By the LookTech Team
To choose a web developer in Montreal, compare the written scope, ownership of the code and domain, integrations, French-language and privacy requirements, and support after launch. Price alone is not enough: two quotes for "a website" can describe very different projects. These ten questions help Quebec SMBs compare developers on practical criteria.
Start with what you need, not with a list of agencies
Before you contact anyone, write down in a few lines:
- what the site or application must do: inform, generate requests, take orders, give clients access to their files;
- which tools it must connect to: CRM, accounting software, forms, email;
- who will update it after launch;
- your timeline and constraints: a launch date, a trade show, a busy season.
A company that understands these points can give you a quote you can compare. Without them, every quote answers a different question.
Website, web application or both?
A website presents your business and generates contacts. A web application does work: a client portal, a quote tool, a dashboard, a business tool that replaces a fragile Excel file. Many SMB projects combine both.
Ask each company which one they are proposing, and why. If your need is closer to an application, look for a team that builds web applications and connects them to your tools, not only page layouts.
Ten questions to ask before you sign
- How do you understand our business before proposing anything? Look for a discovery step, not a template chosen in the first call.
- What exactly is included? Pages, features, content, forms, integrations, testing, training. Ask for it in writing.
- Who owns the code, the domain and the hosting account? You should own your domain and have access to your hosting and code.
- How will the site connect to our tools? Ask how forms and data reach your CRM or other software, and what happens when a connection fails.
- How do you handle French and English? In Quebec, French has specific requirements for commercial websites (see below).
- How do you handle personal information? Forms, analytics and client accounts all collect it.
- Who will we talk to during the project? And how often will we see progress?
- How do you test before launch? On phones, on different browsers, with real forms.
- What happens after launch? Fixes, updates, security, changes: ask what is included and what is billed separately.
- Can we speak with a past client? References are worth more than a portfolio, as long as the client agreed to be contacted.
Quebec rules a Montreal developer should know
French. According to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), if your business operates in Quebec, its website must be available in French. Your site can be in several languages, but all content must be offered in French and be of equivalent quality. Ask how the company plans the French version: written from the start, or translated at the end.
Personal information (Law 25). According to Quebec's Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI), businesses must publish their privacy policy on their website, along with the contact information of the person in charge of protecting personal information. A privacy impact assessment is required for any project to acquire, develop or overhaul an information system that involves personal information. A good developer raises these points before launch, not after.
This article gives general guidance, not legal advice.
Red flags
- A price before any questions. A quote given in the first five minutes describes a template, not your project.
- No written scope. If it isn't written, it isn't included.
- The domain registered in the agency's name. You could lose control of your address.
- No plan for after launch. A site needs updates; ask who does them.
- Promises of first place on Google. No one can guarantee a ranking. A good developer builds clean basics: structure, speed, titles, descriptions.
- Client names or testimonials you can't check. Ask to speak with a reference.
Local or remote?
Being in Montreal or nearby helps when the project requires seeing how your team works, but most meetings can happen by video. What matters more is that the team understands Quebec's context: French, Law 25, and the way local SMBs work.
LookTech, a digital agency in Laval since 2015, builds custom websites and web applications for SMBs in Montreal, Laval, the North Shore and elsewhere in Quebec. Meetings mostly happen by video, with on-site time when the project calls for it. To see what we offer, visit our page on custom web applications.
Comparing web development companies?
Tell us what your site or application must do and which tools it must connect to.
+1 438 800 7272 · [email protected] · Laval, Quebec · Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.