What to Include in a Website Budget
Separate the build price from domains, email, software and ongoing changes. Compare the written scope before comparing the number.
Start with the customer task
Write down what someone needs to do on the website. That might be comparing a service, requesting an estimate, booking through an existing tool or buying a product. Those are different requirements. A five-page information site and a working store need different scopes.
List the pages, the content you have, the integrations and the person who will make updates. I use that brief to identify the work. A longer feature list is useful only when each item supports a real customer or business task.
The current studio build prices
These are my published offers. They are not a survey of Canadian market prices.
| Offer | Fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Website Plan | $350 | A defined page map, content direction and build scope before production. It is a separate planning service. |
| Launch Website | $2,400 | Up to five pages. Responsive design, website copy, one enquiry form, basic search setup, two revision rounds, launch and handoff. |
| Growth Website | $4,200 | Up to eight pages. Launch inclusions plus blog structure, technical search setup and one existing booking embed. |
Launch and Growth have a 14-calendar-day window from the complete brief, assets and deposit. A store, CMS integration, custom application or extra pages need a separate agreement. I do not include an unpriced feature by treating it as a small addition.
Separate the provider costs
Ask for a list of accounts and subscriptions before approving a build. The project fee does not automatically include a domain, business email, paid hosting, a booking subscription, premium software, a stock-image licence or payment-processing fees.
Check the provider's current renewal price, billing currency and cancellation terms. An introductory price is not the ongoing cost. Keep the account in your name and record who manages renewals. If a third-party integration is needed, confirm its paid plan supports the agreed feature.
My prices are before applicable tax. The quote and invoice record the tax treatment. Do not assume a tax rate or registration status from a website price table.
Budget for updates after launch
Care is optional. You can arrange checks and changes yourself. If I maintain the site, the monthly allowance is defined before billing.
- Care Essential: $149 per month. Routine checks, one report and up to 15 minutes of content edits. Total delivery budget: 45 minutes a month.
- Care Active: $299 per month. Essential checks, up to 60 minutes of content edits and a monthly search and enquiry review. Total delivery budget: 1.5 hours a month.
- Care Improve: $499 per month. Active care plus one scoped page or enquiry-flow improvement. Total delivery budget: three hours, including edits and a 20-minute call.
Monthly care is paid in advance. Unused time does not roll over. Cancel before the next billing date. Larger changes and third-party subscriptions are separate. A response commitment does not mean every repair will be completed within that response window.
Compare the first-year total and the payment dates
For illustration, Growth plus Care Active is $4,200 + ($299 × 12) = $7,788 in first-year studio fees. That excludes applicable tax and provider costs. Twelve months of care is a comparison assumption, not an annual contract or a revenue forecast.
The website build uses 50% at the start and 50% on approval. Growth means a $2,100 deposit and a $2,100 approval payment. Care begins after delivery and is billed separately. Launch and Growth include two revision rounds and the agreed deposit-refund process if you are dissatisfied after those rounds.
Read the exclusions before signing
Confirm the page allowance, copy responsibility, revision rounds, review dates, live features and ownership. Ask how content delays and extra requests change the schedule. Custom design and copy transfer on final payment. Third-party licences stay with their owners.
Do not buy a promise of a specific search ranking or sales result. Ask which checks and deliverables the agreement commits to. You can inspect my complete concept builds and read the process FAQ before deciding.
Choose a defined next step
Use the package selector to compare build and care costs. Start with the $350 Website Plan if your pages and requirements are still unclear. Send the selected scope through Book a free call, and I will confirm the fit, availability and written terms.