How to choose a web agency in Montréal: the ten questions to ask before signing.

The right agency is not the biggest

Montréal has hundreds of web agencies, from the office tower to the guy in his basement. The big ones have nice references and a salesperson who calls you back the next day. The small ones have time to talk to you. Neither is the right answer by default.

What matters to a small business is simpler: will the site make the phone ring, will you know in advance what it costs, and will it be yours at the end. The rest (design awards, the office in the Mile End, the headcount) will never show up in your revenue.

The ten questions

Ask every provider, in this order, and write down the answers. We also put them on a page you can download.

• Will the domain name be in my name?
• Do I get the website files?
• What is the total cost for the first year? Design, hosting, domain, email, changes.
• What happens if I stop paying the monthly fee?
• How long does it take, starting when?
• Who writes the copy?
• Can I see it on my phone before it goes live?
• Will my city and my services be spelled out?
• Do you guarantee a ranking on Google?
• Who do I reach when something doesn’t work?

The answers that should make you get up from the table

• “We take care of the domain.” Translation: it will be in their name. The day you leave, your web address stays with them.
• “The files? You won’t need them.” You are not buying a website, you are renting a subscription.
• “We guarantee the first page of Google.” Nobody controls Google. Those who promise it are selling something else, often advertising billed separately.
• “The timeline? As soon as the contract is signed.” A timeline that does not start when your photos and access are received is a timeline nobody can keep.
• “The copy is up to you.” Plan your evenings, and count them in the price.
• “For support, open a ticket.” You want a name and a phone number.

Comparing three quotes without getting lost

Put them side by side, one line each: the first-year total (design plus everything monthly), the number of pages, who writes the copy, whether the second language is included, the timeline and its starting point, and ownership (domain, files, access). The design price on its own means nothing: a $2,500 quote with $150 a month for three years costs $7,900. One at $1,700, first year of hosting included, then $39 a month that you can stop, costs $2,636 over three years. And less if you leave with your files.

Then look at two websites each provider has delivered, on your phone, on mobile data. If they take four seconds to open, so will yours.

And where do we stand?

We wrote these ten questions because we asked them ourselves, from the wrong side of the desk, when Michael was running an excavation company. So here are our answers: the domain is in your name; you get the files; the first-year total is on the Packages page, and hosting for that first year is included; if you stop Web Care afterwards, the website stays yours; 50% at signing, 50% before launch; ten business days from the moment we receive your content; we write the copy; you approve it on your phone; your city and your services are spelled out; we guarantee no ranking; and when something doesn’t work, you text Michael.

It is not the only right way to do things. But any agency that answers this clearly, in the same order, deserves your call. Each step is detailed on the How it works page.

Where to start

• Today: download the ten questions and keep them for your meetings.
• This week: ask for two or three quotes and boil each one down to a single line, as above.
• Before signing: open two websites delivered by each provider, on your phone, off wifi.

Do you have a quote in hand and you are hesitating? Send it to us. We will tell you what it covers and what it leaves out, with no obligation, even if you sign elsewhere.