A new website costs anywhere from $500 for a basic template setup to over $50,000 for custom enterprise builds. Most small businesses in Ottawa, Toronto, or Montreal pay between $2,000 and $15,000 for a functional, professionally designed site with 10–30 pages, contact forms, and basic SEO setup. The range breaks down like this: DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace) run $200–$500 annually if you do everything yourself. Freelancers charge $1,500–$5,000 for small projects, often using WordPress or Webflow. Agencies like Ottawa SEO typically quote $5,000–$15,000 for custom WordPress sites with strategic SEO integration, conversion optimization, and content planning. Enterprise platforms (custom Laravel, headless CMS) start around $25,000 and climb based on integrations, user portals, and API work. What drives cost: - Custom design vs. template adaptation - Number of unique page layouts and interactive elements - E-commerce functionality (product catalogs, payment gateways, inventory sync) - Content creation (copywriting, photography, video) - Third-party integrations (CRM, booking systems, member portals) - SEO setup depth (technical audits, keyword research, schema markup) - Ongoing maintenance and hosting management At Ottawa SEO, we separate build cost from content and SEO strategy because lumping everything together hides what you're actually paying for. A $12,000 project might be $6,000 for design and development, $3,000 for strategic content, and $3,000 for technical SEO and initial link setup. That transparency lets clients scale individual components later without rebuilding from scratch. The biggest cost mistake is going too cheap upfront and needing a full rebuild in 18 months because the foundation can't support growth. A well-structured $8,000 site that you can expand beats a $2,000 site you'll abandon. If your budget is tight, start with core pages done right rather than a sprawling site done poorly.