A basic website for a small business or professional service should cost between $2,000 and $8,000 CAD when built by a competent agency or freelancer. That range gets you 5–10 pages, a contact form, mobile-responsive design, basic on-page SEO, and a content management system like WordPress. Anything under $1,500 usually means template work with minimal customization or an inexperienced developer. Anything over $10,000 for a truly basic site means you're paying for premium branding, custom functionality, or agency overhead. The main cost drivers are customization level, content creation, and who builds it. A freelancer in a smaller market might charge $2,000–4,000 for a solid template-based build with light customization. An established agency in Ottawa or Toronto typically charges $5,000–8,000 because you're paying for project management, design iteration, and post-launch support. If the agency also writes your content, expect another $1,000–2,500 depending on page count and research depth. DIY platforms are cheaper upfront but cost you time. Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.com subscriptions run $200–500 per year, and you handle everything yourself. That works if you have design sense and time to learn the platform. Most business owners underestimate the hours required and end up with a site that looks homemade. At Ottawa SEO Inc., we don't typically build basic brochure sites anymore because our focus is SEO-driven properties and domain portfolio management. When we do take on a straightforward business site, it starts around $6,000 because we integrate keyword research, schema markup, and conversion tracking from day one. A basic site isn't just a digital business card—it should capture leads and rank for your core services. If a quote seems too good to be true, check what's actually included. Hosting, SSL, forms, and analytics integration should be standard, not upsells. The lowest responsible price for a business website that actually works is around $2,000. Below that, you're either doing it yourself or getting what you pay for.