The verdict in three sentences
With a French-speaking African agency in 2026, a corporate brochure site budgets between 400,000 FCFA (starter, ~610 EUR) and 3,000,000 FCFA (premium, ~4,570 EUR), depending on page count and customisation. The real danger is not price but the provider who cashes in and disappears: without contract or support, a 150,000 FCFA site becomes a dead loss at the first outage. Add 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA/year of hosting and 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA/month of maintenance to know the true cost of ownership.
The three tiers and their 2026 ranges
Price follows scope: page count, animations, blog, SEO. A starter is enough for a micro-business wanting to exist online; a premium is justified for an SME aiming to convert and rank first on Google.
| Tier | 2026 price (FCFA) | Pages | Timeline | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 400,000 - 800,000 | 5 | 5-10 days | Micro-business |
| Growth | 800,000 - 1,500,000 | 8-12 | 2-3 weeks | SME + blog |
| Premium | 1,500,000 - 3,000,000 | 15+ | 4-6 weeks | Ambitious SME |
A 150,000 FCFA quote is no bargain: it usually means an installed theme with no contract, no training and no warranty. The day the site goes down, no one answers.
Cost items and cost of ownership
The split of a brochure site follows the same logic everywhere: development and design dominate, content and SEO complete it.
| Item | Share | On a 1,200,000 FCFA site |
|---|---|---|
| Development | 40% | 480,000 FCFA |
| Design | 25% | 300,000 FCFA |
| Content | 15% | 180,000 FCFA |
| SEO | 10% | 120,000 FCFA |
| Project management | 10% | 120,000 FCFA |
On top come the recurring costs: hosting + domain 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA/year, and maintenance 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA/month covering backups, security, updates and small evolutions. Over three years, maintenance can equal the build cost.
Freelancer or agency: the real comparison
The student freelancer is cheaper but offers few guarantees; the structured agency costs more but secures the project over time.
| Criterion | Student freelancer | Structured agency |
|---|---|---|
| Starter price | 150,000 - 350,000 FCFA | 400,000 - 800,000 FCFA |
| Written contract | Rare | Systematic |
| Deadline met | Uncertain | Committed |
| Client training | No | Yes |
| Support / availability | Variable | Contractual |
| Invoice / VAT | Often none | Yes |
For a corporate brochure site, the agency pays for itself the moment an incident occurs: a single day of downtime during a sales campaign costs more than the price gap.
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Mini case study
Mr Sarr, head of a 12-person industrial-supplies SME in Dakar, hesitates between a 200,000 FCFA freelancer and a 1,200,000 FCFA agency (growth tier). He picks the agency after weighing the risk: his old site, built by a student who moved abroad, stayed down for three weeks last year, costing him at least 4 tenders. With the new tier he gets a site in 3 weeks, training, a 75,000 FCFA/month maintenance contract and a reachable contact. By month two the site generates 5 qualified quote requests; a single signed order of 900,000 FCFA already covers three quarters of the site. Annual cost of ownership: 1,200,000 FCFA build + 900,000 FCFA maintenance + 250,000 FCFA hosting.
FAQ
Why not take the 150,000 FCFA freelancer?
Because the low price hides the absence of contract, support and warranty. The day of an outage or a move abroad, you have no recourse. Over three years, "cheap" often costs more.
How much is hosting for a brochure site in Dakar?
Count 150,000 to 300,000 FCFA per year for hosting and domain, depending on traffic and backup needs. Secure managed hosting sits at the top of that range.
Is monthly maintenance mandatory?
Not mandatory but strongly advised: 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA/month covers security, backups and evolutions. Without it your site ages, becomes vulnerable and eventually goes down.
Which tier for a B2B SME?
The growth tier (800,000 - 1,500,000 FCFA) suits most SMEs: 8 to 12 pages, blog and SEO base. Premium is justified if you target the top of Google or a highly polished image.
Can payment be staged?
Yes, the norm in Dakar in 2026 is a 40 to 50% deposit at kickoff and the balance on delivery. Staging across milestones is negotiable for premium tiers.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your sector, page count and indicative budget in FCFA and we will propose the right tier with contract and support. 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.
