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Quebec’s Bill 96 has brought significant changes to how businesses must approach their online presence in the province. During research for this post, I’ve seen how these new requirements can impact digital strategy for multilingual websites. While the law aims to protect and promote the French language, it also creates new challenges for website owners—particularly when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and content management.
In this post, I’ll guide you through what Bill 96 means for your website’s multilingual SEO strategy. I’ll also show you how to maintain compliance while preserving your search visibility.
These changes affect not only businesses based in Quebec but any organization serving customers in the province. However, note that none of what I give you here is legal advice, but a summary of Bill 96 and my advice on how you might undertake compliance.
What Is Bill 96 and Why It Matters
Bill 96—officially known as An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec—represents the most significant update to Quebec’s language laws since 1977. Passed in June 2022, this legislation reinforces French as Quebec’s official language and introduces new requirements for businesses operating in or serving the province.
The implementation timeline is staggered, with many requirements already in effect since June 2022. Since then, there have been additional amendments in September 2022, December 2022, June 2023, and June 2024. The final phase of implementation arrives three years after assent: 1st June 2025. At this point, businesses with 25 or more employees must have comprehensive French language systems in place, which includes any digital presence.
What makes this particularly important is its scope. The law doesn’t just affect Quebec-based businesses—it impacts any organization serving Quebec customers. This includes your website, customer service channels, and all digital communications.
Penalties and Enforcement
The Office Québécois de la Langue Française (OQLF) now has expanded powers to enforce Bill 96’s requirements, and the consequences of non-compliance are significant. First-time violations can result in fines ranging from $3,000 to $30,000 for businesses, with subsequent violations leading to doubled or tripled penalties.
What’s more of a concern for website owners is that each day of non-compliance counts as a separate violation. The OQLF has a number of powers it can enforce:
- It can conduct investigations to verify compliance.
- The office can enter business premises for inspection.
- You will have to provide access to digital records and systems.
- It can issue compliance orders and file injunctions with the Superior Court.
The law also empowers consumers to take civil action if they feel their language rights have been violated. This means your website’s language accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about protecting your business from potential legal challenges.
Digital Compliance Requirements
When it comes to your website, Bill 96 sets clear expectations. Your digital presence must provide equivalent experiences in French in a number of ways:
- All website content and User Interface (UI) elements.
- Product descriptions and catalogs.
- Customer service interfaces.
- Marketing materials.
- Technical documentation.
- Legal documents and terms of service.
The law emphasizes that French content must be available under conditions no less favorable than content in other languages. This means your French content can’t be harder to find, less complete, or more difficult to access than its English counterpart.
For e-commerce sites, this extends to the entire customer journey, such as browsing products and completing a purchase. Your checkout process, payment terms, and order confirmations must all be available in French too.
Technical Website Requirements
Meeting Bill 96’s requirements involves several technical considerations. The first decision you’ll face is how to structure your multilingual URLs. You have two main options:
- The subdirectory approach (such as example.com/fr)
- A subdomain implementation (such as fr.example.com)
Both approaches are compliant, but they have different SEO implications. I’ve found that subdirectories often work better for SEO, as they consolidate domain authority more effectively. However, the choice is yours ultimately. Language detection and switching become crucial elements too.
Your site has a number of tasks to comply with Bill 96 here:
- The switcher has to detect a user’s preferred language automatically.
- It needs to offer clear language switching options.
- Your switcher has to remember language preferences between visits.
- You need to ensure equal access to all content regardless of language.
Content parity is another technical challenge. Every piece of content—including images with text, videos, and dynamic content—needs a French equivalent. This is where a robust translation management system becomes essential.
Implementing a Compliant Multilingual Strategy
Creating a Bill 96-compliant website requires careful planning and implementation, especially given the law’s staggered enforcement dates. Since the initial requirements took effect in 2022, businesses have needed to adapt to various phases of implementation.
The final deadline in June 2025 will primarily affect businesses with 25 or more employees. These businesses must have comprehensive French language systems in place.
Let’s look at a quick timeline and framework for implementing Bill 96.
Phase 1: Foundation Building
Your journey toward compliance should begin with a thorough content audit. This involves cataloging all your existing content, assessing translation needs, and selecting the right translation management solution.
During this initial phase, you’ll want to establish your project timeline and resource allocation. This groundwork will ensure a smooth transition into the technical implementation phase.
Phase 2: Technical Implementation
The next phase focuses on technical implementation, which should commence immediately after your audit. This involves setting up your translation system, beginning the translation of primary content, and configuring essential technical elements such as language detection and URL structure.
These foundational elements form the backbone of your multilingual website and will require careful attention to detail.
Phase 3: Content Development
As you move forward, the focus shifts to your content translation and its technical refinement. This middle phase involves a number of elements:
- Completing your main content translations.
- Implementing SEO elements.
- Training your content team to adapt.
In my opinion, this is the phase where it’s crucial to maintain momentum because you also need to ensure quality and consistency. Your team should be fully engaged in the translation process, and regular quality checks and refinements will be commonplace.
Phase 4: Refinement and Monitoring
The final phase involves finalizing all translations, completing technical implementations, and establishing robust monitoring systems. This extended period will involve plenty of thorough testing and refinement of your multilingual setup.
You’ll also want to ensure all systems are working seamlessly together and that you have proper documentation and processes in place.
In general, this timeline will ensure you’re well-prepared for the various compliance deadlines—particularly the June 2025 date for businesses with 25 or more employees.
How TranslatePress Ensures Compliance
TranslatePress stands as a comprehensive solution for meeting Bill 96’s requirements while maintaining your SEO performance. The plugin’s approach to translation and compliance is both thorough and user-friendly, and it addresses each aspect of the law’s requirements through its integrated functionality.
TranslatePress Multilingual
At the heart of TranslatePress is its visual Translation Editor. This transforms the way you can approach your content translation. For instance, you can see and edit translations in real-time, while working with all relevant content types (including dynamic elements) while maintaining full visual context.
This immediate feedback can ensure your French content maintains parity with English versions: a crucial requirement under Bill 96.
The plugin’s search optimization capabilities are equally robust. TranslatePress automatically handles technical SEO elements such as hreflang tags and metadata translation. It also looks after search-friendly URL structures and generates multilingual XML sitemaps. This approach will ensure your translated content maintains strong search visibility.
Language management will also become seamless with TranslatePress’s intelligent features. The customizable language switcher can adapt to your site’s design, while automatic language detection will help to guide users to their preferred language version. In addition, the system remembers user preferences and maintains a consistent experience across all devices.
TranslatePress’ content synchronization represents another crucial advantage. The plugin automatically detects updates, maintains a translation memory for consistency, and provides version control to track changes. This systematic approach ensures your multilingual content stays current and compliant as your site evolves.
The Typical Practices and Next Steps You Need to Comply With Bill 96
Preparing your website for Bill 96 compliance is going to require a systematic approach that considers both immediate needs and long-term maintenance.
In my opinion, begin with the technical foundation by installing and configuring TranslatePress. In particular, take the time to choose an appropriate URL structure for your needs and set up language detection to ensure a smooth user experience. What’s more, you should configure your SEO settings early on to maintain search visibility throughout the transition.
The content translation phase will need careful attention to detail: start with the audit, then establish some clear priorities for translation. This process should be methodical, with regular quality checks to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness. Remember that Bill 96 requires French content to be of equal quality and accessibility as other languages.
Testing and verification will become perpetual processes rather than one-time events. It’s important to implement regular checks of your language switcher’s functionality, assess content parity, and determine the experience of the user to help maintain compliance.
You’ll also want to conduct a periodical assessment of your SEO validation to ensure your multilingual content performs well in search results.
Finally, maintenance will become a crucial part of your compliance strategy. Content updates will need prompt translation, with letter-perfect documentation of all processes. It’s a good idea to keep track of compliance requirements and changes in the law too. You might need to adjust your approach in the future to maintain full compliance with Bill 96’s evolving requirements.
TranslatePress Makes Bill 96 Compliance Straightforward
Meeting Bill 96’s requirements doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With TranslatePress, you have the tools to create and maintain a fully compliant multilingual website. The plugin’s comprehensive functionality handles the technical aspects of compliance, which lets you focus on creating great content for your audience.
TranslatePress Multilingual
Do you have any questions relating to Bill 96 compliance for your own website? Ask them in the comments section below!