The verdict in three sentences
For a partner-led accounting firm in Victoria, when you switch the site matters as much as what you build: a go-live in March or April puts the firm's busiest weeks at risk for a cosmetic gain. Budget USD 4,900 (Growth) to USD 8,900 (Premium) with Kolonell, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, against roughly USD 9,000 to 26,000 with a Victoria agency. Plan the cutover for September or October, with a DNS checklist that protects email, the client portal link and the pages that rank.
When is the right window to redesign a Victoria firm's site?
Victoria practices serve owner-managed businesses downtown and across Saanich, Langford and the West Shore, public-sector employees with side income, retirees, and tourism and hospitality operators with seasonal payroll. That mix gives a predictable calendar. Personal returns peak up to 30 April, self-employed filers run to mid-June, and corporate year-ends cluster at December and March for many owner-managed companies.
| Month | Typical firm workload | Website work advised |
|---|---|---|
| January to February | T4 and T5 slips, early personal returns | Content writing only, no structural change |
| March to April | Personal tax peak | Freeze: no launch, no DNS change |
| May to mid-June | Self-employed returns, catch-up | URL inventory and brief |
| Late June to August | Lighter, partners on holiday | Design and copy reviews, short cycles |
| September to October | Year-end planning starts | Best go-live window |
| November to December | Year-end planning for clients | Small fixes, monitoring |
A 3 to 4 week build that starts in mid-August lands cleanly in September.
What does the budget look like, and what is excluded?
Local figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical agency quotes and public rate pages on Vancouver Island, with CAD converted at about 0.73.
| Option | Price (USD, approx.) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer, theme refresh | 2,200 to 5,800 (CAD 3,000 to 8,000) | New theme, copy pasted from old site | Redirect map, rewriting, testing |
| Victoria small agency | 9,000 to 16,000 (CAD 12,000 to 22,000) | Design, 15 to 25 pages, basic redirects | Portal, integrations |
| Victoria agency with content | 16,000 to 26,000 (CAD 22,000 to 36,000) | Copywriting, photography coordination | Portal, integrations |
| Kolonell Starter | 2,900 | Short service list, one language | Portal, integrations |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | Full service pages, tax guides, redirects | Portal, integrations |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,900 | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | Portal, integrations |
All Kolonell tiers in the international offer include a project manager in your time zone, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. After that, maintenance is on quote.
Always on quote, whoever builds the site: client portal, secure document exchange, e-signature, and links to practice management or accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage-type tools). They stay with the vendor, linked or embedded, never rebuilt.
How do you avoid downtime and DNS surprises at cutover?
Most launch-day problems at small firms are not design bugs: email stops, the portal login link points nowhere, or the old site stays visible for some visitors. A cutover plan fixes that.
| When | Action | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks before | List DNS records: A, CNAME, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC | Provider with the firm's IT contact |
| 1 week before | Full 301 map tested on staging | Provider, reviewed by a partner |
| 48 hours before | Lower TTL to 300 seconds | Provider |
| Go-live day, 8 a.m. Tuesday | Switch A record, keep MX untouched | Provider |
| Go-live day, 10 a.m. | Test forms, portal link, phone links, email in and out | Firm and provider |
| Week 1 to 4 | Search Console coverage and 404 checks | Provider |
Other risks to cover:
- Ranked service pages: bookkeeping, payroll, personal tax, GST and PST, small business advisory pages each need a 301 target.
- Tax guides with dates: update or archive guides quoting old deadlines before migration, rather than moving outdated content.
- Forms: name, contact and type of need only. No SIN, bank details or financial statements in a public form; documents go through the portal.
- Titles: CPA designations and wording such as "auditor" used only as the firm and each person are entitled, checked by the partner against CPABC status.
- Privacy and email: BC's PIPA governs most private-sector personal information in the province, alongside PIPEDA in some cases; CASL applies to newsletters.
Client identification for anti-money-laundering purposes stays inside the firm's onboarding, not on the site. This is not legal advice.
When is a Victoria agency the better choice?
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Choose a local agency if you want a photographer and designer on site in the same week, an in-person brand workshop with all partners, or a combined website and portal project under one contract. A local team also helps if your firm prefers paper sign-off in meetings. For a firm that wants a clean site, a careful migration and a fixed price, a remote studio works well. Questions to ask: who holds the DNS and registrar logins, what is the rollback plan if the launch fails, are redirects tested on staging, and which dates are blocked for launch.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional firm.* Harbour Ledger Partners, two partners and five staff near downtown Victoria, serves owner-managed businesses. Its old site has 36 URLs, including 11 service pages and 6 tax guides with visits from search.
- Option A, Victoria agency at CAD 18,000, about USD 13,100, with a proposed April launch.
- Option B, Kolonell Growth at USD 4,900, build from mid-August, go-live on a Tuesday in mid-September.
Assume, for illustration only, that the firm receives about 4 web enquiries a day in April and 1 a day in September. A 2-day disruption costs about 8 enquiries in April against 2 in September. The partners keep Option B, refresh 4 outdated tax guides, archive 2, and redirect all 36 URLs. The difference in build cost is about USD 8,200.
FAQ
How long is the actual cutover?
The DNS switch itself takes minutes, and with TTL lowered to 300 seconds most visitors see the new site within an hour. Allow a full morning for testing.
Can we launch in early April if the site is ready?
Technically yes, but the firm has no time to review problems then. Waiting 5 to 6 months for September is usually safer.
Will our email be affected?
Not if MX, SPF and DKIM records are copied unchanged. This check takes about 30 minutes and should be in every plan.
Is Growth enough for 11 service pages and tax guides?
Yes, Growth at USD 4,900 is designed for a fuller service list and guides. Premium at USD 8,900 is for multilingual sites.
Does the redesign include our client portal?
No, the portal is linked or embedded from the vendor and quoted separately. The new site simply makes the login easy to find.
Let's scope your project. A redesign planned around tax season, a tested 301 map and a DNS cutover in September, 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.
