If you're building WordPress sites professionally, start by defining what you're actually delivering. A five-page brochure site with a premium theme costs you different time and skill than a custom-coded WooCommerce store with 200 products and payment gateway integration. Most developers underprice because they bundle discovery, design, development, content entry, SEO setup, and training into one vague number. For basic business sites (5–10 pages, theme customization, contact forms, basic SEO), $2,000–$5,000 CAD is standard in Canadian markets like Ottawa or Toronto. That assumes you're using a quality theme like GeneratePress or Kadence and spending 15–25 hours total. If you're working hourly, $75–$150/hour is typical depending on your experience and whether you're freelance or agency. Custom designs with original layouts, advanced Custom Post Types, API integrations, or membership functionality should run $5,000–$15,000. You're looking at 40–80 hours of work here. Don't discount this just because WordPress is "easy" — the strategy, UX decisions, and technical execution matter more than the CMS. For complex builds (multi-vendor marketplaces, learning management systems, custom booking engines), $15,000–$50,000+ is appropriate. At this level you're competing with Laravel or React builds, so charge accordingly. Key pricing factors beyond scope: - Ongoing maintenance: Bundle 3–6 months of updates and support, or charge $100–$300/month separately - Content creation: Writing and imagery can double your project time if you're responsible for it - Speed and conversion optimization: These are specialized skills worth $1,000–$3,000 as add-ons - Training and documentation: Budget 3–5 hours if the client needs to manage content themselves At Ottawa SEO, we typically start WordPress projects at $4,500 for established businesses because we include technical SEO foundations, Core Web Vitals optimization, and schema markup by default. We've seen too many $1,500 WordPress sites that need complete rebuilds six months later because they ignored performance and search visibility from day one. Charge for the value you deliver, not just the hours you log.