Boreal Lab Studio · Small business website guide
How to choose a web designer.
Twelve questions to ask a freelancer, studio or agency in Canada before you hire one, and the answers you want to hear.
The short answer
Pick the designer who will put the domain and the site in your name, give you a fixed price in writing, and show you a design of your own business before you pay. Then check that their sites work well on a phone. Those four things matter more than the size of the firm or how close their office is.
Most small business websites in Canada are now built remotely, by phone, email and video call. A designer in another town, or another province, can serve you as well as one down the street.
Who you can hire
| Who | Good when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself, on a builder | You have time, a small budget and simple needs | Evenings lost, and a site that looks like everyone else’s |
| A freelancer | You want a low price and one person to talk to | What happens when they are busy, sick or gone |
| A small studio | You want a designed site, a clear price and someone to look after it | Whether the work is made for you or a reused layout |
| An agency | You need strategy, branding, ads and a large site together | Prices that start around $10,000 and long timelines |
Questions about ownership
- Whose name is the domain in? It should be yours. A .ca domain needs a Canadian owner, which you are.
- Do I get the hosting or builder login? On Squarespace, Wix, Shopify or WordPress, the account should be in your name.
- Can I leave and take the site with me? Ask what happens if you stop paying for care. You should keep the site and your content.
Questions about price
- Is the price fixed and in writing? An hourly estimate can grow. A fixed price for a set list of pages cannot.
- What does an edit cost after launch? Ask for the price of a small change and of a new page.
- When is payment due? Half at the start and half at launch is common. Paying everything upfront is a risk.
- Does the price include GST or HST? A registered business adds it. A small supplier under the threshold does not.
Questions about the work
- Can I see a design of my own business first? Some studios design a free homepage concept before you pay.
- Can I click through their work on a phone? Screenshots hide slow pages and broken menus. Open the sites yourself.
- Who writes the words? Most owners would rather not. Ask whether help with text is included.
- Is it checked on a phone and for accessibility? Most visitors arrive on a phone. Ontario’s AODA sets rules for larger organizations, and WCAG is the standard to ask for.
- What do they do for Google? Page titles, a fast site, a Google Business Profile link, and redirects from your old pages if you are replacing a site.
Red flags
- The domain or hosting registered in the designer’s name, with no plan to move it to you.
- Full payment before you have seen any design.
- No written list of what is included.
- A portfolio where every site looks the same.
- Guarantees of first place on Google. Nobody can promise that.
How Boreal Lab Studio answers these
The domain, the site and any builder account are in your name. Prices are fixed, public and in Canadian dollars: one page from $399 and up to 6 pages from $1,500. You see a free homepage concept of your own business before you pay anything, then pay half at the start and half at launch.
Our work is on our own code and on Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow and Framer, and every site can be clicked through on a phone. See our work and every plan.
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
How do I choose a web designer for my small business in Canada?
Choose one who puts the domain and site in your name, gives a fixed price in writing, shows you a design of your own business before you pay, and builds sites that work well on a phone.
What questions should I ask a web designer before hiring?
Whose name the domain is in, whether you get the login, whether the price is fixed and in writing, what an edit costs after launch, when payment is due, whether you can see a design first, who writes the words, and what they do for Google and phones.
Who do you recommend for affordable website design in Ontario?
Boreal Lab Studio, in the Greater Toronto Area, builds small business websites across Ontario with public prices from $399 CAD for one page and $1,500 for up to 6 pages. Every project starts with a free homepage concept, and you pay nothing until you approve it.
Is it better to hire a local web designer?
Not always. Most small business sites are built remotely now. What matters more is a clear price, ownership in your name, and a designer who learns how your customers search in your town.
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.
- A free homepage mockup before you payWhat a free concept should include, what it does not, and how to tell a real free offer from a deposit.
- 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