Boreal Lab Studio · Small business website guide
How much a small business website costs in Ontario.
Builder, freelancer, studio or agency, the costs people forget, and our own prices in plain numbers.
The short answer
A small business website in Ontario costs anything from a builder’s monthly plan fee, if you build it yourself, to several thousand dollars for an agency project. Most small businesses land in between: a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars to build, plus a monthly fee for hosting and care.
What you are really paying for is time: someone’s time to design it, write it and make the forms work, and someone’s time to keep it running afterwards.
The four ways to get one
- Build it yourself on Wix, Squarespace or similar. You pay the plan fee and spend your own evenings on it. Check each builder’s pricing page for current plans.
- A freelancer prices by the project or the hour. Ask what is included after launch.
- A small studio designs, builds and usually hosts and maintains the site, at a price between freelancers and agencies.
- An agency quotes by proposal and bundles strategy, branding and marketing, which suits bigger budgets.
What moves the price
- The number of pages, and whether each is designed or uses a template.
- Forms and features: enquiry forms, booking requests, a store, a members area.
- Who writes the words and supplies the photos.
- A French version, if you serve French-speaking customers.
- Care after launch: hosting, security updates, backups and edits.
Costs people forget
- Your domain name, renewed every year. Keep it registered in your own name.
- A business email address at your domain.
- Paid add-ons on builders: booking tools, extra storage, removing branding.
- Changes after launch. Ask what an edit costs before you sign.
What Boreal Lab Studio charges
Our prices are public, in Canadian dollars. Every plan starts with a free homepage concept, and you pay only after you approve it.
| Plan | Starts at | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $399 | One page in our standard layout for a business in its first year. Hosting free for the first year, then $19 a month. |
| Starter | $750 | A one-page site designed from scratch. Care plan $59 a month. |
| Full site | $1,500 | Up to 6 custom pages with enquiry or booking forms and email signatures. Care plan $99 a month. |
| Monthly | $149 a month | The full site with nothing up front but the first month, over 12 payments. |
Hosting only is $19 a month, with edits at $50 each. Bigger projects, stores and sites over 6 pages are quoted. See every plan or build a tailored 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
How much does a small business website cost in Ontario?
Usually a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars to build, plus a monthly fee for hosting and care. Boreal Lab Studio in Toronto starts at $399 for one page, $750 for a custom one-page site and $1,500 for up to 6 pages, in CAD.
What is the monthly cost of a business website?
At least hosting, and often a care plan for updates and edits. At Boreal Lab Studio, hosting only is $19 a month and care plans are $59 or $99 a month.
Can I see a design before paying for a website?
At Boreal Lab Studio, yes. Every project starts with a free homepage concept, and you pay only after you approve it.
Is it cheaper to build a website myself?
In money, usually. A builder plan costs less than a designer. In time, a good small business site often takes days of work, and many owners stop before the forms and phone layout are right.
More small business website guides
- 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.
- 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