Start with the job the website needs to do
There is no single price that fits every small-business website in BC. A site that introduces a local service has a different scope from a store with products, inventory and checkout. Comparing headline prices without comparing the work can hide the biggest differences.
Before requesting a quote, write down your main goal: explain services, collect enquiries, accept bookings or sell products. Then list the pages and functions needed to support that goal. This guide is a quote-comparison checklist, not a survey of market prices.
Separate the build from ongoing costs
Ask for a written breakdown instead of one unexplained total. A quote may contain:
- Design and setup: planning, layouts, building the agreed pages and launch checks.
- Content: writing, editing, photography, translations or uploading supplied material.
- Domain: registration, renewal and who controls the registrar account.
- Hosting: where the site runs, renewal charges and any usage limits.
- Features: booking tools, forms, checkout or other integrations.
- Support: updates, maintenance and changes after launch.
Some quotes bundle these items; others separate them. Neither format tells you whether it is good value until you know what is included. Confirm the currency, applicable taxes, payment schedule and renewal dates.
What makes the scope larger?
More pages can mean more design, copy and review work, but page count alone is not enough. A five-page site with custom booking logic may involve more work than a longer information site.
Multilingual content, product catalogues, account sign-in, custom forms and migrating an existing site need their own discussion. Ask how third-party subscriptions and transaction fees are handled. A link to an existing booking service is different from building a custom booking system.
Changing an established site also requires care with existing URLs and useful content. Discuss redirects and continuity before replacing pages that customers already use.
Compare two quotes using the same brief
Give each provider the same requirements. For example, a local salon might request a home page, services, an approved photo gallery, contact details and a link to its existing booking service. State who supplies the text and photos.
Then check these questions against both quotes:
- Which pages and features are included?
- Who supplies and approves the content?
- How many review rounds are included, and what counts as extra work?
- What is checked before launch?
- What recurring costs will remain after the initial payment?
- Who controls the domain, website accounts and content?
- What happens if you want to move the site later?
A lower initial price may be suitable for a smaller scope. A higher price needs an explanation of the additional work and support. Choose the scope your business needs rather than paying for features you will not use.
Ask what “SEO included” actually means
Ask the provider to name the tasks. Descriptive page titles, meaningful headings, working internal links and a sitemap are different from ongoing research, content updates and performance reporting.
A website launch is not a guarantee of Google indexing, rankings or customers. Google’s SEO Starter Guide explains the basics of helping search engines understand content. For practical writing guidance, read our service-page SEO guide.
Use real examples to evaluate the work
Open a provider’s completed websites. Can you understand each business, find its services and take the intended next step? Look beyond whether the designs use your favourite colour.
Our Christopher Rae project and BLUSH Box Rentals project show different approaches for different businesses. These are examples of delivered design work, not promises about your future traffic or sales.
Starting from scratch? Follow our online launch checklist for local businesses in Vancouver to connect your website, branding and social profiles.
Get a scope you can approve
At AI Power Studio, every monthly package includes a website. Start, Grow and Partner include up to 3, 5 and 10 pages respectively, matching small-update allowances, social content and tiered SEO. Domain registration is $45 CAD/year and hosting is $65 CAD/year, charged separately when needed. Applicable taxes are additional. Custom work beyond the package scope is quoted separately. We discuss pages, features, costs and schedule before paid work begins.
Explore our website design for small businesses, then tell us what you need through the free assessment. If you already have a website, include its URL and the main problem you want to solve. For a self-check first, use our website enquiry checklist.