The short answer
Most small businesses in Markham pay $1,500 to $6,000 for a professionally built website of 5 to 10 pages, plus $50 to $200 a month to keep it hosted, secure and up to date. Template starter sites from local providers begin under $1,000. Large downtown Toronto agencies often charge $10,000 to $25,000 for a similar site.
Where your project lands depends on how many pages you need, whether the design is custom, who writes the content, and what the site has to do.
What you get at each price
These ranges come from prices that Markham, GTA and Canadian web studios publish themselves, and from 2026 pricing guides written by Canadian agencies. We collected them in September 2026.
| Type of site | Typical price | What it usually includes | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter or template site | $800 to $1,600 | 1 to 12 pages on a ready-made design, your own text and photos, basic contact form | A new business that needs a simple, credible presence quickly |
| Custom small-business site | $2,500 to $6,000 | 5 to 10 pages, custom design, help with copywriting, local SEO setup, analytics | An established business that relies on its website for enquiries |
| Online store | From about $3,000 | Product pages, cart and checkout, payments, shipping and tax settings | Selling products online, not just showing them |
| Large agency build | $10,000 to $25,000+ | A bigger team, strategy workshops, custom features and integrations | Larger companies with complex needs and several decision makers |
| Ongoing care | $50 to $300 / month | Hosting, updates, security, backups and small content changes | Every site, unless you'll handle updates yourself |
Website subscription builders in York Region also charge $150 to $200 a month with little or nothing upfront. Over two years that adds up to $3,600 to $4,800, often without owning the site at the end.
What changes the price
Two quotes for "a five-page website" can differ by thousands of dollars because they describe different amounts of work. These are the things that move the number most.
- Number of pages. Each service, location or product category usually needs its own page. More pages means more design, writing and testing.
- Custom design or template. A template is faster and cheaper. A custom design is built around your brand and your customers, which takes more time.
- Who writes the content. If you supply finished text and photos, the price drops. Professional copywriting is often the most underestimated part of a website.
- Features. Online booking, a store, member logins, quote calculators and connections to your CRM or accounting software each add build and testing time.
- SEO and AI search setup. Page structure, schema markup, fast loading and local SEO help Google and AI assistants understand your business. Budget sites often skip this.
- Branding. If you don't have a logo, colours and fonts yet, they need to be designed first or the website has nothing to build on.
- Timeline. A rush launch usually costs more, because other work has to move to make room for it.
Costs people forget to budget for
- Domain name. A yearly renewal for your .ca or .com address.
- Hosting. Managed hosting in the GTA typically runs $50 to $150 a month when it isn't included in a care plan.
- Business email. An address on your own domain, if your hosting doesn't include one.
- Photography. Real photos of your team, space or products build more trust than stock images.
- Plugins, apps and font licences. Some features and typefaces carry their own yearly fees.
- Content updates. New services, prices and seasonal changes after launch.
Freelancer, studio or agency?
Who builds the site affects the price as much as what goes into it.
- Freelancers charge roughly $600 to $3,000. You work directly with the person doing the work. Capacity is limited, so ask about support after launch.
- Small studios usually charge $1,500 to $6,000. You get custom work and one point of contact, often with branding and SEO under one roof.
- Larger agencies start around $5,000 to $15,000 and reach $20,000 or more. You pay for bigger teams, more process and account management.
Is a cheap website worth it?
Sometimes. If you're testing a new idea or need something online this month, a starter site is a sensible first step. It becomes expensive when the site can't grow with you: when it doesn't show up on Google, can't be edited without paying again, or belongs to the provider instead of you. Check what you'd keep if you left before you compare prices.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who owns the domain, the website files and the content once it's paid for?
- What exactly is in the quote: how many pages, revision rounds and features?
- Is hosting included, and what does it cost after the first year?
- Is SEO setup included, or is it a separate monthly service?
- Who writes the content, and who sources the photos?
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me to stay on schedule?
- What happens if I want to move the site to someone else later?
How DevSign8 prices a website
Every project starts with a free website audit. We review your current site or online presence, then send a fixed, line-by-line quote, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts. Small-business websites typically start in the low four figures and launch in 3 to 6 weeks. You own your domain, your site and your content.
See what's included on our web design page, or start with the audit.
Sources: prices published by web studios in Markham, Richmond Hill, Stouffville and Brampton, and 2026 cost guides from Toronto and Canadian agencies, collected September 28, 2026. Published prices are each provider's asking price, not an audited survey.