AERVIO Sites subscription vs custom project for Montreal SMEs

Choose a subscription when you need a clean, managed site on a predictable monthly price. Choose a custom project when the site must do something a plan does not cover: custom logic, deep integrations, a large content model or an unusual editing workflow. Most Montreal small businesses with a services offer and a contact form belong in the first group. That is why AERVIO Sites exists.

This note lays out the decision the way we would on a call, weekdays 9–17 ET: what each option includes, where each one breaks, and the questions that settle it.

What the subscription actually is

AERVIO Sites is a managed subscription. You pick a plan in the client cabinet, pay an activation fee plus the monthly amount, and AERVIO designs, builds, hosts and maintains the site. The plan page lists the current terms; at the time of writing they look like this:

Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude applicable taxes. Third-party software, premium licences, payment processing, advertising, domains and custom integrations may be billed separately. Always check the plan page for the current numbers; this table can age.

The point of the format is not the lowest price. It is that hosting, security, backups, maintenance and support are inside the monthly fee, so nobody needs to remember who patches the site in February.

What a custom project is

A custom project is a scoped build with a written proposal, a fixed timeline and a handover. The plan page itself frames a conventional project as roughly $3,000 to $10,000 or more up front. In return you get decisions that no plan can pre-make: a specific stack (Next.js or WordPress is a real question here), a content model shaped around your catalogue, and integrations with the tools your team already uses.

Projects do not end at launch. Someone must run the site afterwards, which is the subject of growth retainers after launch. A project without an owner after go-live is how a good site becomes a liability within two years.

The decision, in questions

Answer these honestly and the choice usually makes itself.

• Can the site be described in 15 pages or fewer? If yes, a subscription probably covers it. If you need hundreds of structured entries (listings, a resource library, a catalogue with filters), you are in project territory.
• Does the site need to talk to something custom? A contact form that creates a record in your CRM is routine on Business+. A booking engine tied to your internal scheduling or a quote tool with pricing rules is a project.
• Is speed to market the constraint? Subscriptions start from a chosen plan. Projects start from discovery and a proposal. If you lose leads every week without a site, speed matters more than perfection.
• Is the cash profile the constraint? A monthly cost is easier to absorb than a five-figure invoice. A project is a better deal only if you will use what it gives you.
• Will you edit the site often? Plans include a set number of small updates per month. If marketing needs to publish daily or restructure sections weekly, you need an editing workflow designed for it.
• Does French matter for the public site? Business+ includes EN + FR architecture. If your site is for Quebec consumers, read Bill 96 and your website first, because the language model affects the plan you pick.

Where subscriptions break

We would rather tell you now than after payment.

• Heavy custom logic. If your differentiator lives in the site itself, a plan is the wrong box.
• Large or fast-changing content. Page limits are real. A site that outgrows 15 pages needs a different structure, not a more crowded plan.
• Complex multi-system integration. CRM sync beyond a form, ERP feeds or custom APIs sit outside the standard scope.
• A brand platform with strict design systems. Custom design systems and multi-region brand rules fit a project better.

None of that makes a subscription a lesser product. It makes it a defined one.

Where projects break

• No owner after launch. The most common failure is a handed-over site nobody updates, patches or measures.
• Scope without a stop. A project with no clear boundaries drifts. Fixed proposals protect both sides.
• Over-building for traffic that does not exist yet. Many SMEs buy a platform when a clean five-page site would have started generating calls.
• Search and CRM bolted on at the end. If the site, the forms and the sales pipeline are designed separately, you get three systems. The case for one connected system applies at any budget.

A path that works for many SMEs

1. Start on the plan that fits your page count and language needs.
2. Connect forms to a CRM or at least a monitored inbox, so every enquiry has an owner.
3. Add Google Search Console and call tracking in the first month.
4. After one to two quarters, look at which pages produce conversations.
5. If the data says you need more than a plan allows, scope a custom build from evidence instead of guesses.

This is slower to explain than "just build the big site," and it usually costs less. It also gives you the one thing a pitch deck cannot: your own data about what visitors do.

Ownership, exit and what to put in writing

Whichever route you take, get four things in writing before paying anyone, AERVIO included:

• Who is the registrant of your domain
• Who holds the hosting and analytics accounts
• How you export your content and files
• What happens to the site if the relationship ends

The answers should not be vague. If they are, that tells you more than any feature list.

What we will not promise

We do not guarantee rankings, lead volume or a specific conversion rate. A subscription or project can give you a crawlable site, accurate local details, pages a reviewer could quote and measurement. Results depend on your market, competitors and how well the site is used by your team. That is how we approach SEO and GEO as well.

How to start

Pick the plan on the AERVIO Sites page, or write to hello@aervio.io or call +1 438-498-3913, weekdays 9–17 ET, with your current URL, your page list and the one thing the new site must do. If it fits a plan, we will say so. If it needs a project, we will say that too, and the contact page is the fastest route to a written proposal.

Questions

Can we start on a subscription and move to a custom project later?

Yes. If the site outgrows its plan, the usual path is to scope a custom build against what you have learned from real traffic and sales calls. Agree on content and domain ownership at the start so the move is a rebuild, not a hostage negotiation.

What is not included in the monthly price?

Per the AERVIO Sites page, prices are in Canadian dollars before applicable taxes, and third-party software, premium licences, payment processing, advertising, domains and custom integrations can be billed separately. Read the disclaimer on the plan page before you pay.

Does a subscription mean we rent our own website?

Ask this of any provider, including us. The answer should be written down: who holds the domain, who can export content, and what happens to the site if the subscription ends. We will answer that in writing before you commit.