The verdict in three sentences
A fabricator that waits for the tender arrives too late: the metalwork package is already written into the specification, often based on a competitor's data sheets. Your website must first serve architects and developers at design stage, with filterable projects, downloadable technical documents and a quote form that accepts drawings. At Kolonell, this kind of site costs 1,220 to 5,340 EUR depending on the Starter, Growth or Premium level, delivered in 6 to 8 weeks.
What an architect checks before calling you
An architect in Dublin drawing a feature helical stair for a 60-unit scheme in the Docklands is not looking for a slogan. They want to know within three minutes whether you can build a 6-metre cut-string, which steel grades you use, which finishes you offer and whether you have done commercial or public buildings. The developer looks at comparable schemes, workshop capacity and insurance cover.
The pages that matter, ranked by impact on early-stage enquiries:
| Page or feature | What the specifier checks | Estimated impact on enquiries |
|---|---|---|
| Gallery filterable by type | Helical, straight, quarter-turn, walkway, balustrade | High: 40 % of qualified visits |
| PDF data sheets | Steel grades, thicknesses, finishes, design loads | High: reused in specifications |
| Sample calculations | Eurocode 3 and Irish Building Regulations Part K | Medium to high on commercial work |
| Quote form with drawings | DWG, PDF, IFC upload up to 50 MB | Very high: enquiry ready to price |
| Developer references page | Schemes delivered, unit counts, programme kept | High with developers |
| Workshop and capacity page | Floor area, machinery, annual tonnage, install crews | Medium: reassures on large packages |
The 2026 order of magnitude on well-built fabricator websites: 2 to 4 % of qualified visitors submit an enquiry, against less than 0.5 % on a generic brochure site with no documents.
Which level for which ambition
The right level depends on how much specification work you target and how many documents you publish. Budgets below follow the Kolonell 2026 grid, excluding professional photography.
| Kolonell level | Budget | Typical scope | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1,220 to 1,830 EUR | 5 pages, simple gallery, form with attachment | Fabricator starting to target specifiers |
| Growth | 1,830 to 3,050 EUR | Filterable gallery, 10 to 20 data sheets, project blog, analytics | SME of 20 to 50 staff targeting regional developers |
| Premium | 3,050 to 5,340 EUR | Document library by product family, animations, advanced SEO on Dublin and Leinster | Firm aiming to become the specified reference |
| Maintenance | 53 to 183 EUR per month | Updates, backups, security | All levels |
| Monthly SEO | 100,000 to 350,000 FCFA per month | Project pages, technical content, ranking tracking | Growth and Premium |
For comparison, a Dublin agency typically charges 10,000 to 30,000 EUR for an equivalent industrial site in 2026 (order of magnitude), with 3 to 5 months of lead time.
The quote form is the centrepiece
A good enquiry form saves your drawing office a day per job. It asks for stair type, floor-to-floor height, use (residential, commercial, industrial), finish, package start date, and accepts drawing uploads. Files land in a dedicated inbox with a job number, and the architect gets an acknowledgement with the promised response time, for example 5 working days.
Add a 'project stage' field (concept, developed design, technical design, tender): it lets you prioritise jobs where you can still influence the specification.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Conor runs a 40-person steel fabrication shop in Ballymount, Dublin. Today 70 % of his revenue comes from tenders where he competes on price. He picks a Growth site at 2,800 EUR, delivered in 7 weeks, with 14 data sheets and a filterable gallery of 60 projects.
Over 12 months the site brings 18 quote requests with drawings, 6 of them at design stage. He wins 4, with an average package of 42,000 EUR and a 28 % gross margin. Calculation: 4 × 42,000 × 0.28 = 47,040 EUR gross margin, for 2,800 EUR of website and 12 × 114 EUR of Standard maintenance (1,368 EUR). Return exceeds 11 times the spend in year one, before counting the jobs where his firm is now named in the specification.
FAQ
Should calculation notes be freely downloadable?
No, publish anonymised sample calculations and keep project-specific ones behind a form. On the sites we monitor, about 30 % of data sheet downloads lead to an identified contact.
How many projects do we need at launch?
Aim for 30 to 60 photographed projects sorted by type and use. Below 15, a filterable gallery adds little and a simple references page works better.
Can the site accept large DWG or IFC files?
Yes, the form usually accepts up to 50 MB per upload with secure storage. Beyond that, we provide a dedicated upload link for full BIM models.
How long before the site generates enquiries?
Allow 3 to 6 months for project pages to rank on searches like 'helical staircase Dublin'. Direct outreach to the 50 most active local practices speeds up first enquiries from month one.
Can we add a document area for main contractors?
Yes, at Premium level or as an option priced in the quote. It is used to share O&M manuals, test certificates and installation sheets with 10 to 20 regular partners.
Let's scope your project. Send us your product types, references and existing technical documents: we will define the site structure, the quote form and a 6 to 8 week schedule. 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.
