The verdict in three sentences
In Luxembourg, a private or international school website is the first meeting with families arriving from the European institutions, the financial sector or across the border, often before they even have a home. A redesign costs a ballpark of EUR 15,000 to 50,000 with a local agency, against EUR 2,700, 4,500 or 8,200 on the Kolonell fixed grid, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is gathered. The main risk is switching over at the height of admissions or collecting too much data about children in an open form.
Which signals show a redesign is needed?
| Signal | Consequence for admissions |
|---|---|
| Admissions form as a PDF to print | Expat families give up |
| Incomplete German or English version | Non-French-speaking parents poorly informed |
| Last year's school calendar online | Doubts about the reliability of information |
| Vaguely presented curricula | Confusion between offered and non-offered programmes |
| Pupil photos with no record of consent | GDPR exposure |
| Slow pages on mobile | Parents on the move drop off |
| Fees impossible to find | Repeated calls to the office |
Curricula (IB, British, European or Luxembourgish) only appear if the school genuinely delivers them, in the exact terms of its accreditation. No exam results, rankings, university admissions or pupil numbers are published without a source supplied by the school.
What budget should you plan, language by language?
The number of languages weighs more than design in a Luxembourg redesign. A 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages.
| Configuration | Freelancer | Local agency | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| One language, 20 to 30 pages | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | EUR 12,000 to 20,000 | Growth, EUR 4,500 |
| Two languages (FR and EN) | EUR 7,000 to 14,000 | EUR 18,000 to 30,000 | Premium, the multilingual tier, EUR 8,200 |
| Three or four languages (with DE and LU) | EUR 9,000 to 18,000 | EUR 25,000 to 50,000 | Premium, languages set in the quote |
| DE and LU translations | EUR 0.10 to 0.20 per word with a translator | Often recharged | Independent translator, third-party cost |
| Admissions portal or fee payment | Rarely offered | EUR 8,000 and up | On quote |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 12 weeks | 12 to 20 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks |
The Starter tier at EUR 2,700 suits a small setup (private nursery, language school) with 5 pages. Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting and 3 months of support; maintenance after that is on quote. Details are on the international offer.
When should you go live without disrupting enrolment?
The ideal window depends on your admissions calendar. Many international schools receive most enquiries in spring and late summer, around the September start and job relocations.
| Phase | Duration | To avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Page inventory and 301 redirect map | 3 days | Forgetting well-ranked curriculum pages |
| Sitemap by audience (parents, pupils, candidates) | 3 days | Copying the old structure as is |
| FR or EN copywriting and translations | Upstream, 2 to 4 weeks | Launching before leadership sign-off |
| Mock-ups and build | 8 to 10 days | Unoptimised photo galleries |
| Multilingual and accessibility QA | 3 days | Missing hreflang tags |
| Switchover and Search Console monitoring | 1 day, then 6 weeks | Switching during open days |
Which risks, and how do you control them?
- Children's data: the enquiry form is limited to the parent's name, contact details, desired year of entry and target grade. No health data and no school reports in an open form: these documents go through a secure channel, on quote. The GDPR applies, supervised by the CNPD. This is not legal advice.
- Pupil photos: only use images covered by parental consent filed by the school.
- Search rankings: every curriculum or admissions page that already gets visits receives its 301 redirect, with 404 monitoring for 6 weeks.
- Integrations: the school management system, admissions portal and fee payment stay on quote, linked to the site rather than rebuilt.
- Downtime: DNS switched on a weekday evening outside the enrolment period, old site kept for 30 days.
- Review: the head and admissions lead approve every mention of curriculum, accreditation and fees before launch.
Questions to ask, and when to prefer a local agency
Ask each provider who writes the German and Luxembourgish versions, how the office will update the calendar, and what maximum page weight is guaranteed. If the school wants deep integration with its management system, in-person workshops with the board or a video shoot on campus, a Luxembourg agency remains a solid choice.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Institut Bel-Horizon, a bilingual private school in Strassen, wants 35 pages in French and English, plus 20 essential pages in German and Luxembourgish.
Calculation: Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) at EUR 8,200. Translations by independent translators, a third-party cost: 20 pages × 2 languages × 400 words × EUR 0.15 = EUR 2,400. Total: 8,200 + 2,400 = EUR 10,600, against a typical local agency quote of EUR 32,000 for a similar scope. The existing admissions portal is simply linked. Go-live planned for late November, outside the school's enrolment peak.
FAQ
Do you really need four languages?
Not always. If more than 80% of families read French or English, two full languages and a few key pages in German are often enough.
Should fees be shown online?
Yes, it is even advisable to reduce calls. One clear page, updated once a year by the school, is enough.
Is the admissions portal included?
No, it stays on quote. The EUR 4,500 or 8,200 site links or embeds it without rebuilding it.
How long does the redesign take?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks once texts and translations are ready, plus 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.
What children's data can you ask for online?
The minimum: year of entry and target grade, so 2 fields. Health data and reports go through a separate secure channel.
For an estimate tailored to your school, request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. A redesign from EUR 4,500 to 8,200, multilingual with the Premium tier, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks 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.
