candidates. Each arrives with a precise question, and each leaves quickly if the answer is missing.

Everything on these pages must match what the company actually does and publishes: no volumes, counterparties or certifications that cannot be documented. Contact and careers forms collect personal data, which brings in Qatar's Law No. 13 of 2016 on personal data privacy, and the QFC applies its own data protection rules to firms established there. Keep forms short and consent explicit. This is not legal advice: your compliance officer and counsel sign off the final texts.

The real cost: Doha agencies against a fixed grid

Local figures are prudent ranges from typical agency quotes, converted at the pegged rate of about 3.64 QAR per USD. Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (Premium 4 to 6) and 3 months of support. A secured counterparty portal, document data room, HR system feed or speak-up platform integration is on quote. Tier details are on the international offer page.

Hidden costs and the three-year view

The build price is the visible part. The rest usually comes from four lines: source content (photography of terminals or offices, executive portraits), translation if Arabic is in scope, legal and compliance review of policy pages, and maintenance once the included support ends.

Kolonell maintenance after the three included months is on quote; the USD 300 figure is only a market assumption for comparison.

When a Doha agency is the better choice, and what to ask

A local agency is the right call when the board wants in-person workshops in Doha, when photography of local sites has to be organised and supervised on the ground, or when the website is part of a wider corporate identity project led by a local communications firm. A remote fixed-price studio fits when policies, reports and structure already exist and the task is to present them precisely.

Questions worth asking any provider: who drafts the compliance and sanctions pages, and who validates them; how documents such as ESG reports are versioned and archived; where form data is hosted; what happens if a regulator or bank asks for a change within 48 hours; which items are fixed and which are on quote.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: "Lusail Bulk Trading", a fictional Doha trading house active in refined products and fertilisers, receives a QAR 70,000 quote from a mid-size agency, about USD 19,200. It weighs this against Kolonell Premium at USD 8,900, the multilingual tier in English and Arabic, plus Arabic translation at USD 4,000 (market assumption) and a compliance review at USD 2,500 (market assumption): USD 15,400 in total.

The difference at launch is USD 3,800 (19,200 minus 15,400), smaller than the headline gap. The decision comes down to support: the trading house values a project manager in its time zone and fixed pricing more than a local office, so it keeps the USD 3,800 for photography of its offices.

FAQ

How many pages does a trading house site need?

Most need 12 to 25 pages: company, offices, governance, compliance, responsible sourcing, reports, careers, news and a speak-up page. The exact scope is set in the quote.

Should we publish trading volumes or client names?

Only figures and names you already disclose officially and can document. Banks and journalists compare website claims with annual reports, and one unsupported number costs more credibility than ten missing ones.

Is Arabic necessary?

English is usually enough for counterparties and banks, while local authorities and some candidates prefer Arabic. Arabic with a right-to-left layout belongs to Premium at USD 8,900, the multilingual tier, with the RTL scope set in the quote.

How fast can the site go live?

Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter or Growth and 4 to 6 weeks for Premium, once content is ready. Compliance sign-off on policy pages often takes another 1 to 2 weeks on the client side.

What about a secure portal for counterparties?

Document portals and data rooms involve access control, logging and hosting decisions, so they are on quote. Typical Doha agency quotes for such modules start around QAR 40,000 (market assumption).

Let's scope your project. Send us your entity structure, existing policies and target audiences, and we will confirm the tier, the Arabic scope and a 3 to 6 week schedule. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.