How Much Does a Website Cost in London, Ontario?

The three ways to get a website

Almost every small business website gets built one of three ways. Each one suits a different kind of business, and none of them is wrong.

• DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and similar). You pay a monthly subscription, typically somewhere around $20–$60 a month, and build the site yourself using templates. The money cost is low. The time cost is not.

• A freelancer. One person designs and builds the site for you. Typical small business projects tend to fall somewhere in the low thousands of dollars, depending on the number of pages and features. You usually get direct contact with the person doing the work.

• An agency. A team with a project manager, designers and developers. Agency projects for small businesses commonly start higher, often in the mid thousands and up, because you're paying for more people and more process.

What actually drives the cost

Two websites can look similar and cost very different amounts. Here's what moves the number up or down:

• Number of pages. A five-page site (home, services, about, gallery, contact) is a very different job from a thirty-page site with a page for every service and every town you cover.

• Custom design vs a template. A template is quicker. A design made around your brand and your customers takes longer but usually works harder.

• Writing the words. If you hand over finished text and photos, the project moves faster. If the words need writing from scratch, that's real work and it's priced in.

• Features. Quote request forms, online booking, a chatbot that answers common questions, a photo gallery or connecting to tools you already use all add time.

• Search visibility setup. Page titles, descriptions, fast load times, local business details and a sitemap help Google understand where you are and what you do. Done properly, it takes time.

Monthly costs: what you keep paying for

The build is a one-off cost. Keeping a website online and useful has a few running costs that are easy to forget:

• Domain name. Typically around $15–$30 a year for a .ca or .com.

• Hosting. Where your website lives. Typically anywhere from a few dollars to around $50 a month for a small business site, depending on the setup.

• Updates and support. New photos, changed prices, a new service page, fixing something that breaks. You either do this yourself, pay per job, or pay a monthly retainer.

• Extras. Business email, booking software or chatbot tools can carry their own monthly fees.

The retainer model, and why ownership matters

Many web designers offer a monthly retainer that covers hosting, small updates and support. That's how I work at ByDimitar too. Instead of a big surprise bill every time you need a change, you pay a set monthly amount and the site stays looked after.

The part that matters most: you should always own your domain name and your website code. Some providers register your domain in their own name or build your site on a platform you can't leave. If you ever stop paying, you lose the site. With my clients, the domain is registered to them and the code is theirs. If they ever want to move on, they take everything with them. Ask any provider about this before you sign anything.

You can see what's included in each service on the services page.

The hidden costs of doing it yourself

A $30-a-month builder looks like the cheapest option, and sometimes it is. But it's worth being honest about what it doesn't show on the bill.

Time. Most business owners who build their own site spend many evenings and weekends on it, then more time fixing it later. If you bill your time at $60 or $100 an hour, those evenings add up fast.

Lost enquiries. A slow site, a contact form that quietly stops working, or a page that looks broken on phones means people leave without contacting you. You never see those lost jobs, which is exactly why they're expensive.

Search visibility. Builders have improved, but a rushed DIY site often misses the basics that help you show up when someone in London, St. Thomas or Strathroy searches for what you do.

None of this means DIY is wrong. For a brand-new side business, it can be the right call. I wrote a fair comparison in Build Your Own Website or Hire Someone?.

How to get an honest number for your business

The quickest way to stop guessing is to describe what you need and get a real quote. Before you talk to anyone, jot down: what you sell, who your customers are, which towns you serve (London only, or Woodstock and Ingersoll too), what you want visitors to do (call, request a quote, book), and roughly how many pages you think you need.

Then compare quotes on what's included, not just the total. Does it cover writing? Search setup? Do you own the domain and code? What happens after launch? Have a look at past work too. My portfolio shows real sites, including a flooring company here in London.

Frequently asked questions