The best small business website balances three things: cost to build, ease of updates, and ability to scale when you grow. For most Canadian small businesses, that means a custom WordPress site on quality managed hosting, not a drag-and-drop builder. WordPress gives you full control over SEO, integrations, and functionality without platform lock-in. You own the code and can migrate anywhere. Managed hosts like WP Engine (starts around $30 CAD/month) or Kinsta handle security, backups, and speed so you're not troubleshooting server issues. Pair that with a lightweight theme like GeneratePress or Kadence and you'll load in under two seconds on mobile, which matters for both conversions and Google rankings. The site itself needs five core pages: a homepage that immediately explains what you do and for whom, a services or products page with clear pricing or next steps, an about page that builds trust, a contact page with a form and local phone number, and ideally a blog or resources section to capture long-tail search traffic over time. Every page should have one obvious action—call, book, buy, or submit a lead form. Avoid Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy Website Builder unless you're a solopreneur who will never need custom functionality. These platforms look easy but become expensive and limiting fast. You can't move your site off them without rebuilding from scratch, their SEO controls are shallow, and loading speeds often lag because you're on shared infrastructure with bloated templates. At Ottawa SEO, we build small business sites on WordPress with hosting we control, because when a client wants to add booking software, integrate with their CRM, or rank for competitive local terms, the foundation is already there. Budget $3,000–$8,000 CAD for a proper custom build, or $800–$1,500 if you're using a premium theme with light customization. Monthly costs run $50–$150 for hosting, updates, and basic maintenance. That's the realistic range for something that actually grows with your business instead of against it.