The verdict in three sentences
In Miami, an accounting and tax firm that asks for "a bilingual site" gets quotes from $7,000 to $40,000 with no common basis at all. The fix is a three-block requirements checklist (business, technical, commercial) that separates the marketing site from the client portal and document exchange. Send it in September or October, not February: tax season from January to April blocks partner review of content.
What should the checklist contain?
Block A, the business
- Goals: which engagements you want more of (recurring bookkeeping for small businesses, individual tax, international tax residents, Latin American clients), and how many first meetings per month the team can absorb.
- Audiences: owners of small businesses in Brickell, Coral Gables or Doral, families recently settled in Florida, foreign investors. One journey per audience, not a catch-all page.
- Titles: the CPA title appears only for people licensed by the Florida Board of Accountancy. Other titles (enrolled agent, bookkeeper) are shown exactly as actually held.
- Content ownership: who writes, which partner approves, who checks tax statements and disclaimers before publication.
- Languages: English and Spanish, possibly Portuguese. Each language is a line in the quote, with the number of pages concerned.
Block B, the technical side
- Pages and templates: home, services (one page each), industries, team, resources or blog, tax calendar, contact. Six templates are often enough.
- Integrations, one line each: link to the existing client portal, secure document exchange, appointment booking, CRM, email marketing. The portal and document exchange are priced separately, on quote.
- Forms: name, contact details, type of need, preferred language. Never a Social Security number, a return or a statement in an open form. Client onboarding and anti-money-laundering checks stay the firm's own internal process, not a website feature.
- Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA with a test report. ADA Title III website claims are frequent in Florida.
- Email: explicit opt-in and an unsubscribe link in every send (CAN-SPAM).
- SEO migration if a site exists: URL inventory, 301 redirect map, 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.
Block C, the commercial terms
- Ownership: domain, hosting, analytics and Search Console in the firm's name.
- Acceptance criteria: forms tested in both languages, redirects checked, accessibility report, content approved in writing.
- Timeline and budget: live before mid-December, budget band stated (for example $6,000 to $15,000).
This is not legal advice.
What does a precise brief do to the quotes?
| Topic | Vague wording | Precise wording | Spread of Miami quotes (2026 ballpark) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Languages | "Bilingual site" | English and Spanish, 14 pages each, native Spanish review | $1,500 to $8,000 for the language line instead of an opaque package |
| Client portal | "Clients should be able to log in" | Link to the existing portal, no development | Custom build ($10,000 to $30,000) leaves the scope |
| Documents | "Upload files online" | Separate secure channel, on quote | Security is priced explicitly instead of forgotten |
| Appointments | "Online booking" | Embed the existing calendar | $300 to $1,500 instead of $3,000 to $8,000 custom |
| Content | "You write it" | 8 pages written by the agency, 6 supplied by the firm | Copywriting $1,200 to $4,500, comparable across quotes |
| Timeline | "As soon as possible" | Live before December 15, content freeze in January | Agencies with no November capacity drop out on their own |
Indicative ranges based on typical South Florida agency quotes, not a survey.
How do you score three quotes?
Score 1 to 5 per criterion, multiplied by the weight. The weights below reflect the priorities of a bilingual firm ahead of tax season.
| Criterion | Weight | Coral Gables agency | Freelancer | Remote studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope coverage | 25% | 4 (1.00) | 3 (0.75) | 4 (1.00) |
| Handling of both languages | 15% | 3 (0.45) | 2 (0.30) | 5 (0.75) |
| Security of forms and documents | 20% | 4 (0.80) | 2 (0.40) | 4 (0.80) |
| Price clarity per line | 20% | 3 (0.60) | 4 (0.80) | 4 (0.80) |
| Timeline compatible with tax season | 20% | 2 (0.40) | 4 (0.80) | 3 (0.60) |
| Total | 100% | 3.25 | 3.05 | 3.95 |
The cheapest freelancer loses on security; the local agency loses on timing. Making that visible is the whole point of the grid.
Where does the Kolonell grid fit?
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Kolonell uses a fixed international grid: Starter $2,900, Growth $4,900, Premium $8,900, with a project manager reachable on Miami time, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. A firm working in English and Spanish falls under Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote). The client portal, document exchange and CRM remain lines on quote. Kolonell built the website of TR Signing Group, a signing services company in New Jersey, a closely related professional services context. See the international offer for details.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Daniel Restrepo, managing partner of Restrepo & Vale Tax Advisors, a fictional Doral firm, serves small businesses and Spanish-speaking families. He writes his checklist in early October in 5 hours: 14 pages in English and Spanish, link to the existing portal, no documents in forms, live before December 15.
Quotes received: $16,000 and $24,000 from two local agencies, Premium at $8,900 from Kolonell. He adds an independent native Spanish reviewer (third-party cost, $600): $8,900 + $600 = $9,500, with document exchange still to be priced on quote. Timeline: content ready November 1, 4 weeks of production, launch around November 29, leaving more than two weeks of margin before the January freeze.
FAQ
When should we send the checklist?
Ideally between September and mid-October. With 3 to 4 weeks of production and 2 to 4 weeks of content preparation, the site is live before tax season starts in January.
Can the client portal be part of a package?
Rarely. Linking to it from the site costs little; rebuilding it often costs $10,000 to $30,000, so list it as a separate line.
Can we collect tax documents through the contact form?
No. The form collects 4 or 5 contact fields; documents go through a separate secure channel, priced on quote.
Should the CPA title appear everywhere?
Only for people licensed by the Florida Board of Accountancy. In a team of 6 where 2 are CPAs, only those 2 profiles carry the title.
How long does comparing quotes take?
Allow 2 to 3 hours to score three quotes on 5 criteria. That is small next to a price gap that can exceed $15,000.
For a line-by-line estimate of your checklist, request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. Send your bilingual checklist and we will price Premium at $8,900 and each integration separately, for a launch before tax season. 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.
