The verdict in three sentences
In Washington DC, a new website for an executive search firm typically costs 15,000 to 45,000 USD with a local agency, against a fixed 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 USD with Kolonell's grid. The real difference over three years comes less from the build than from maintenance, content and photography, which you should budget whatever the provider. The site has two jobs: convince a board or CEO that your partners know their sector and keep searches confidential, and give candidates a simple, privacy-conscious way to reach you.
What does a new site cost in Washington in 2026?
The ranges below are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in the DC area. Kolonell prices are a fixed grid.
| Option | Ballpark (USD) | What you usually get | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designer and developer | 4,000 to 12,000 | Template site, limited copy | 4 to 8 weeks |
| DC area agency, mid-range | 15,000 to 45,000 | Custom design, CMS, some copy | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Premium DC brand and digital agency | 50,000 to 120,000 | Brand work, strategy, full content | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | 2,900 | Focused site, practice pages, contact paths | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | Fuller structure, partner bios, insights | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,900 | Multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | 4 to 6 weeks |
All Kolonell tiers include a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, and 3 months of support after launch. Delivery times apply once content (bios, photos, practice descriptions) is ready. A candidate portal, an integration with your applicant tracking or CRM system and any gated client area are on quote, as is maintenance after the included period. The full offer is on the international websites page.
What must an executive search site prove?
Washington has a distinctive client base: trade associations and nonprofits looking for a CEO or executive director, government contractors hiring business development and compliance leaders, policy organizations, and federal agencies' private sector partners. Boards there read a search firm's site for sector fluency and discretion. Candidates read it for open mandates and for how their data is handled.
| Page | Audience | What it must show |
|---|---|---|
| Practice areas | Boards, CEOs, HR heads | Sectors and functions you actually cover, such as association leadership or government contracting |
| Partner bios | Boards | Seniority, prior roles, sectors, with no invented placements or client names |
| Search process | Boards | Phases, typical duration, how references and assessment work |
| Confidentiality | Boards and candidates | How searches stay confidential and who sees what |
| Selected mandates | Candidates | Only roles you are authorized to advertise |
| Submit your CV | Candidates | A short form: name, contact, CV, nothing more |
| Privacy and retention | Candidates | What you keep, for how long, how to ask for deletion |
| Insights | Both | Articles signed by partners, dated |
Candidate data deserves care. There is no single federal privacy law in the US, so obligations depend on where candidates live and on state rules, and the CCPA/CPRA can apply to California residents if your firm meets its thresholds. A sensible default is to collect the minimum, state a retention period on the page and honor deletion requests. Accessibility matters too: ADA Title III website claims are frequent, so aim the site at WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA. Candidate emails and newsletters fall under CAN-SPAM. This is not legal advice: confirm your obligations with counsel.
Hidden costs and the real total over three years
Whatever the provider, some costs sit outside the build: partner photography (often 800 to 2,500 USD in DC for a half-day session), professional copy if your provider does not write it, translations for a multilingual version as a third-party cost, an accessibility review, and integrations on quote. The table compares a three-year total with maintenance figures that are clearly market assumptions, not quotes.
| Cost item | Kolonell Growth (USD) | DC agency, mid-range (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 4,900 | 35,000 |
| Partner photography | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Accessibility review | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Maintenance year 1, market assumption at 250 or 600 per month | 9 months, 2,250 | 12 months, 7,200 |
| Maintenance years 2 and 3, market assumption | 24 months, 6,000 | 24 months, 14,400 |
| Three-year total | 16,650 | 60,100 |
Check the arithmetic on your own figures: 4,900 + 1,500 + 2,000 + 2,250 + 6,000 = 16,650, and 35,000 + 1,500 + 2,000 + 7,200 + 14,400 = 60,100. Kolonell maintenance after the included support is quoted separately, so replace the assumption with the actual quote when you have it.
When a local agency is the better choice, and what to ask
A DC agency makes more sense if your partners want in-person workshops every week, if the website is part of a full rebrand with a new name or identity, or if the site must integrate tightly with a recruiting system that a local team already supports. It is also reasonable if your board insists on a vendor based in the region for procurement reasons.
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Ask any provider: who writes the partner bios and how are they validated? How is the candidate form protected and where is the data stored? Which items are on quote? Who owns the site and the domain after launch? How will accessibility be checked before go-live?
Mini case study
Illustrative example, fictional firm: Potomac Ridge Partners, a firm with 6 partners specializing in association and nonprofit leadership, weighs a site at Kolonell Growth for 4,900 USD. A typical retained search fee is often set around one third of first-year compensation; for a CEO role at 300,000 USD, that is 300,000 / 3 = 100,000 USD. The site therefore costs 4,900 / 100,000 = 4.9 percent of a single fee, which frames the decision for the partners more clearly than a comparison of agency quotes.
FAQ
How much does an executive search firm website cost in Washington DC?
In 2026, typically 15,000 to 45,000 USD with a mid-range DC agency and 50,000 USD or more with a premium studio. Kolonell's fixed grid is 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900 USD, with integrations on quote.
How long does it take?
Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, 4 to 6 weeks for the Premium multilingual tier. Gathering partner bios and photos often takes 2 to 3 weeks on the firm side.
What candidate data should the form collect?
The minimum: name, contact details and a CV. State a retention period, for example 24 months if that is your policy, and explain how to request deletion; avoid asking for salary history or sensitive data online.
Can we list past placements and client names?
Only with explicit permission from both the client and the candidate, and many firms choose not to. Describing sectors and role types, such as 5 or 6 functions you cover, is usually enough for boards.
What does maintenance cost after the included support?
Kolonell quotes it separately. As a market assumption, DC agencies often charge 150 to 600 USD per month for hosting, updates and security patches.
Let's scope your project. A board-ready site with practice pages, partner bios and a privacy-conscious candidate path, on the Starter or Growth tier 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.