The verdict in three sentences
A private orthopaedics and sports medicine clinic in Quebec City redesigning its website in 2026 will pay CAD 12,000 to 38,000 at a local agency (roughly USD 8,600 to 27,400), against USD 4,900 (Growth) for a French site or USD 8,900 (Premium, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) for a French and English patient journey with Kolonell, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. French remains the reference language of the site, in line with the Charter of the French language; English is added for international students, travelling athletes and patients from elsewhere in Canada. The technical point that makes the difference is clean hreflang markup, with a 301 redirect map for each language.
When is the current site no longer enough?
Clinics in Sainte-Foy, Saint-Roch or Lebourgneuf that offer consultations outside the public plan (physicians not participating in RAMQ, or uninsured services) need to explain clearly what the patient pays, without promises. Signals that trigger a redesign:
- the English page is a machine translation of the homepage and nothing more;
- the two versions do not have separate URLs, so Google shows the wrong language;
- the form asks for the injury or diagnosis in free text;
- treatment pages (sprains, tendinopathy, return to sport after surgery) show neither the responsible professional nor their registration with the Collège des médecins du Québec or the relevant order;
- an ad pixel fires as soon as someone lands on the booking page.
What does a well-built bilingual patient journey look like?
| Journey step | French version | English version | Watch point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google search | /fr/ URL, hreflang fr-CA | /en/ URL, hreflang en-CA | x-default tag pointing to French |
| Treatment page | Written in French, reviewed by a clinician | Native copywriting, same medical content | No promise of results |
| Practitioner profile | Name, title, registration number | Same details | Professional order requirements |
| Fees and coverage | Fees for uninsured services | Same table | Factual, no guaranteed timing |
| Booking | Link to the existing tool | Same tool, English interface if offered | Integration on quote |
| Contact form | Name, contact details, slot | Same fields | Never symptoms or diagnoses |
| Language switcher | To the equivalent page | To the equivalent page | Never to the homepage |
Every French page has its English equivalent declared in both directions. Old URLs in both languages are inventoried separately, then 301-redirected to their new version.
What budget and schedule?
2026 ballpark, based on typical Quebec City agency quotes and public agency rate pages; CAD amounts converted approximately (CAD 1 ≈ USD 0.72).
| Option | Price | Languages | Timeline | Hreflang and 301s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local freelancer | CAD 3,500 to 10,000 (USD 2,500 to 7,200) | French, English optional | 6 to 12 weeks | Often forgotten |
| Quebec City agency, French site | CAD 12,000 to 24,000 (USD 8,600 to 17,300) | French | 10 to 14 weeks | Depends on the quote |
| Quebec City agency, bilingual site | CAD 24,000 to 38,000 (USD 17,300 to 27,400) | French and English | 12 to 18 weeks | Usually included |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | One language | 3 to 4 weeks | Included |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | One language | 3 to 4 weeks | Included |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | 3 to 4 weeks | Included |
Every tier of Kolonell's international offer includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native French or English copywriting and 3 months of support, then maintenance on quote.
Typical schedule: week 1, URL inventory in both languages and site structure; week 2, French copywriting and clinical review; week 3, native English copywriting, design and build; week 4, privacy review, hreflang check, 301 testing, go-live.
On quote: booking, patient portal, telehealth, connection to the electronic medical record or practice software. We embed or link out to the existing tool.
Which risks are specific to Quebec City?
Law 25. Among other things, it requires a published privacy policy, a person in charge of the protection of personal information and strict rules on tracking technologies. Non-essential cookies and pixels must be reviewed with your adviser before go-live.
Charter of the French language. Content must be available in French; English comes as a complement. An English version more complete than the French one would be a problem.
Medical advertising. The Collège des médecins du Québec and the other professional orders regulate their members' advertising. Pages stay informative, with no testimonials or before/after comparisons where restricted. This is not legal advice.
Language duplicates. Without hreflang, Google may treat both versions as duplicates and drop both.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Accessibility. A WCAG 2.2 AA target helps patients in rehabilitation, seniors and people with disabilities.
When a Quebec City agency is better. If you want seasonal photo shoots in the clinic, in-person workshops with the whole team or a deep EMR integration, proximity matters. Questions to ask: who writes the English, who checks hreflang, who tests 301s in each language, what a new bilingual page will cost in six months.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: "Clinique Belvédère Ortho-Sport" (fictional name), four physicians and six physiotherapists in Sainte-Foy, wants 14 pages in French and their 14 English equivalents. Its local bilingual quote is CAD 31,000, about USD 22,300.
With Premium at USD 8,900, the gap is about USD 13,400. On the clinic's side, reviewing 28 pages at 20 minutes each is 560 minutes, about 9 h 20 of clinical time. The site declares 14 hreflang pairs and the old site has 37 URLs to redirect.
FAQ
Is an English-only site possible in Quebec City?
No: French must be available, in line with the Charter. The Growth tier at USD 4,900 covers a French site; Premium at USD 8,900 adds English.
What does hreflang markup change in practice?
It tells Google which version to show based on the user's language. On a 28-page site, that means 14 pairs declared in both directions.
Can we display fees for uninsured consultations?
Yes, factually: service, amount, what is included. A table of 5 to 10 rows is often enough.
Is telehealth included in the fixed price?
No, it is on quote. The site links out to or embeds the existing platform.
How long until traffic recovers?
With complete 301s in both languages, fluctuations usually last 2 to 6 weeks. Search Console monitoring runs for at least 6 weeks.
Send your current page list and request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. A redesign in French, or in French and English, USD 4,900 to 8,900, live 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.
