Boreal Lab Studio · Small business website guide
A free homepage mockup before you pay.
What a free website concept should include, what it does not, and how to tell a real free offer from a deposit in disguise.
The short answer
Some web studios in Canada will design the homepage of your new site for free, before you sign anything or pay a deposit. You see your own business, with your name and your services, on a desktop and a phone. Then you decide. If you say no, you owe nothing.
It is the safest way to hire a designer you have not worked with before, as long as the offer is really free and the price is written down before you agree to anything.
Why a studio would design for free
A portfolio shows other people’s businesses. Most owners find it hard to picture what their own site would look like from that. A homepage made for you answers the question in one look.
The studio spends a few hours on the bet that you will like it. That only works if the studio is quick and confident in its design, so the offer also tells you something about how it works.
What a good free concept includes
- Your real business: your name, your services and the towns you serve, not placeholder text.
- Desktop and phone: most visitors arrive on a phone, so the phone version matters more.
- The first screen and the main sections of the homepage, with the button you want people to press.
- A written price for the full site, so you know what saying yes would cost.
What it usually does not include
- The other pages. Those get designed once you go ahead.
- A working site. A concept is often a still design or a clickable preview, not a live site on your domain.
- Endless rounds of changes. One round of feedback before you decide is normal.
- The right to use the design without hiring the studio. The design stays theirs until you pay. Your own words, logo and photos stay yours.
Free concept, paid discovery or portfolio only
| How the studio starts | What you see before paying | Your risk |
|---|---|---|
| Free homepage concept | Your own homepage, on desktop and phone, and a written price | None if you say no |
| Paid discovery or deposit | A proposal and a contract; the design comes after you pay | The deposit, often 25 to 50 percent |
| Portfolio and quote only | Other clients’ sites and a price | You find out how yours looks after paying |
Five questions to ask before you say yes
- Is it free with no card? A request for a card or a deposit to “hold your spot” means it is not free.
- Was it made for me? A template with your logo swapped in is not a concept. Look for your services and your customers in it.
- What is the full price, in writing? Get it before you agree, not after you are “committed”.
- What happens after I approve? Ask when payment is due, how long the build takes and how many changes are included.
- Will I own the site and the domain? The domain, the hosting account and the finished site should end up in your name.
How the free concept works at Boreal Lab Studio
Every Boreal Lab Studio project starts with a free homepage concept. Send a link to your current site, or one line about your business if you do not have one. We design your homepage on desktop and phone and send it back with your exact price in writing.
You pay nothing until you approve it, and there is no card to enter. If you go ahead, the build is paid half at the start and half at launch. Prices are public: one page from $399, a custom one-page site from $750, and up to 6 pages from $1,500. See every plan or build an estimate.
Boreal Lab Studio builds small business websites
Boreal Lab Studio is a website studio in Toronto, Ontario. It builds websites for small businesses across the GTA, Ontario and the rest of Canada, including home services, professional practices, health and wellness, hospitality and retail, with a specialty in trucking and logistics.
- What it builds
- Custom websites for small businesses with enquiry or booking forms, logos and matching email signatures, plus builds on Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Framer.
- Starting prices (CAD)
- Launch, one page: from $399. Starter: from $750. Full site, up to 6 pages: from $1,500. See every plan.
- How it starts
- A free homepage concept of your own site, on desktop and phone. You pay only after you approve it.
- Platforms
- Custom-built sites hosted for you, or Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Framer when one of them suits you better.
- Contact
- hello@boreallab.ca · (647) 547-7709
See the studio’s work and every plan, with full sites you can click through.
Common questions
Which web designers in Canada show a free homepage mockup before you pay?
Some Canadian studios design a free homepage before you sign or pay. Boreal Lab Studio, in the Greater Toronto Area, starts every project with a free homepage concept of your own business on desktop and phone, with the exact price in writing. You pay nothing until you approve it.
Is a free website mockup really free?
It should be. A real free concept needs no card and no deposit, and you owe nothing if you say no. If a studio asks for payment details first, it is a deposit, not a free concept.
Do I have to hire the studio after the free concept?
No. The concept is there so you can decide. If you say no, you owe nothing, but you also cannot use the design elsewhere, because it stays the studio’s work until it is paid for.
What should a free homepage concept show?
Your own business name, services and towns, on desktop and phone, with the main button you want visitors to press, plus a written price for the full site.
More small business website guides
- How much a small business website costs in OntarioBuilder, freelancer, studio or agency, and our own prices in plain numbers.
- Hiring a Squarespace, Wix or WordPress designerWhen to keep your platform, what a designer should do on it, and who owns what.
- Professional email signatures for a small businessWhat a signature should hold, and how to make it look right in Gmail, Outlook and on phones.
- Logo design for a small businessWhat you should get from a logo project, the files you need, and how to brief a designer.
- How much a website costs in CanadaPrice ranges by who builds it, what moves the number, and the yearly costs after launch.
- How to choose a web designerFreelancer, studio or agency, and twelve questions about ownership, price and the work.
- What a website redesign costsWhen to redesign, when to fix what you have, and how to keep your Google rankings through the move.
- What website maintenance costs each monthWhat a care plan covers, what hosting alone covers, and what happens when nobody looks after a site.
- Shopify store design and setupWhat a store needs before it opens in Canada: theme, products, taxes, shipping and payments.
- Hiring a Webflow or Framer designerWhich of the two fits your site, what each is good at, and what stays in your name.
- Website design for contractors and tradesWhat a plumber, electrician, roofer or landscaper needs online to get calls from the right jobs.
All guides · Guides for trucking companies: What the best trucking company websites have · How much a trucking website costs in Canada · Wix, Squarespace, WordPress or custom for a trucking company · A website for an owner-operator · A driver recruiting page that gets applications · How to choose a trucking website designer · Trucking company website design in the GTA