“How much does a website cost?” is the “how much does a car cost?” of local business questions, anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, and the number only means something once you know what you’re actually buying. Here’s the honest 2026 breakdown for a BC small business.
The price tiers, and what each really gets you
$0–$300, DIY / bargain template. Wix, Squarespace, or a $200 template shop (you’ll see “websites from $200” advertised locally). You get a site that exists. What you usually don’t get: speed, real SEO structure, or conversion design. Fine for a hobby; a liability for a business that needs to rank and book work.
$600–$1,500, professional small-business site. The sweet spot for most local service businesses: 5–8 pages, mobile-first, real on-page SEO, a contact/booking setup that actually captures leads. This is where a custom-coded site earns its keep, ours start at $600 and are built around a defined performance budget, which many template builds do not.
$1,500–$5,000, custom design / small e-commerce. Bespoke design, more pages, blog, basic online store, integrations. For businesses where the website is the storefront.
$5,000–$15,000+, custom builds, large e-commerce, web apps. Complex functionality, large catalogues, membership systems, portals, or custom integrations.
The hidden costs nobody quotes upfront
The sticker price is half the story. Ask about:
- Hosting, $10–$100/mo (ours: care & hosting from $99/mo, optional).
- Maintenance, template/WordPress sites need constant plugin updates; budget for it or it breaks.
- Content/copywriting, “send us your content” is where projects stall for months. (We draft it; you approve.)
- Stock photos, premium plugins, licenses, the “$200 site” often needs $500 of add-ons to actually work.
- SEO, a site that doesn’t rank is a brochure. Building it to rank costs the same if you choose the right builder; retrofitting it later costs more.
Why “cheap” is usually the most expensive option
A cheap template that loads slowly and never earns attention costs more than the invoice suggests. Performance, clarity, and search structure all affect how useful the site becomes. The cheapest site is the one that pays for itself in booked jobs, not the one with the smallest invoice.
What we charge, and why we publish it
Most BC agencies hide web pricing behind a quote form. We don’t:
- From $600, fast, mobile-first, custom-coded small-business site, live in 7–14 days
- $2,500–$5,000, full custom design, more pages, integrations
- Custom quote, web apps, commerce, or advanced integrations
- From $99/mo, optional care & hosting
You own the domain, content, and code outright. See the full pricing page.
How to not overpay (or underbuy)
- Match the tier to the job. A solo trade needs the $600–$1,200 tier, not a $10k build. A regional e-commerce brand shouldn’t cheap out at $300.
- Insist on speed and SEO baked in. Non-negotiable at any price above $500 in 2026.
- Demand ownership. Your domain, your code, your content, walk from anyone who holds them hostage.
- Get it in writing, fixed-price. Open-ended hourly builds are how budgets balloon.
Want a straight answer for your specific business? Book a free consult, tell us what you do and we’ll tell you the tier you actually need, in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Surrey or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, no quote-form runaround.