The verdict in three sentences
For a Calgary CPA firm born from a merger, the real choice is rarely "new site or no site": it is paying to patch two ageing sites for three more years or consolidating them into one. On a 3-year view, a fixed-grid redesign from USD 4,900 (Growth) lands in the same range as patching, while a full Calgary agency rebuild typically runs USD 15,000 to 40,000 all-in. The main risk is not the design: it is losing the service and fee pages that already rank, so the URL inventory and the 301 map matter more than the colour palette.
Which signals say a redesign is due, not another patch?
Calgary accounting practices serve owner-managed businesses, energy-sector contractors, real estate holders and households, and their websites age the same way:
- Two brands after a merger: two domains, two sets of service pages, two phone numbers, and prospects who do not know which firm they are calling.
- A theme or page builder that can no longer be updated without breaking the contact form.
- Fee pages and tax guides that still quote old rates or old deadlines, which is a credibility problem in March.
- Mobile pages that load slowly for owners checking you between site visits.
- A contact form that asks for too much, such as SIN numbers or financial statements, which no public form should collect.
If two or more apply, the question becomes cost over time.
What does a redesign cost over 3 years in Calgary?
Figures below are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages, converted from CAD at roughly 0.73. Upkeep figures are market assumptions (hosting, updates, small edits), never a Kolonell price: Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
| Option | Build (USD) | Upkeep over 3 years (market assumption, USD) | 3-year ballpark (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep patching the old site(s) | 0 to 1,500 | 5,400 to 9,000 | 5,400 to 10,500 |
| Freelance redesign (CAD 5,000 to 12,000) | 3,600 to 8,800 | 3,600 to 6,000 | 7,200 to 14,800 |
| Calgary agency redesign (CAD 15,000 to 40,000) | 11,000 to 29,000 | 3,900 to 10,500 | 14,900 to 39,500 |
| Kolonell Starter | 2,900 | 2,750 to 5,500 | 5,650 to 8,400 |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | 2,750 to 5,500 | 7,650 to 10,400 |
| Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) | 8,900 | 2,750 to 5,500 | 11,650 to 14,400 |
Kolonell upkeep is counted over 33 months (36 minus the 3 included) at an assumed USD 1,000 to 2,000 per year. The international offer includes a project manager in your time zone, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support.
What stays on quote: the client portal, secure document exchange, e-signature, and any link to practice management or accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage-type tools). These are linked or embedded from the vendor, never rebuilt inside a fixed-grid site.
How long does it take, and when should you go live?
Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. For a merged firm, content is the slow part: two partners rarely agree on the service list in one meeting.
| Phase | Duration | What the firm provides |
|---|---|---|
| URL inventory of both old sites | 2 to 4 days | Access to both domains and Search Console |
| Service list and merged structure | 1 week | Partner sign-off on services and team bios |
| Copywriting and design | 1 to 2 weeks | Fee policy, regulated wording to approve |
| Build and 301 redirect map | 1 week | Review of every redirect from both domains |
| Compliance review and go-live | 2 to 3 days | CPA wording and privacy notice checked by the firm |
| Post-launch monitoring | 4 weeks | Search Console alerts shared |
Personal returns peak up to 30 April in Canada, and self-employed filers run to mid-June. Do not switch the site between February and the end of April. A go-live between mid-June and November is the comfortable window.
Which risks matter most, and how are they handled?
| Risk | What it looks like | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Losing ranked pages | "Corporate tax Calgary" page vanishes from results | Full URL inventory, 301 map from both domains, Search Console on both properties |
| Duplicate content after merger | Two near-identical bookkeeping pages compete | One canonical page per service, the other redirected |
| Over-collecting data in forms | Prospects attach T4 slips or bank statements | Form limited to name, contact and type of need; documents only through the portal |
| Regulated titles misused | Staff listed as CPA without the designation | The firm checks every title against CPA Alberta status before go-live |
| Email consent | Newsletter list merged without records | Keep consent records, apply CASL rules to the merged list |
| DNS downtime | Site unreachable during cutover | Lower TTL beforehand, switch on a quiet weekday morning |
On privacy, commercial activity in Alberta falls under Alberta's PIPA, with PIPEDA applying in many federal and cross-border situations. Anti-money-laundering client identification remains the firm's own onboarding process, outside the website. This is not legal advice.
When is a Calgary agency the better choice?
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Be honest about fit. A local agency makes sense if you want workshops in person every week, a brand identity project alongside the site, or a custom portal tightly integrated with your practice software in the same contract. If the scope is a clean, well-written site with a solid migration, a remote studio with a fixed grid is usually enough. As a professional-services reference, Kolonell built the site of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a signing services company in New Jersey.
Questions to ask any provider: who builds the 301 map, which Search Console checks run after launch, what happens to the second domain, who owns the hosting account, and what is excluded from the price.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional firm.* Bow & Foothills Tax Partners, formed when two Calgary practices merged, still runs two old sites. Patching both costs an assumed USD 180 per month in hosting and fixes, plus about USD 1,500 a year in emergency repairs.
- Patching for 3 years: 180 x 36 = 6,480, plus 1,500 x 3 = 4,500, total USD 10,980, and still two brands.
- Kolonell Growth: USD 4,900, plus upkeep at an assumed USD 120 per month for 33 months = 3,960 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote), total USD 8,860.
The difference is about USD 2,100 over 3 years, before counting the value of one brand. The portal stays with their existing vendor, linked from the new site.
FAQ
Can we keep both domains after the merger?
Yes: keep the second domain registered and redirect every old URL to its new equivalent with a 301. Allow 2 to 4 days just for the inventory of two sites.
Is Starter enough for a merged firm?
Starter at USD 2,900 suits a short service list. Most merged practices need Growth at USD 4,900 for more service pages, team bios and tax guides.
Will our rankings drop?
A short dip of 2 to 6 weeks is common after any migration. A complete 301 map and Search Console monitoring keep it limited, but nobody can guarantee positions.
Can the new site host our client portal?
The portal is linked or embedded from your current vendor and quoted separately. Rebuilding it inside a USD 4,900 site would be neither safe nor sensible.
When should we start?
Start in May for a go-live in June or July. That leaves 6 to 8 weeks for content, build and review before the fall.
Let's scope your project. One merged site, a 301 map for both domains and a go-live outside tax season, from USD 4,900 in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. 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.
