The verdict in three sentences
A commodity trading house in Miami does not need a sales website: it needs a site that lets a trade finance bank, a counterparty's compliance team or a senior trader recruit check governance, compliance and offices in under five minutes. Miami agencies typically quote USD 25,000 to 80,000 for this kind of corporate build (2026 ballpark), while Kolonell's fixed grid is USD 2,900 (Starter), USD 4,900 (Growth) and USD 8,900 (Premium), with gated areas and integrations on quote. The real cost difference over three years comes less from the build than from content, legal review and maintenance, which you should budget separately whoever builds the site.
What the site of a trading house must prove
Product marketing is almost absent in this niche. Your readers are a credit analyst at a bank in New York or Geneva, a KYC officer at a counterparty, a mining or agri supplier in Latin America, an NGO researcher, and the trader you want to hire from a competitor. Each one is looking for evidence, not slogans.
| Page | Who reads it | What it must show |
|---|---|---|
| Company and ownership | Banks, counterparties | Legal entities, group structure, year founded, leadership |
| Compliance and sanctions | KYC teams, banks | Policy summary, screening approach, contact for KYC document requests |
| Responsible sourcing and ESG | NGOs, buyers, lenders | Only the policies and reports actually published, with dates |
| Commodities and activities | Suppliers, counterparties | Flows covered (metals, softs, energy), regions, no invented volumes |
| Offices | Everyone | Miami address plus each real office, with local registration where relevant |
| Careers | Traders, analysts, operators | Roles, desks, culture, application route |
| News and announcements | Press, banks | Dated, factual releases only |
Never publish counterparties, volumes or bank relationships unless they are public and approved. A sanctions or responsible sourcing page that promises more than you practise is a liability, so legal and compliance should review every such page. This is not legal advice.
Real cost: Miami agencies vs the Kolonell grid
The local figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public rate pages in South Florida. The Kolonell figures are fixed prices.
| Option | Build price (USD) | Delivery | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designer in Miami | 6,000 to 15,000 | 4 to 10 weeks | Template based site, you write all content |
| Mid-size Miami agency | 25,000 to 60,000 | 8 to 14 weeks | Custom design, copy support, one language |
| Premium corporate or brand agency | 60,000 to 150,000+ | 12 to 24 weeks | Brand work, photography direction, bilingual content |
| Kolonell Starter | 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Focused corporate site, native English copywriting |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Broader structure: compliance, ESG, careers, news sections |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,900 | 4 to 6 weeks | Multilingual tier (languages set in the quote), advanced design |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, and 3 months of support. A secure document area for KYC packs, an applicant tracking integration or a link to your ERP are on quote.
Miami matters for one specific point: many trading houses here serve Latin America, so a Spanish or Portuguese version is often expected by suppliers. That is a Premium scope question, settled in the quote.
Hidden costs and the three-year view
The build is rarely the biggest line. These items apply whichever provider you choose.
| Cost item | Year 1 | Years 2 and 3 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kolonell Growth build | 4,900 | 0 | Fixed price, 3 months support included |
| Maintenance after month 3 | 1,800 | 4,800 | Market assumption: about USD 200 a month, Kolonell maintenance on quote |
| Compliance and legal review of pages | 2,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 3,000 | Outside counsel or in-house time, market assumption |
| Professional photography of offices and team | 2,000 to 6,000 | 0 to 2,000 | Third-party cost |
| Spanish or Portuguese translation | 1,500 to 4,000 | 500 to 1,500 | Third-party cost if not in a Premium scope |
| Hosting and domains | 300 to 900 | 600 to 1,800 | Market assumption |
| Accessibility check (WCAG 2.1 AA target) | 1,000 to 3,000 | 500 to 1,500 | Market assumption |
Accessibility deserves a line of its own in the United States. Website accessibility suits under ADA Title III are frequent, including in Florida, and a corporate site with no keyboard navigation or unlabelled forms is an easy target. Aim for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA from day one. For email updates to counterparties, CAN-SPAM applies, and there is no single federal privacy law, so your privacy notice should reflect the states and countries you actually collect data from.
When a local Miami agency is the better choice
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Be honest about it. A local agency makes more sense if you need in-person workshops with a board every week, a full brand identity created from scratch, a photo and video shoot managed end to end in Miami, or a large integration project with your trading systems where the agency already knows the vendor. If your priority is a credible, compliant corporate site live within a month at a known price, a fixed grid is easier to approve.
Questions to ask any provider: Who writes the compliance and ESG pages, and who reviews them? What happens to the site if we leave you? Is accessibility tested, and how? Which items in your quote are fixed, and which are hourly? How are KYC document requests handled without exposing files?
Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional firm.* Brickell Commodities, a 25-person metals trading house, compares two quotes. A Miami agency asks USD 48,000 plus USD 450 a month of maintenance, so USD 48,000 + 36 × 450 = USD 64,200 over three years. Kolonell Growth costs USD 4,900; with a market assumption of USD 200 a month after the 3 included months, that is 4,900 + 33 × 200 = USD 11,500. Adding the same third-party costs to both (USD 9,000 for photography, translation and legal review), the totals are USD 73,200 and USD 20,500, a difference of USD 52,700.
FAQ
How much does a commodity trading house website cost in Miami?
Local agencies typically quote USD 25,000 to 80,000 in 2026, and premium agencies more. Kolonell's fixed grid starts at USD 2,900 and goes to USD 8,900 for the multilingual Premium tier.
What pages do banks and counterparties check first?
Usually ownership and entities, compliance and sanctions, and offices. A KYC officer wants a contact route for documents within one or two clicks.
Can we show our trading volumes or counterparties?
Only if they are public and approved by your compliance team. Most houses publish commodities, regions and offices rather than figures.
How long does the project take?
Kolonell delivers Starter and Growth in 3 to 4 weeks and Premium in 4 to 6 weeks. Allow 1 to 2 extra weeks for your internal legal review of compliance pages.
Is accessibility really a risk for a B2B site?
ADA Title III suits target B2B sites too, and Florida sees many filings. A WCAG AA check costs roughly USD 1,000 to 3,000 on the market, far less than defending a claim.
Let's scope your project. A Growth site with compliance, ESG and careers sections at USD 4,900, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
