The verdict in three sentences
For a private or international school in Doha, a redesign is planned first around the admissions calendar: going live in the middle of peak enquiries costs more than any budget overrun. Kolonell charges USD 4,900 (Growth) for a single-language site and USD 8,900 for Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), with the RTL scope defined in the quote, against roughly QAR 25,000 to 90,000 (about USD 6,900 to 24,700) at a Doha agency, 2026 ballpark. The major risks are losing admissions pages that already rank and forms that collect too much information about children.
Which signs show the school website needs rebuilding?
Families comparing schools in West Bay, Al Waab, Al Rayyan or Lusail, expatriate and Qatari alike, often browse several sites in the same evening, on a phone.
| Signal | What parents see | Expected fix |
|---|---|---|
| Partial or machine-translated Arabic version | Mixed menus, left-aligned text | Full Arabic version in RTL |
| Tuition fees in an old PDF | Last year's amounts | Fees page updated every year |
| 30-field admissions form | Abandoned before sending | 6 to 8 fields, the rest in the portal |
| Curricula poorly described | Doubt about what is actually taught | British, American or IB curriculum only if held |
| Slow pages on mobile | Galleries above 20 MB | WebP or AVIF images, lazy loading |
| No campus tour page | Repeated calls to the office | Clear tour and contact page |
What does a redesign cost in Doha in 2026?
Ranges based on typical quotes from agencies and freelancers in Qatar, 2026 ballpark, converted at QAR 3.64 to USD 1.
| Option | Budget | Timeline | Arabic and RTL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doha freelancer | QAR 8,000 to 25,000 (about USD 2,200 to 6,900) | 4 to 10 weeks | Often subcontracted |
| Doha agency | QAR 25,000 to 90,000 (about USD 6,900 to 24,700) | 8 to 16 weeks | Usually included |
| Large bilingual agency | QAR 90,000 to 200,000 (about USD 24,700 to 54,900) | 12 to 24 weeks | Included, with video production |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | No, single language |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | No, full site in one language |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | The multilingual tier, RTL scope set in the quote |
Every tier of Kolonell's international offer includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and 3 months of support. An independent native Arabic reviewer remains a third-party cost if the school has none in house. On quote: admissions portal, tuition fee payment, integration with the school management system and parent area, linked or embedded in the site.
When should you switch over, and which risks need managing?
Peak enquiries often run from the start of the calendar year to spring, then just before the September intake: check your own calendar. A go-live window between late October and early December, or in May and June, limits exposure.
| Week | Phase | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | URL inventory, analysis of admissions and fees pages | List of the 20 to 40 pages that generate enquiries |
| 1 to 2 | Bilingual sitemap and RTL mock-up | Sign-off by leadership and admissions |
| 2 to 3 | English and Arabic content, galleries, curricula | Compliance review before go-live |
| 3 | Forms and mobile testing | Test submissions in both languages |
| 3 to 4 | Go-live and 301 redirects | Redirect map live |
| 4 to 10 | Search Console monitoring for 6 weeks | Admissions pages still indexed |
Risks to handle:
- Admissions traffic. Every fees, admissions and curriculum page that already ranks gets a 301 redirect to its new address.
- Children's data. The public form asks for the parent's name, contact, the child's age or target year group and entry year. No medical records or school reports in an open form: those documents go through the admissions portal.
- Curricula and licensing. Programmes and licensing by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education are presented as the school actually holds them. No invented results, rankings, university admissions or pupil numbers.
- Arabic and RTL. Menus, forms, tables and galleries tested in right-to-left reading, not just the text.
- Downtime. DNS switch on a day without an open day, old version kept ready for 72 hours.
- Pupil photos. Written parental consent for every recognisable pupil.
Law No. 13 of 2016 on personal data protection applies to forms: stated purpose, minimal collection, security. This is not legal advice; confirm with your adviser.
Which questions should you ask, and when is a Doha agency better?
Ask every supplier: who tests the RTL version, and on which devices? Who delivers the redirect map? How will the fees page be updated each year? In whose name are the domain and hosting registered? How will the connection to your school management system work?
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
A Doha agency is preferable if you want weekly meetings on campus, video shot on site for open days, or Arabic copywriting done by the same team as the design.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example.* Farah, head of admissions at Dunewood International School, a fictional school in Al Waab, runs a 120-page site where 40 pages receive most visits. The Arabic version covers only 15 pages.
Budget: Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) at USD 8,900, plus an independent native Arabic reviewer (third-party cost) for about QAR 4,000 (roughly USD 1,100). Total of about USD 10,000, against a hypothetical local quote of QAR 60,000 (about USD 16,500). Difference: about USD 6,500.
The redesign trims the site to 55 pages: 65 old addresses are redirected with 301s to the closest page. The form drops from 24 to 7 fields. Go-live is set for mid-November, outside the admissions peak.
FAQ
How much does an English and Arabic school website cost in Doha?
With Kolonell, Premium at USD 8,900, the multilingual tier, languages and RTL scope set in the quote. A Doha agency often charges QAR 25,000 to 90,000 for a comparable scope.
When should the new site go live?
Outside the admissions peak, for example between late October and early December. Allow 3 to 4 weeks of production once content is ready, plus 6 weeks of monitoring.
Is the admissions portal included?
No, it stays on quote, like fee payment and the school management system connection. The site links to it or embeds it.
Can we publish our exam results?
Only real results, supplied and approved by the school, with their year. No figure should be rounded up or invented, even for 1 single cohort.
How many fields for the public admissions form?
Between 6 and 8 are enough: parent, contact, target year group, entry year. The child's documents go through the secure portal.
Let's scope your project. A Doha school website redesign, from USD 4,900 (one language) to USD 8,900 (Premium, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), live in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and outside the admissions peak. 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.
