Website requirements checklist for a wealth management firm or family office in Montreal before asking for quotes (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

Without a requirements checklist, three Montreal agencies will price three different websites, and quotes can differ by a factor of 5. About ten headings are enough: goals, pages, compliance sign-off, languages, integrations listed one by one, accessibility, Quebec's Law 25, domain ownership, migration and acceptance criteria. Once this document exists, you can compare any offer, including Kolonell's fixed grid at USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900.

What should the checklist contain?

Copy this list into your document. It is written for wealth management firms and family offices in Downtown, Westmount, Outremont or Old Montreal, and works just as well for English-speaking founders.

• Goals and audiences: entrepreneurs, families, international clients, referrers such as notaries and tax specialists. One expected action per audience, for example booking a first meeting.
• Pages and templates: home, approach, services, team, about, insights, contact, legal notices. State the number of distinct templates (often 5 to 7).
• Content ownership: who writes, who reviews, who gives compliance sign-off. Advertising by advisers registered with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) follows supervised rules: plan an internal review before anything goes live, with no promised returns and no unverified assets under management figure.
• Languages: the Charter of the French language requires French to be available; English serves anglophone and international clients. Say whether both versions are written natively or translated.
• Integrations, one line each: link to the custodian's client portal, CRM integration, meeting booking, newsletter, insights feed. Complex ones are priced on quote.
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA target, checked before acceptance.
• Data protection: forms limited to the minimum (name, email, phone, reason for contact), published privacy policy, a designated person in charge of personal information, cookie consent aligned with Law 25, separate consent for marketing email under CASL.
• Hosting and domain in your firm's name, admin access handed over at delivery.
• SEO migration if a site exists: URL inventory, 301 redirect map, Search Console checks for 6 weeks.
• Acceptance criteria, timeline and budget: a testable list (forms tested, mobile load time, two complete languages), target launch date, budget range.

This is not legal advice: have the compliance section reviewed by your compliance officer.

How does a precise brief change the quotes?

Ranges are a 2026 ballpark drawn from typical Montreal agency quotes, converted approximately from CAD to USD (around 0.73).

How do you score three quotes?

Score each criterion from 1 to 5, multiply by its weight, add up. Example with three quotes received by a family office:

Quote C: 5 x 0.30 + 2 x 0.20 + 3 x 0.15 + 5 x 0.20 + 4 x 0.15 = 1.50 + 0.40 + 0.45 + 1.00 + 0.60 = 3.95. The cheapest quote (B) comes last because of compliance gaps.

How does Kolonell's grid map to the checklist?

Every tier includes a project manager reachable in Eastern time. A Montreal site in French and English therefore sits in Premium. As one example, Kolonell built the website of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a signing services company in New Jersey: a professional services case where clear service pages and a clean form matter most. Details on the international offer page.

Mini case study

*Illustrative example, fictional firm.* Hélène Beaulac runs Maison Laurier Patrimoine, a fictional family office in Westmount. Without a checklist she received USD 12,000, 31,000 and 48,000. With the list above, a local agency quotes CAD 38,000 (about USD 27,700) and Kolonell Premium USD 8,900, with portal and CRM as separate lines on quote. She adds a review by her lawyer, a third-party cost of about CAD 1,500 (about USD 1,100): 8,900 + 1,100 = USD 10,000, versus 27,700 + 1,100 = USD 28,800. The comparison finally covers the same scope.

FAQ

How long does it take to write this checklist?

Plan 4 to 8 hours over a week, compliance included. That is little compared with quotes that vary by a factor of 5 without it.

Should we impose a technology?

Rarely. Require domain ownership, admin access and a WCAG 2.2 AA target instead; 3 testable criteria beat a software name.

Does the client portal need rebuilding?

Usually not: a secure link to the custodian's portal is enough. A custom portal often starts around USD 15,000 and stays on quote.

Does the site have to be in French?

In Quebec, the Charter of the French language requires French to be available. Plan 2 complete versions if you also serve English-speaking clients.

What about maintenance and hosting after delivery?

The 3 months of support are included. After that, maintenance and hosting are on quote.

Let's scope your project. Send your checklist, even unfinished, with a target budget between USD 2,900 and 8,900 and your launch date. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.