A full website costs anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 or more, depending on three main factors: scope, functionality, and who does the work. A basic 5-page brochure site built on WordPress by a freelancer in Ottawa or Toronto typically runs $2,500–$5,000. A mid-tier corporate site with 10–20 pages, custom design, mobile optimization, and a content management system falls in the $8,000–$15,000 range when done by a small agency. Enterprise sites with e-commerce, multiple integrations, custom development, or advanced SEO buildouts easily exceed $25,000. The biggest cost drivers are custom design versus templates, number of pages, and back-end complexity. A Shopify store with 50 products and standard checkout might cost $6,000–$12,000, but add custom filters, subscription logic, or API integrations and you're looking at $20,000+. Sites that need multilingual content, member portals, or booking systems also push costs up significantly. Who builds it matters as much as what gets built. Offshore teams charge $1,500–$3,000 for cookie-cutter sites but often deliver slow code, poor SEO structure, and zero strategic input. Canadian freelancers range from $3,000–$8,000 and offer more hands-on collaboration. Agencies like Ottawa SEO Inc. price full builds at $8,000–$25,000 because we include technical SEO architecture, conversion optimization, and ongoing performance considerations from day one, not as afterthoughts. Most clients underestimate content costs. Writing 20 pages of original copy can add $2,000–$5,000 to a project. Professional photography or video adds another $1,000–$3,000. Hosting and maintenance run $500–$2,000 annually depending on traffic and support level. The smartest approach is to define your actual business goals first. A lead-generation site for a local service business has different requirements than an e-commerce platform or a content hub. We typically recommend clients budget 15–20% above the base quote for revisions and scope creep, because requirements always evolve once you see the first draft. Cheap sites cost more long-term when you rebuild them in two years. A well-architected site pays for itself through better conversions and lower maintenance overhead.