The verdict in three sentences
In Quebec, a French-first bilingual website is a legal requirement under the Charter of the French Language as amended by Bill 96, and English is what wins buyers across the rest of North America. In 2026, a well-built 40-page site costs CAD 15,000 to 35,000, including CAD 5,000 to 8,750 of professional translation for about 25,000 words. Raw machine translation and missing hreflang tags are the two mistakes that ruin both credibility and rankings.
Why both versions must be real versions
Since June 2025, Bill 96 provisions require that commercial content offered to Quebec customers be available in French on terms at least as favourable as any other language, and the Office québécois de la langue française can impose fines from CAD 3,000 to 30,000 per day for businesses, doubled for repeat offences. Meanwhile, energy, engineering and industrial buyers in Ontario, Alberta and the US work in English: an approximate English version tells them the technical documentation will be approximate too.
SEO follows the same logic: Google treats each language as a separate market. An English page must target its own queries ("industrial services Montreal", "pipeline maintenance Quebec") rather than a literal translation of French keywords.
| Translation method | 2026 price per word | Cost for 25,000 words | Quality for buyers | SEO risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw machine translation | CAD 0 to 0.01 | CAD 0 to 250 | Low, technical errors | High (low-value content) |
| Machine + light review | CAD 0.08 to 0.12 | CAD 2,000 to 3,000 | Medium | Medium |
| Certified general translator (OTTIAQ) | CAD 0.20 to 0.28 | CAD 5,000 to 7,000 | Good | Low |
| Specialized technical translator | CAD 0.28 to 0.35 | CAD 7,000 to 8,750 | Very good, industry terminology | Low |
| Native SEO copywriting | CAD 0.35 to 0.55 | CAD 8,750 to 13,750 | Excellent | Very low, targeted keywords |
Full budget for a bilingual website
| Item | 2026 price (CAD, excl. tax) | Timeline | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and development, 40 pages | 8,000 to 19,000 | 6 to 8 weeks | Native i18n architecture (Next.js or multilingual WordPress) |
| Translation, 25,000 words | 5,000 to 8,750 | 3 to 4 weeks | Runs in parallel with development |
| Hreflang tags, per-language sitemaps | 500 to 1,100 | 1 week | Essential for Google |
| FR and EN keyword research | 700 to 1,500 | 1 to 2 weeks | Different queries per language |
| SEO optimization of both versions | 1,000 to 2,200 | 2 weeks | Titles, descriptions, structured data |
| Google Business Profile FR/EN | 250 to 500 | 3 days | Montreal and Quebec City if multiple sites |
| Bilingual maintenance and updates | 400 to 900 per month | Ongoing | Includes news translation |
The low end (CAD 15,000) is a quality site with a general translator; the high end (CAD 35,000) adds specialized translation, native SEO copy on key pages and a document area (certifications, safety sheets) in both languages.
Technical rules you cannot miss
Every page must exist in both languages at a distinct URL (/fr/services/entretien-pipelines and /en/services/pipeline-maintenance), with reciprocal hreflang tags and an x-default tag. Under Bill 96 practice, the French version should be the default for Quebec visitors. The language switcher must point to the equivalent page, not the homepage. Avoid forced IP-based redirects: an English-speaking buyer visiting from Montreal must still reach the English version. Finally, translate the invisible parts too: title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, URLs and structured data.
Mini case study
Mr. Tremblay, CEO of an industrial services company in Montreal, bids on 12 tenders a year from English-speaking operators in Ontario and Alberta. His current site is French-only and he estimates he is screened out at prequalification one time in three.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
He invests CAD 26,000 (development CAD 15,000, specialized translation CAD 7,500, SEO and hreflang CAD 3,500), then CAD 650 a month of maintenance. If the new credibility gets him shortlisted on 2 extra tenders a year, with a 25% win rate and an average margin of CAD 90,000 per contract, the expected gain reaches CAD 45,000 a year. The site pays for itself with the first contract won, a 2026 order of magnitude.
FAQ
Can we launch in French first and add English later?
Yes, if the architecture is bilingual from day one. Adding English to a site not designed for it often costs 40 to 60% more than an initial bilingual build.
Do all pages need translating?
Not necessarily for English. Services, references, certifications and contact pages come first; some local news can stay in French only, as long as no hreflang points to a missing page. In Quebec, the reverse is not allowed: commercial content must exist in French.
How long before we rank in English on Google?
Count on 3 to 6 months for niche queries such as "pipeline maintenance Quebec", longer for highly competitive terms.
A .ca or .com domain?
A .ca with /fr and /en subfolders works best for a Canadian audience; a .com suits a mostly US target. Either way, keep one domain and use subfolders.
How is the project paid?
A 40% deposit at kick-off, then milestone payments by bank transfer or card.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current sitemap and target markets: we will price the bilingual site, the translation and FR/EN SEO with a budget in CAD and an 8 to 12 week plan. 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.
