Small businesses typically pay between $3,000 and $8,000 CAD for a custom website built by a professional agency or freelancer. This range covers a 5–10 page site with mobile-responsive design, basic on-page SEO, contact forms, and a content management system like WordPress. If you need e-commerce, booking systems, or multilingual content, expect $8,000–$15,000. DIY website builders like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify cost $200–$600 per year in subscription fees. You save upfront money but invest significant time learning the platform, and these tools often limit your SEO control, loading speed, and design flexibility. For service businesses competing locally in Ottawa or Toronto, that SEO handicap can cost you more in lost leads than you saved on development. Cheap options under $1,500 exist through offshore contractors or template resellers, but quality is wildly inconsistent. You'll often inherit code bloat, poor mobile experiences, or zero SEO foundation, requiring expensive fixes within 12–18 months. At Ottawa SEO, we've rebuilt dozens of these sites after clients realized the initial savings disappeared into lost ranking opportunities. The price hinges on three variables: page count, custom functionality, and who builds it. A solo freelancer charges $2,000–$5,000 for simpler builds. Mid-tier agencies run $5,000–$12,000 with project management and strategy included. Enterprise shops start around $15,000 but you're paying for account teams and overhead that small businesses rarely need. Budget $500–$1,200 annually for hosting, security updates, domain renewal, and minor content edits after launch. If your site generates leads or revenue, a $6,000 website that ranks and converts beats a $500 template that doesn't every time. Most small businesses underinvest here, then overspend on ads to compensate for a weak digital foundation. Start with a proper build, own your SEO from day one, and scale features as revenue justifies them.