The short answer: a bilingual site is not a French homepage followed by an 'English' button. The risk hides in incomplete user journeys — a form in French, then a confirmation email in English.
A Bill 96 bilingual website project is framed before the mockup, not after. Bill 96 strengthens the place of French, but choosing a bilingual architecture depends on your activity, your clientele, and the documents involved.
Here is a method in three elements: scope, architecture, and governance.
Bill 96 bilingual website: what obligations and scopes to verify before building?
Before opening Webflow, separate the legal rule, the content to inventory, and the technical configuration. The first point is your organization's responsibility; the other two are built afterward.
Bilingualism also meets a real expectation. According to a study by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) conducted with 3,534 individuals, nearly half of customers (46%) prefer a site presented in French and English. The same study reveals that 47% of survey respondents reported experiencing, at least occasionally, dissatisfaction with the availability or quality of French content on a digital platform — with impacts on site usage.
What is the true French scope of your site?
Here are some reference points from the Charter of the French Language, modified by Bill 96, in plain language:
Article 5: consumers of goods or services have the right to be informed and served in French.
Article 50.2: a business that offers goods or services must inform and serve consumers, as well as the public other than consumers, in French.
Article 52: catalogues, brochures, leaflets, business directories, order forms and other documents of a similar nature available to the public must be written in French. Another language remains possible if the French version is accessible under conditions at least as favorable.
Article 57: invoices, receipts, vouchers, and documents of a similar nature must be drafted in French, without making the French version less accessible than the other.
Commercial advertising follows a distinct rule. Set aside banners, campaigns, and promotional pages separately. Article 58 provides that public signage and commercial advertising must be in French; they may be bilingual provided that French appears in a clearly predominant manner. Have a legal advisor confirm the application to your case.
Consumer contracts and related documents are subject to distinct rules. Have a legal advisor validate your contractual journeys and documents before going live.
Bill 96 bilingual website: why is a language switcher not enough?
A language switcher helps with navigation. It does not, on its own, prove that your obligations are met.
Often French is available on main pages, then English becomes the only option to pay or receive confirmation. The same OQLF study confirms this: 38% of Quebec consumers reported receiving, in the 12 months preceding the survey, a communication (email, notification, or invoice) that was not entirely in French after a visit to a digital platform in French.
When designing, aim for continuity: verify that content and documents allow completing a journey in French without language interruption.
Structuring a bilingual website in Quebec in Webflow without two unequal user journeys
Most costly decisions are made before design. The scope of a Bill 96 bilingual website project is validated early, and the rest follows.
What role should the language selector play in the user journey?
Design recommendations, to be distinguished from legal obligations:
- Clear labeling (« Français | English »), visible in the header, accessible by keyboard and mobile-friendly.
- A return to the equivalent page, not the home page.
- If you enable automatic routing based on browser preferences, keep an obvious selector and test the return to the desired version.
Which Webflow Localization content and settings should be localized?
The content management system (CMS) — the space that allows you to modify pages, articles and records without rebuilding the website — allows you to manage recurring content by language without rebuilding everything. In Webflow Localization, each content exists per language, which requires discipline when publishing.
The hreflang tags — the signal that tells search engines which version to display based on language — are managed at the page level and sitemap in Webflow Localization. They help search engines understand available languages and avoid indexing issues.
| Element to verify | French version | English version | Risk if forgotten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigation, buttons, search, 404 page | Labels and complete user journeys | Useful equivalence | Breakage from the navigation |
| CMS pages, case studies, blog | Priority content published and maintained | Variants according to strategy | Two sites of unequal quality |
| PDFs, policies, pricing, promotions | To be inventoried and classified (publication, advertising or transactional) | To be linked after legal validation | Legal status wrongly generalized |
| Localized SEO | URL, title, description, hreflang | URL, title, description, hreflang | Poor indexation or redirection |
Test the system's behavior when a designated version does not exist: the fallback version must be decided, flagged if needed and consistent with your publishing rule.
What governance controls should be planned before launch?
The governance of a Bill 96 bilingual website project is just as much about what happens after delivery as before. Transform obligations into assigned tasks:
- Your organization identifies the markets, content and documents involved.
- The agency builds the languages (locales), components and tests.
- The legal advisor confirms the scope and defines contract cases.
- Your publishing manager maintains the versions over time.
The classic pitfall: apparent compliance degrades as soon as content or a form is written in English only. A bilingual publishing rule is better than a one-off correction.
Pre-publication checklist
- All key pages have a planned version in each language.
- The selector leads to the equivalent page, not the home page.
- Forms and emails are tested end-to-end.
- PDFs, prices, policies and confirmations are inventoried and classified.
- Hreflang tags, titles and descriptions are consistent across versions.
- One person validates the checklist.
Design bilingualism as a complete journey
A bilingual site is designed as a complete journey, not as a translation added at the end. Start with an inventory, classify your content and documents, bring French to the same functional level, then validate your obligations. A well-structured Law 96 bilingual website project avoids costly rework.
Before wireframes, align your content, integrations and bilingual journeys to avoid a fix after launch.
FAQ
Is an English website with a 'French' button enough in Quebec?
Not in itself. Verify that the information and journeys in question are truly accessible in French, under conditions at least as favourable when the Charter requires it.
Does Law 96 require a language switcher?
The legal framework does not prescribe a specific button. The switcher is a navigation aid; your obligations are validated based on your context, documents and markets.
Which pages should be translated first?
Start with pages that inform, generate a request, present an offer, trigger a transaction or provide access to public documents.
Can Webflow manage a website in French and English?
Yes. Webflow Localization handles languages, URLs, and SEO relationships between versions. It does not replace your content strategy or validation of your language obligations.
Do I need to translate all blog posts?
It depends on your markets, the goal, and the role of each post. Document your editorial guidelines so French doesn't become a secondary version by default.
Note: This article explains how to structure a multilingual site on Webflow. To validate your legal obligations under Bill 96, refer directly to the OQLF guides or your legal advisor.
