The short answer: five ways to pay for a website
Prices below are in CAD, before GST/HST. The monthly plans and the Shopify prices are published; the custom-build range is calculated from published hourly rates and an assumed 40 to 60 hours for a six-page brochure site, as explained in the next section. Quotes in your inbox will vary.
| Option | What you get | Typical cost (CAD) | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY or AI builder | You build and maintain it yourself | About $36 a month for AI builders; Shopify stores from $49, $132 or $517 a month | A new business with time and no budget |
| Website as a service | A template site built and hosted for you | From about $65 a month prepaid, or about $250 a month | Very small firms that need to be online soon |
| Custom build, freelancer | Design, build and setup for your business | About $3,000 to $7,200 mid-level; $5,000 to $11,400 senior | A business with a clear brief and some time |
| Custom build, agency | Strategy, design, copy, build and launch | About $5,700 to $12,700 | A business that wants one team to run the whole project |
| Design and development subscription | A monthly allowance of design and dev work | One Canadian service lists $4,999 a month for its standard tier | A business that changes its site often |
A worked example: what a six-page site costs by hours and rate
Most quotes are hours multiplied by a rate. Take a small-business brochure site with six pages (home, about, services, one case study, contact, and a page for your main offer) with a form and basic search setup. A reasonable assumption is 40 to 60 hours of design, build, content loading and testing. That is a working figure, not a survey result, so ask any vendor how many hours they have assumed.
Published Canadian hourly rates (CAD):
- Toronto freelancers: junior $45 to $70, mid-level $75 to $120, senior $125 to $190 CAD.
- Senior web developers across Canada: $85 to $140 CAD.
- Canadian agencies: $142 to $212 CAD. Toronto boutique agencies: $160 to $275 CAD.
At 40 to 60 hours, a mid-level freelancer at $75 to $120 comes to $3,000 to $7,200 CAD. A Canadian agency at $142 to $212 comes to $5,700 to $12,700 CAD. That is where the range in the headline comes from. A quote far below $3,000 usually means a template or very few hours; a quote far above $13,000 CAD should come with features you can point to.
What moves the price of a small business website
- Pages and templates. Every distinct page layout needs design and testing. Ten pages that share three layouts cost less than six that are all different.
- Custom design or a template. Starting from a template saves hours but makes you look like everyone who used it.
- Copy and photos. Someone has to write the words and supply the images. If the vendor does it, the quote includes it. If you do it, the project waits for you.
- Features. A form is easy. Bookings, payments, a members area or a connection to QuickBooks or your CRM are closer to software. They price differently, so see how much custom software costs in Canada if your site needs to remember customers.
- Online store. A store adds product pages, payment setup, shipping rules and taxes, before you count Shopify's monthly fee.
- More than one language. A second language adds copy and review work to every page.
- Search setup. Titles, descriptions, speed and structure are cheaper to build in than to add later.
- Moving an old site. Redirects and content migration keep the search traffic you already have.
Website redesign cost vs a new build
A redesign costs about the same as a new build when the structure changes, and noticeably less when the structure and content are fine and only the look needs work. Before you pay for a redesign, ask three questions: who owns the current site and domain, what traffic and enquiries it already brings, and whether the problem is the design or the offer. Many sites that "need a redesign" need clearer words and a better first screen.
If a previous vendor built your site and you no longer have control of it, start by getting access back. How to switch marketing agencies walks through it.
Costs people forget after launch
The build is the visible part. Ask for these in writing before you sign:
- Hosting and the domain name, and who pays and holds the account for each.
- Updates, backups and security for the platform you are on.
- Who edits text and swaps images, and whether that costs hours or is self-serve.
- Monthly fees for the platform: for Shopify, $49, $132 or $517 CAD a month depending on the plan.
- Analytics and tracking, so you can tell whether the site produces enquiries.
A tidy rule: budget a small yearly line for the site, even if you built it once. A website is not a one-off purchase like a sign.
Template, custom or subscription: which one fits
Use a template or a website-as-a-service plan if you are new, the budget is tight and the site needs to say who you are and how to reach you. Pay for a custom build when the website is where customers decide, because you sell services with a high value, you compete on trust, or the offer needs explaining. Use a subscription when you expect to change the site every month and prefer to pay by the month.
Do not pay for features you will not use in the first year. A simple site that exists beats an ambitious one in a queue.
Mistakes that make a website cost twice
- Accepting a quote with no page list or hour count.
- Hosting and the domain in the vendor's name.
- Starting design before you decide what visitors should do: call, book, buy, fill in a form.
- Paying a large share up front for a project without milestones.
- Treating the cheapest quote as the best. A cheap quote that skips copy, photos or setup lands those costs on you.
- Launching without checking the site on a phone.
What Vesk charges for a website
Vesk Marketing sells work by the token, and the size of every task is quoted before it starts. A campaign landing page is 8 tokens, which is about $800 to $1,010 CAD depending on the plan, or one full Starter month. A multi-page site is quoted in tokens by pages and features before we begin. The last column counts the 8 bonus tokens of the first month; try your own mix in the token estimator. See website design for small businesses for what we build and how a project runs.
Vesk Marketing is in early access, and the website proof so far is Mittel, where Vesk delivered a brand identity, website and marketing strategy. Your domain and accounts are in your name from day one, the first month is guaranteed with a full refund, and the monthly meeting with the senior lead is included.
| What you need | Typical cost (CAD) | Vesk equivalent in tokens |
|---|---|---|
| A single landing page for a service or campaign | One page of the custom range above | 8 tokens (a campaign landing page): Starter, $1,010 CAD plus tax over 1 month |
| A landing page plus the ad campaign that sends people to it | Page plus management fee, from about $800 a month in Toronto | 16 tokens (landing page and campaign setup): Starter, $1,010 CAD plus tax over 1 month |
| A landing page with a basic brand identity | Two separate quotes, usually | 23 tokens (landing page and basic brand identity): 2 × Starter, $2,020 CAD plus tax over 2 months |
| A multi-page site | $3,000 to $12,700 for six pages | Quoted in tokens by pages and features before we begin |