The verdict in three sentences
A surveying firm website that only tells the firm's history captures neither the homeowner who needs a real property report, nor the condominium developer who needs a description for registration, nor the builder preparing a plan of subdivision. The redesign must organise the site by service and by municipality, add a turnaround estimator and protect existing rankings with 140 redirects (301). At Kolonell, this project costs 1,220 to 5,340 EUR depending on the Starter, Growth or Premium level, in 6 weeks.
Why the 2016 site generates nothing
The typical diagnosis for a surveying firm site built in 2016: one 'Services' page listing 25 jobs at random, no pages for Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham or Oakville even though clients come from all of them, a generic contact form and a broken mobile layout. More than 65 % of searches like 'land surveyor Toronto' happen on a phone.
| Service | Fees, 2026 order of magnitude in the GTA | Typical client | Typical search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surveyor's real property report | 1,500 to 3,500 CAD | Homeowner, real estate lawyer | 'property survey Toronto cost' |
| Boundary survey and staking | 2,000 to 6,000 CAD | Owner, fence or pool contractor | 'boundary survey Mississauga' |
| Reference plan and severance | 4,000 to 12,000 CAD | Owner, small developer | 'reference plan surveyor Vaughan' |
| Condominium description | 15,000 to 45,000 CAD | Condo developer | 'condominium survey Ontario' |
| Draft plan of subdivision | 25,000 to 60,000 CAD | Residential builder, municipality | 'plan of subdivision surveyor GTA' |
| Topographic survey | 2,500 to 15,000 CAD | Architect, engineer | 'topographic survey Toronto' |
Each row should become its own page, with a local paragraph for the 6 to 10 municipalities where the firm works most.
Redesigning without losing rankings
The old site has built up 140 indexed URLs over ten years and some links from lawyers and municipalities. Deleting them without redirects would wipe out most of that value. The migration plan runs in stages.
| Step | Content | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Export of 140 URLs with traffic and backlinks for each | 3 days |
| Mapping table | Each old URL pointed at the closest new page | 2 days |
| 301 redirects | Server setup, test of every URL | 1 day |
| Post-launch checks | Search Console, 404 errors, rankings on 30 key queries | 4 weeks |
| New service × municipality pages | 6 services × 8 municipalities, genuinely distinct content | 2 weeks |
The turnaround estimator asks three questions (service type, lot size, existing plan or not) and returns a range, for example 2 to 4 weeks for a real property report, 10 to 16 weeks for a condominium description. It qualifies the enquiry before the first call.
The right level for a 22-person firm
Kolonell prices are set in EUR:
| Kolonell level | Budget | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1,220 to 1,830 EUR | 5 pages, qualified form, redirects for main pages |
| Growth | 1,830 to 3,050 EUR | Pages per service, blog, analytics, full migration of 140 URLs |
| Premium | 3,050 to 5,340 EUR | Service × municipality pages, turnaround estimator, animations, advanced SEO |
| Maintenance | 53 to 183 EUR per month | Updates, backups, monitoring |
In practice a firm this size needs Premium: the volume of local pages and the estimator make the difference.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Michael, a partner and Ontario Land Surveyor at a 22-person firm in North York, gets 4 enquiries a month from his website, all by phone after referrals. He chooses Premium at 4,900 EUR, delivered in 6 weeks.
Six months after launch, the site produces 26 qualified enquiries a month. The firm wins 30 %, about 8 extra jobs a month. With a cautious average fee of 2,500 CAD, that is 8 × 2,500 = 20,000 CAD of extra monthly revenue. At a 25 % margin, the monthly gain is 5,000 CAD, so the redesign pays back within the second month.
FAQ
Should we show fees on the site?
Indicative ranges per service are enough, for example 1,500 to 3,500 CAD for a real property report. They filter out unrealistic requests and reassure homeowners, who often make up 40 % of contacts.
How many municipality pages should we create?
Start with the 6 to 8 municipalities that bring 80 % of your work, each with its own content (zoning quirks, conservation authority rules, typical approval times). Copy-paste pages would be ignored by Google.
Are 301 redirects enough to keep rankings?
They keep most of the value, with a temporary 10 to 20 % traffic dip for 3 to 6 weeks. Monitoring 404s and rankings in Search Console for a month limits that dip.
Can the estimator connect to our practice software?
A simple estimator is included at Premium. A connection to your job management software is a custom application priced in the quote.
How long before enquiries increase?
First effects show within 6 to 8 weeks thanks to the redirects. Municipality pages usually reach full potential between months 4 and 6.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current website address and your priority services: we will prepare the URL audit, the service and municipality structure, and a 6-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.
