Websites, RFQ intake and portals for manufacturers

01How customers find a manufacturer in Canada

Buyers and engineers find suppliers through referrals, trade shows, supplier directories and search for a specific process, material or part type. They shortlist by reading capability pages, checking certifications and looking at equipment lists, then send RFQs to the shops that make the shortlist. The website is a verification document first and a marketing document second.

Google states that its AI features in Search use the core index and ranking systems with no special requirements beyond standard SEO practice. Capability pages with real specifications, tables and consistent company details are what search engines and AI assistants can draw on, including when an assistant is asked which Canadian shops do a given process. A brochure with adjectives is not citable.

02What a manufacturer website must do

It should let a buyer verify you, let an engineer send a complete RFQ, and let a customer serve themselves.

03Automation and CRM for manufacturers

Manufacturing sales are slow and account-based, so the automation is about completeness and persistence: RFQs that arrive complete, quotes that get followed up, trade show leads that get called, and customers who find their own documents. The ERP stays the system of record; the portal and CRM read from it where it allows and stand alone where it does not.

Worked example at published prices: Business Plus at CA$799 with eight pages including capability pages and a contact form, Lead Follow-Up Automation from CA$149, CRM Setup from CA$299, and the Search + AI Foundation at CA$299 for citable capability content. RFQ intake with drawing and model uploads, routing to estimators and access-controlled file storage is quoted on top. A customer portal is quoted as Custom with a fixed price and ship date and, if we host it, runs on Redenn Pro Managed hosting at CA$99/month, which includes staging and priority support. Usage (AI, call minutes, SMS, email) is billed by each provider directly to your own account; none is included in our prices. Ask about a trial period to see your real usage first.

• RFQ acknowledged instantly and routed by process to an estimator.
• Quote follow-ups on a schedule with a stop rule.
• Trade show contacts sequenced to a call within the sales team's window.
• Documents and status self-served from the portal.

04Compliance and trust

Show certifications exactly as held, with the registrar and the scope, and keep certificates current in the portal; a buyer's quality team will ask for them. Do not claim capabilities or tolerances you cannot deliver on the page an engineer will hold you to. Ontario's Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation requires designated public sector organizations and organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario to make their public websites and web content conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, except live captions (1.2.4) and pre-recorded audio description (1.2.5). The rule covers sites they control and content published after January 1, 2012. Businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees in Ontario also file an accessibility compliance report every three years; 2026 is a reporting year, with the report due December 31, 2026.

Sales emails to buyers are commercial electronic messages under CASL, which applies to business-to-business messaging with some exceptions, so sequences are built with consent, identification and an unsubscribe option. RFQs and portal accounts contain personal and confidential business information, handled under PIPEDA or the equivalent provincial law with access controls. Quebec's Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, requires businesses operating in Quebec to make their commercial websites and publications available in French; other languages can sit alongside. The OQLF publishes the details.