Website quotes in the GTA run from four hundred dollars to forty thousand for what sounds like the same job, and the spread is not mostly about quality. It is about scope that nobody wrote down. Here is what the number is actually made of.
The four things that set the price
Page count is the weakest driver. Adding a fifth page to a five-page site is close to free — the design system already exists, the components already exist, and it is an afternoon of content. Adding the first page is where the cost is, because that is where the type scale, the colour system, the navigation, the forms and the responsive behaviour all get decided.
Content is the strongest driver, and it is usually the client's job. A site cannot be built around copy that does not exist. The single most common reason a build runs late is waiting for text and photographs. If you want a build to come in cheap and on time, have the words ready.
Functionality is the real fork. A brochure site that describes a service and takes an enquiry is one kind of project. A site that takes payments, manages inventory, syncs to a POS or logs people in is a different kind, and it stays a different kind forever — because it now needs maintenance in a way the first one does not.
Whether it is built to be found. A site that exists and a site that ranks are not the same deliverable. Structured data, a real content structure, page speed, a Google Business Profile that matches the site's name, address and phone character for character — that work is either in the quote or it is a separate project later at a higher price.
What our tiers actually cost
We publish prices because the alternative is three meetings to find out whether we are in the same universe.
- Websites start at $399: mobile-first, a contact form, live on a domain you own.
- The Launch Kit is quoted — a five-page site, hosted, mobile-first, scored on Core Web Vitals, plus a Google Business Profile set up and verified, and 1,000 business cards.
- The Momentum Kit is quoted — up to ten pages, local SEO across three service areas, analytics and Search Console configured, a month of support after launch, plus print and apparel.
- The Storefront Kit is $3,499 — a Shopify build with up to 50 products loaded, payments and shipping configured, product photography and recorded training.
- Full Surge is $6,999 — a custom multi-page build or Shopify, technical and local SEO, three months managed with monthly reporting, and the full print, signage and apparel set.
Full detail on all of it is on packages and pricing. Deposit is 50% to start.
What should never be an extra
Some things get quoted as add-ons that are not add-ons. If a proposal lists these separately, ask why:
- Mobile layout. More than half your visitors are on a phone. A site that is not built mobile-first is not finished.
- HTTPS. Certificates are free and automatic.
- Basic on-page SEO. Title tags, descriptions, headings and a sitemap are part of building a page, not a service sold beside it.
- Analytics. Ten minutes of configuration.
- A contact form that arrives somewhere. A form that silently fails is worse than no form.
- Owning your own domain. Register it yourself, in your own name. An agency that holds your domain holds your business.
The recurring costs nobody mentions
Building is a one-time cost. Running is not.
- Domain: roughly $20–25 a year.
- Hosting: for a static marketing site, genuinely free to a few dollars a month on modern platforms. For Shopify, the platform subscription plus transaction fees.
- Email: a business mailbox on your own domain, per user per month. Do not run a business on a free consumer address.
- Maintenance: if the site is static, close to nothing. If it runs a CMS with plugins, budget for updates — that is where the security exposure lives.
Our monthly plans start at $399 for local SEO, $799 with social, and $1,499 for full growth with reporting. They are optional, and a site we build works without them.
What "cheap" usually means
A $400 site is usually a template with your logo dropped in, on a platform that owns the output. That is sometimes exactly right — if you need to exist online this month and nothing more, it is a reasonable trade. Know what you are trading: you generally cannot take it with you, you do not control the markup, and the SEO ceiling is low.
The genuine risk is not cheapness. It is a cheap site sold as a growth investment. Those are different products.
What to ask before you sign
- Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the source when this is done?
- Is the copy included, or am I writing it?
- What happens after launch — and what does it cost?
- Can I see a site you built that ranks for a competitive local term?
- Is the Google Business Profile part of this?
Question five matters more than most people expect for a local business. For a Mississauga trade, the map pack is often worth more than the organic result underneath it.
Getting a real number
- Web design and SEO in Mississauga — process, stack and what we build
- Web design in Mississauga — local builds, timelines and examples
- Local SEO checklist for Mississauga trades — the work that happens after launch
- Packages and pricing — every tier, every price
Tell us how many pages, whether you are selling online, and whether the copy exists. That is enough for a firm quote inside one business day.