SDC Vieux-Montréal: A New Website to Serve this Historic District’s Business Community

Old Montreal, with its cobblestone streets, rich heritage, and cultural vibrancy, is more than just a neighborhood—it’s a true destination. Behind this energy, SDC Vieux-Montréal brings together over 2,400 passionate members, all dedicated to elevating this historic gem. When the time came for the SDC to modernize its website, they entrusted us with this ambitious project: to create a platform that truly reflects their mission and their community.

The main goal of this redesign was to develop a digital tool that embodies the energy and business diversity of Old Montreal while meeting the needs of its community. The SDC wanted a modern and functional platform that provides easy access to practical information and tools designed to support its members. Key priorities included clear navigation, a modern design, and advanced features to better serve users. We wanted visitors to quickly discover local businesses, explore the district’s infrastructure, and for entrepreneurs to access valuable resources—all in just a few clicks.

This wasn’t our first venture in this field. At TUX, we have extensive experience with projects related to tourism, commercial districts, and local communities.

Whether showcasing the richness of Montreal’s Village, supporting Plaza St-Hubert’s digital transformation, or collaborating with organizations like SEPAQ, we’ve learned to understand the unique needs of these important organizations. In this case, our expertise allowed us to take a targeted approach, delivering a digital tool that supports the SDC’s corporate mission while serving the businesses it represents and maintaining the true essence of Old Montreal.

The SDC website redesign was conceived as a real extension of the district—dynamic, modern, and accessible.

Through high-quality photos and videos, visitors immediately get a sense of Old Montreal’s unique atmosphere. We also completely restructured the site’s architecture to make navigation seamless. The goal was simple: allow users to quickly find the information they need, whether it’s about a business, an event, economic insights, or specific resources for entrepreneurs.

Features developed as part of the project include:

An interactive map listing thousands of businesses and offices, with filtering options for easy searches. Despite the technical challenge of managing such a vast database, we developed a fast and intuitive solution.
An events calendar to help visitors discover what’s happening in the district, with search filters by event type and date.
A smart search function, developed with Algolia, that automatically suggests relevant results and trending topics.
A member portal featuring all the necessary resources for entrepreneurs in Old Montreal who are part of the SDC.
Curated content tailored to the local business community of the historic district.

With over 2,400 members to support, managing a vast amount of content was a significant challenge.

Uploading thousands of business listings while ensuring a fast and intuitive user experience required a carefully planned approach. But at TUX, we see challenges as opportunities to innovate.

Another major challenge was migrating thousands of pages of content from the old website. Not only did we need to ensure all content was successfully transferred and integrated into the new platform, but we also had to implement a redirection system. This ensured that old links remained functional and that users, as well as search engines, could easily find the updated pages. We meticulously optimized each step of this process to prevent content loss and maintain online visibility.

Through a structured approach and close collaboration with the SDC team and their marketing agency, Hifens, we tackled these challenges head-on, delivering a high-performance, comprehensive website that meets today’s needs while anticipating future demands.

“Migrating a website is like moving house: first, you need to sort everything carefully, then transport it all without losing anything, so that guests can easily find the new address and enjoy an improved experience.”

The new SDC Vieux-Montréal website successfully meets its initial objectives:

Seamless and intuitive navigation, ensuring an optimized user experience.
A modern, immersive design that captures the essence of the district.
Increased accessibility, meeting AA standards to meet the needs of all users.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive—from the SDC and its members alike, who now see the website as an essential tool and a valuable showcase for the district.

Explore the website