Web application development
Browser-based applications such as portals, dashboards, SaaS products and workflow tools, engineered for security, scale and integration.
Software & Cloud Development
Web development
An organization's web presence is rarely just a website. It is a public site, client or partner portals, an intranet, and the forms and integrations that connect them to your CRM and ERP. We plan and build these as one platform: accessible, bilingual where you need it, secure, and owned by you.
Who this service is for
A good fit if
- Your public site, portals and internal sites have grown separately and no longer share content, sign-in or design.
- You have accessibility obligations, such as Ontario's AODA, and want to design to WCAG 2.2 AA.
- You need English and French versions managed properly, with a clear translation workflow.
- Enquiries, registrations or applications from the web must flow reliably into your CRM, ERP or case system.
- Several teams publish content and need roles, approval workflows and an audit trail.
Another approach may suit you better if
- You need a small brochure site of a few pages. A template website builder may serve you better.
- What you need is mainly an application with complex business logic. Our web application development service fits that better.
- You want a commitment to specific traffic or ranking increases. No honest provider can make one.
What this service is
Web development is the planning, design, build, testing and launch of web platforms: public websites, client and partner portals, intranets and program microsites. It helps an organization establish a clear presence online and reach its audiences effectively, but for most organizations the website is also a service channel. Visitors apply, register, book, download documents and ask for help, and each of those actions has to reach the right system and the right person.
We treat web development as a business platform, not a design exercise. That means sign-in through your identity provider where portals are involved, forms that store every submission before notifying anyone, integrations with your CRM or Prometheus ERP, and security and accessibility that are tested rather than assumed.
What we build
- Corporate and multi-site platforms for organizations with several brands, programs, regions or languages, sharing one design system and editorial workflow.
- Client, member and partner portals where users sign in to see their own records, documents, orders or applications.
- Intranets and knowledge bases, on a CMS or on SharePoint Online alongside your Microsoft 365 environment.
- Headless content platforms that serve the same content to the website, mobile apps and other channels.
When the requirement is mostly business logic rather than content, such as transactions, workflows or dashboards, see web application development.
Accessibility, language and privacy
Accessibility is designed in from the first template. We test against WCAG 2.2 AA with keyboard-only use, screen readers, colour contrast checks and zoom, and we write the results down. Ontario's AODA sets website requirements for many organizations; see the questions below for a summary.
For bilingual organizations we build English and French as equal versions, with separate URLs, correct language tags, layouts that allow for longer French text, and a translation workflow in the CMS.
Privacy is handled in the build: analytics and tracking respect consent choices, forms collect only what you will use, and sign-up forms for newsletters are set up with CASL consent in mind. Quebec's Law 25 has specific rules for tracking technologies, and we implement what your advisers confirm. This is not legal advice.
Integration and security
Every form stores its submission first, then notifies the right mailbox or system, and failures are retried and reported instead of silently lost. Portals connect to Microsoft Entra ID, Google or other OpenID Connect or SAML providers. We follow OWASP guidance, keep plugins and modules to a justified minimum, and can host in Canadian cloud regions to support data residency preferences.
We commonly work with WordPress, Drupal, headless CMS platforms such as Strapi, Contentful and Sanity, and front-end frameworks such as Next.js. Naming a platform does not imply a partnership or reseller status with its vendor.
After launch
A web platform needs security updates, content changes and monitoring. Managed-service clients can include their web platforms in 24/7 monitoring and support, with response targets set in the service agreement. Good design matters as much as good code, and our UI and UX design service covers research, prototypes and usability testing. For planning advice, read website and app development strategies for businesses.
What is included
The exact list is agreed in writing for each project. These are the usual deliverables and the usual boundaries.
Typical deliverables
- A discovery summary covering audiences, top tasks, content owners, integrations and how success will be measured.
- Information architecture, a sitemap and page templates agreed before detailed design.
- An accessible, responsive design system applied across all templates.
- A build on the agreed platform, such as WordPress, Drupal or a headless CMS, with editorial roles and approval workflows.
- An English and French content structure, language switching and a translation workflow where required.
- Content migration with an old-to-new URL map and permanent redirects.
- Forms and integrations with CRM, ERP, marketing and identity systems, tested end to end.
- Accessibility, performance and security test results, written down.
- A handover guide, editor training, and all accounts in your organization's name.
Not included unless agreed separately
- Writing or translating all page content, unless scoped separately.
- Photography, video production and new brand identity work.
- Licences, hosting, paid plugins and CMS subscriptions, billed to you with your approval.
- Legal review of privacy notices, terms or accessibility statements.
- Ongoing maintenance after launch, unless covered by a separate agreement.
What we will need from you
Most delays in this kind of work come from access and decisions, not from the technical build. Knowing these early keeps the project predictable.
- Admin access to the current site, DNS, hosting, analytics and connected tools, or someone who can grant it.
- A content lead who can make decisions and coordinate approvals.
- Brand assets and existing content, including the right to use any images.
- A decision on who provides French content and who approves translations.
- Access to the CRM, ERP or identity platforms that the site must connect to.
Delivery
How the work is delivered
Larger platforms follow five stages. Smaller projects combine some of them.
Discovery and inventory
Goals, audiences and top tasks, plus an inventory of existing URLs, content and integrations so nothing valuable is lost by accident.
Output: Discovery summary and URL and content inventory.
Structure and design
Information architecture, templates and a design system, with accessibility notes on each component. We agree these before building so changes are cheap.
Output: Approved sitemap, templates and design system.
Build and integrate
The platform is built on a private staging copy. Forms, sign-in and CRM or ERP connections are wired up, content is migrated and redirects are prepared.
Output: Working staging platform.
Test
Accessibility, browsers and devices, performance, security, forms, redirects and both language versions are tested and recorded.
Output: Test report with pass and fail results.
Launch and hand over
Launch at an agreed time with a rollback plan, then editor training and a written handover.
Output: Live platform, handover guide and credentials.
Testing and handover
- Each template is tested with keyboard-only navigation and a screen reader, and checked against WCAG 2.2 AA.
- Every form is tested with real submissions to the real destination system, including failure cases.
- Old URLs are checked against the redirect map after launch.
- Both language versions are checked for completeness, correct language tags and working language switches.
- A backup is taken and a restore is tested before launch, so there is a known way back.
- You receive admin access, a list of every plugin or module and why it is there, and an editor guide.
What affects the cost
We do not publish package prices. Each estimate is based on an agreed scope, in Canadian dollars, with taxes shown separately. These are the things that move the number most:
- The number of distinct templates and components, not the number of pages.
- The volume of content to migrate, rewrite or translate.
- Integrations with CRM, ERP, identity, payment or booking systems.
- The number of languages and sites, and the complexity of editorial workflows.
- Accessibility and security requirements, and the number of reviewers involved.
Questions buyers usually ask
Which platform do you recommend?
It depends on who edits the content, what the site must connect to and how much control you need. WordPress suits many organizations because editors know it and many providers support it. Drupal and headless CMS platforms suit complex permissions, multiple sites or content shared with apps. We explain the trade-offs in discovery.
What does AODA mean for our website?
Under Ontario's AODA, designated public sector organizations, and businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees in Ontario, must make their websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with some exceptions. We design and test to WCAG 2.2 AA, which builds on 2.0. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do you handle English and French?
Each language gets its own URLs, correct language tags and a visible language switch, and the CMS tracks which pages still need translating. Organizations serving consumers in Quebec should review French-language requirements with their advisers.
Will we lose search visibility when the site changes?
Any change carries some risk. We reduce it by inventorying current URLs, keeping valuable pages, redirecting changed ones to their closest equivalent and checking redirects after launch. We cannot promise rankings, but we make sure nothing breaks through carelessness.
Who owns the platform when it is finished?
You do. The domain, hosting, CMS administration, analytics and licences should all be in your organization's name. We work with delegated access and hand everything over at the end.
Related
UI and UX design
User research, UX audits, prototypes, design systems and accessible interfaces for business software, portals, ERP screens and mobile apps.
Website and app development strategies
What successful websites and apps have in common, the six-stage development process, common challenges and how to choose a development partner.
Planning a new web platform or portal?
Tell us which sites and portals you run today, who uses them and what they need to connect to. We will reply to arrange a conversation about scope before anything is priced.