Plenty of Canadian businesses eventually ask whether their website should be in French as well as English. For some, it is a legal question. For many more, it is a commercial one: customers in Quebec, New Brunswick or Ottawa, or a national client base that expects both languages. Either way, a bilingual site only works if both versions are built properly. A French version that is half-finished, machine-translated or hard to find can do more harm than having none.
This guide covers when a French version makes sense, what the law broadly expects in Quebec, and the practical details that decide whether a bilingual site works for visitors and for search engines.
When a French version makes sense
A French version is worth serious consideration when:
- You sell to customers or businesses in Quebec, or plan to.
- You serve francophone communities elsewhere, such as in New Brunswick, Eastern Ontario or Manitoba.
- You bid for work with organizations that operate in both languages, where a French site signals you can serve them properly.
- Your competitors in a market are all bilingual, so an English-only site looks like a business that does not serve French speakers.
If none of these apply, a well-built English site is a perfectly reasonable choice, and you can add French later if the structure allows it.
What the law broadly expects in Quebec
Quebec's Charter of the French Language, strengthened by the amendments commonly known as Bill 96, generally requires businesses operating in Quebec to make their commercial information, including their website, available in French. The French version is expected to be at least as available and complete as any other language version, not a reduced or delayed copy.
Outside Quebec, there is generally no equivalent obligation for private businesses to publish their website in French, although specific rules can apply in particular sectors, to government contracts and to organizations subject to federal official languages requirements.
This is a general overview, not legal advice. The details depend on where you operate, your sector and how you sell, so confirm what applies to your business with qualified counsel or the relevant regulator before you rely on it.
Give each language its own URLs
The most important technical decision is structure. Each language should have its own address for each page, for example a French section at /fr/ alongside the English pages. That lets search engines index both versions and lets you share a link to the French page directly.
Avoid setups where the same address shows a different language depending on a cookie, a browser setting or a button the visitor clicked. Search engines generally see only one version of those pages, so the other language may never appear in results.
Tell search engines which pages match
Use hreflang tags to tell Google that the English and French pages are versions of each other. Each page lists itself and its counterpart, for example en-CA and fr-CA, and both pages must point to each other. Done correctly, a French-speaking searcher is more likely to be shown the French page, and the two versions are not treated as duplicates.
Pair this with a visible language switcher on every page that links to the equivalent page in the other language, not back to the French homepage. And avoid forcing visitors into a language based on their location or browser. Suggest it if you like, but let them choose.
Translate properly, and for Canada
Translation plugins and automatic widgets are quick, but the results often read awkwardly, may not be indexed as real French pages, and can create the impression that French speakers are an afterthought.
For a site that represents your business, use a professional translator or a fluent writer, and ask for Canadian French. Vocabulary, spelling conventions and tone can differ from the French used in France, and Quebec readers notice. Adapting the content also matters: examples, phone numbers, service areas and calls to action may need to change, not just the words.
Translate everything a visitor sees
Bilingual sites often slip in the details. Check that these exist in both languages:
- Page titles and meta descriptions, which are what searchers see in Google
- Image alt text and file captions
- Navigation, buttons and form labels
- Form error messages, confirmation pages and automatic reply emails
- Cookie banners, privacy policy and terms
- Structured data such as business descriptions and FAQs
- PDFs, downloadable guides and booking or checkout flows
A French visitor who reaches an English booking form or an English confirmation email has hit the point where the bilingual experience stops.
Keep both versions in sync
The common failure is not the launch, it is six months later, when the English site has new services, prices and news and the French site still shows the old ones. Decide upfront who updates the French version and how quickly, and build that step into how content gets published. A content management system that shows which pages have a translation, and which are out of date, makes this much easier.
Local search in both languages
French-speaking customers search in French, so your French pages need their own keyword research rather than direct translations of English terms. Your Google Business Profile has one listing per location, so make sure its description, services and posts serve the customers you most want to reach, and that your website clearly links both language versions.
Measure each language separately
Set up analytics so you can see visits and enquiries for each language. That tells you whether the French version is earning its upkeep, which pages French speakers use most, and where the experience may be falling short.
How we approach it
Velora builds bilingual sites with separate URLs for each language, correct hreflang tags and a language switcher that keeps visitors on the equivalent page. This site itself publishes pages in English and French on that structure. If you are weighing whether a French version is worth it for your business, or need an existing bilingual site checked, get in touch and we will tell you what we find.