Hiring a WordPress or Shopify developer for a Canadian business
Canadian sites have two details that generic builds often get wrong: sales tax that changes by province, and a French version that needs to be as good as the English one. Both are part of the plan from the first call.
Sales tax by province
Depending on where your customer is, an order may carry GST alone, HST, or GST plus PST or QST. Shopify calculates these automatically once your registrations are entered; WooCommerce needs a rates table by province or a tax plugin. Either way I test checkout with addresses in several provinces before launch, and make sure your registration numbers show on invoices.
Bilingual English and French sites
- A page for each language with its own URL, such as /fr/, so both versions can be found in search.
- WPML or Polylang on WordPress, or Shopify Markets with a translation app.
- Translated menus, forms, emails and checkout text, not just page content.
- A switcher that keeps visitors on the same page in the other language.
Businesses in Quebec have specific French-language rules for commercial websites; I build the structure so French can be complete, and you confirm the copy with someone who knows those rules.
Shipping and cross-border sales
Canada Post and courier rates, plus separate zones, duties messaging and currency if you sell into the US. If the US is a large market for you, the USA page covers sales tax there.
Working across the time difference
India is 9.5 to 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern time and 12.5 to 13.5 hours ahead of Pacific. Feedback sent in your afternoon is usually done by your morning, and calls fit in your early morning. See Shopify development or WooCommerce development for more on each platform.
