How to choose a web agency on Montreal's South Shore: 10 questions

Brossard, Longueuil, La Prairie, Candiac: there's no shortage of web agencies on the South Shore, and on paper their offers all look alike. These ten questions separate a website you own from an invoice that never ends.

The short answer: the 10 criteria in one paragraph

To choose a web agency on Montreal's South Shore — whether your business is in Brossard, Longueuil, La Prairie, Candiac, Saint-Lambert, Boucherville or Châteauguay — ask it ten questions and get the answers in writing: (1) is the price written down before work starts, and is it published anywhere? (2) who owns the domain, the files, the design and the accounts? (3) how long is the contract, and what happens if you leave? (4) who actually does the work, and who is your point of contact — a project manager? (5) is the timeline in writing, in business days? (6) what do hosting and maintenance cost after launch? (7) how will you be found on Google and by AI assistants (Search Console, structured data, Google Business Profile)? (8) will the site comply with Quebec's Law 25 (privacy policy, cookies, forms)? (9) which languages are included, and what do the others cost? (10) which live client sites can you visit, and what do the Google reviews say? A serious agency answers all ten without hesitating. A single dodge already tells you a lot.

This guide goes through each question: why it matters, what a good answer sounds like, and the red flags. At the end: a summary table, then our own answers — it would be dishonest not to take the same test.

Questions 1 to 3: price, ownership, contract

1. Is the price written down before work starts — and is it public?

Why it matters. Budget overruns are a classic source of conflict between a small business and its agency. A price written before the work turns an estimate into a commitment. A public price also tells you the agency doesn't adjust it depending on who walks in.

A good answer: "Here's the written quote: what's included, what isn't, and the total. That's the amount you'll pay. Our starting prices are also published on our website."

Red flags: a price given verbally only; an "estimate" with no list of deliverables; an hourly rate with no cap; a monthly fee with no total and no end date.

2. Who owns the domain, the files, the design and the accounts?

Why it matters. Your domain name carries your email, your business cards and your search rankings. If the agency holds it, or if the site lives on a proprietary platform, you don't own anything: you're renting. Same for the accounts — Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, hosting.

A good answer: "The domain is registered in your name, with a registrar you can log into. You receive the files, the design and the logins. Your Google accounts are in your name; we're added as managers."

Red flags: "we take care of everything, you don't need the logins"; a domain registered in the agency's name; a site built in a tool you can't export from; no ownership clause in the contract. Our guide on whether to rent or own your website covers the clauses to read.

3. How long is the contract, and what happens if you leave?

Why it matters. Many monthly offers rely on 24- or 36-month contracts that renew automatically. The monthly fee looks low; the total rarely is — and leaving can cost you the whole site.

A good answer: "There's no 24-month commitment. The payment plan has a written end date, after which the site is yours. Maintenance can be cancelled anytime, and if you leave, we hand everything over."

Red flags: automatic renewal; a cancellation notice of several months; exit fees; "the site stays with us"; nobody can tell you the total cost over three years.

Questions 4 to 6: the team, the timeline, life after launch

4. Who actually does the work, and who is your point of contact?

Why it matters. A professional website takes several skill sets: design, copywriting, development, SEO, security. You want to know who handles each — in-house or subcontracted — and above all who answers when you have a question, during and after the project.

A good answer: "Specialised teams for each discipline, coordinated by a dedicated project manager who is your contact from start to finish. Here's how to reach them, by email or by phone."

Red flags: the salesperson vanishes after signing; nobody can tell you who is designing your site; every email gets answered by a different person; no phone number.

5. Is the timeline in writing?

Why it matters. "A few weeks" isn't a date. A written timeline, in business days, with milestones and what the agency needs from you (copy, photos, logo, logins), keeps projects from dragging on for months.

A good answer: "Delivery is planned a set number of business days after we receive your content. Here are the steps — mock-up, revisions, launch — and what we need from you, and when."

Red flags: no written deadline; a timeline that starts "when the team is available"; a full site promised in a day or two (often a barely modified template); no defined number of revisions.

6. What do hosting and maintenance cost after launch?

Why it matters. A website lives for years. Hosting, security certificate, updates, backups, small changes: these recurring costs sometimes end up exceeding the original price. You need to know them before signing, not at the first invoice.

A good answer: "Maintenance costs this much per month and includes hosting, security and backups. It's optional: you can cancel it, host the site elsewhere or maintain it yourself."

Red flags: mandatory hosting with the agency; a maintenance price "to be determined"; licences or plugins added every year; no mention of backups.

Questions 7 to 10: visibility, Law 25, languages, references

7. How will you be found on Google — and by AI assistants?

Why it matters. A beautiful site nobody finds earns nothing. Your customers type "plumber Longueuil" or "accountant Brossard" into Google — and more and more often ask ChatGPT, Google AI or Perplexity. These tools rely on information that is clear, structured and consistent from one source to the next.

A good answer: "The site is set up in Google Search Console in your name, with a sitemap. It includes structured data (schema.org) describing your business, your services and your service area. Your Google Business Profile, in your name, says exactly the same thing as the site. And the site is fast on mobile."

Red flags: a "guaranteed first position on Google" (nobody can guarantee it); SEO billed with no list of what's actually done; no access to Search Console; a Google profile created in the agency's name. To go further: AI search (GEO), explained.

8. Will the site comply with Quebec's Law 25?

Why it matters. Under Law 25, a Quebec business that collects personal information — a simple contact form is enough — has obligations: a clear, published privacy policy, consent before non-essential cookies are switched on, and forms that ask only for what's needed. Your business is responsible, not the agency; but the agency builds the tools.

A good answer: "Compliance is included: privacy policy, cookie consent management, compliant forms. Here's what remains on your side, such as confirming who is responsible for protecting personal information in your business."

Red flags: "Law 25 doesn't apply to small businesses"; tracking tools running before any consent; a privacy policy copied from another site; compliance sold as an add-on with no details.

9. Which languages are included — and what do the others cost?

Why it matters. For a Quebec business, French isn't optional: your site needs a French version. On the South Shore, part of your clientele also searches in English — and, depending on your industry, in Spanish. Every language means translation, pages to optimise and content to keep up to date, so it's almost always priced separately. The real question is how.

A good answer: "The site is delivered in French. English (and Spanish if your customers need it) is added at a fixed price written in the quote — paid once, not every month. Each language gets its own URLs and is declared properly to Google (hreflang tags)."

Red flags: a second language billed monthly, forever; unreviewed machine translation; an English version with no separate URLs, invisible on Google; a price "we'll figure out later".

10. Which client sites can you visit, and what do the reviews say?

Why it matters. A portfolio of mock-ups doesn't prove much. Real client sites, live today, prove the agency delivers — and that its clients stayed.

A good answer: "Here are live client sites: visit them, test them on your phone." Read the agency's Google reviews too, especially the most recent ones, the weakest ones, and how the agency responds.

Red flags: mock-up images only; testimonials with no name or company; projects you can't find online; vague answers when you ask who built what.

The summary table

Print this table and bring it to every meeting: comparing two quotes becomes much easier.

How Simich Digital answers these 10 questions

Simich Digital is a digital studio on Montreal's South Shore, founded in 2004, with more than 520 projects delivered. We work with businesses across the region — see our South Shore page. Here are our answers, which you'll find in writing in every quote.

1. Price: public, on our pricing page. One-page sites from $1,500; a professional site of up to 6 pages at $3,500 one-time, or $179/month for 14 months, with no setup fee. The written quote is binding: it's the price you pay.
2. Ownership: the client always owns their domain, files and design. On the monthly plan, the site is 100% yours after 14 months.
3. Contract: no 24-month contract. Care plans can be cancelled anytime.
4. Team: specialised teams — design, development, marketing and SEO — coordinated by a dedicated project manager, your contact from start to finish, by email or at 450 300-5777.
5. Timeline: written in the quote, in business days. A showcase site is delivered in 14 business days.
6. After launch: during the monthly plan, hosting, security and backups are included. After that, the Essentiel care plan at $69/month or Plus at $139/month — or none at all, if you'd rather maintain the site yourself.
7. Google and AI: base SEO and Search Console setup. The AI-search upgrade (structured data, FAQ, Google profile consistency) is included with every new site, and available from $499 for an existing one.
8. Law 25: compliance included — privacy policy, forms and cookies.
9. Languages: our teams work in French, English and Spanish. Each additional language is a fixed price written in the quote; it isn't included by default.
10. References: Emplois Spécialisés, Cargomax International, CalifRs — their sites are live, go visit them. We don't quote a review count here: judge the work for yourself.

When an agency isn't the right choice (including us)

Let's be honest: if your budget is under $1,500, a do-it-yourself builder like Wix or Squarespace will probably serve you better. You build it yourself, at your own pace, and you can move to a professional site later. If you're testing an idea for a few months, a short plan with no commitment may be enough. And a trusted freelancer can be a fine fit for a small project — as long as they answer the same ten questions.

To compare price ranges on the Quebec market, read how much a website costs in Quebec.

Already have a site and want to know where it stands on these criteria — domain and account ownership, speed, SEO, compliance? Our free 45-point inspection answers in writing within 2 business days, with your three priority actions, no strings attached. For a quote, call us at 450 300-5777 or write to us.