Boreal Lab Studio · Small business website guide
Hiring a Squarespace, Wix or WordPress designer.
When to keep the platform you have, what a designer should do on it, and how to make sure the site stays yours.
Keep your platform or move?
If your site is already on Squarespace, Wix or WordPress and you like editing it there, you usually do not need to move. A designer can rebuild the look, the pages and the forms on the platform you have, and you keep the plan, the logins and the habits.
Moving makes sense when the platform is the problem: the site is slow on phones and the template cannot fix it, you need a feature the platform does not do well, or nobody in the business wants to edit it anyway.
What a designer should do on your platform
- Design pages that look like your business, not like the template everyone else uses.
- Rewrite the first screen so a visitor knows what you do and how to reach you in seconds.
- Set up the forms so every enquiry lands in an inbox someone reads, with a confirmation to the customer.
- Make every page work on a phone, and check it on one.
- Set page titles and descriptions so search engines know what each page is about.
- Show you how to make the edits you will make yourself.
Platform notes
- Squarespace: clean templates and little upkeep. Custom styling is possible with care so it survives template updates.
- Wix: easy drag-and-drop editing. Keep pages light, because heavy sections slow phones down.
- WordPress: the most flexible and easy to move between hosts, but plugins and updates need regular care.
Who owns what
The platform plan and the domain should be in your name and paid by you, with the designer added as a contributor. That way the site stays yours if you stop working with them. Ask for this before any work starts.
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
Can I hire someone to redesign my Squarespace or Wix site without moving it?
Yes. A designer can rebuild the look, pages and forms on your existing plan, and you keep editing it there. Boreal Lab Studio does this for Squarespace, Wix and WordPress sites.
Who should own the Squarespace or Wix account?
You. The plan and domain should be in your business’s name and paid by you, with the designer added as a contributor.
Is a custom website better than Squarespace or Wix?
Not always. If you want to edit the site yourself often, a builder is a good fit. A custom site is usually faster and more flexible, and suits owners who want someone else to look after it.
Is there a Squarespace, Wix or WordPress designer in Toronto?
Boreal Lab Studio in Toronto designs and builds on Squarespace, Wix and WordPress, as well as custom sites, for small businesses across Ontario and Canada, starting with a free homepage concept.
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.
- 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