WebCore

Trades websites in Ontario

How Much Does a Website Cost for a Trades Business in Ontario?

For plumbers, electricians, roofers, HVAC companies and contractors: what a website actually involves to run, what it costs with WebCore, and what it costs you in leads when it's slow.

By Rigo Guadrón, founder October 28, 2026

What running a trades website actually involves

A trades website isn't just the pages you see. It's hosting that keeps the site online, an SSL certificate so browsers trust it, a domain you own, and ongoing maintenance so it keeps working and keeps improving as you add services or locations. Most of what a website "costs" over time is in that upkeep, not the first bill, and the same goes for any small business website in Ontario.

With WebCore, every plan includes hosting and SSL, plus an AI agent that edits, maintains and improves the site on an ongoing basis. You never pay separately for hosting, SSL or maintenance. The one thing you bring is your own domain, and you keep paying your registrar for that directly.

Four plans cover the range a trade business grows through: Essential at $99 a month for one site, Starter at $299 a month for two sites, Pro at $799 a month for five sites, and Empire at $1,499 a month for ten. SEO Lighthouse is included from Starter up; on Essential, SEO or Ghost-Writer is $50 a month each if you want them on top. Owners who want to build the site themselves first can do it on a 7-day free trial before paying anything.

WebCore plan prices

Four plans, billed monthly. Pick by how many sites you run.

Every plan includes hosting, SSL and the AI agent that maintains and improves the site. SEO Lighthouse is included from Starter up; on Essential, SEO or Ghost-Writer is $50 a month each. A 7-day free trial is available for owners who want to build it themselves first. You bring your own domain and keep paying your registrar for it.

  • Wix: $7.50 to $550+ a month in Canada, reported by Expert Market, checked October 2026
  • Squarespace: Basic plan $252 CAD a year, reported by MDC Designs, checked October 2026
  • Duda: plans from $25 to $199 a month, reported by TrustRadius, checked October 2026
  • WordPress hosting in Canada: from C$3.99 a month, per WHC, checked October 2026

The same platform cost, plus the agency's fee. Ontario web developers charge on average $75 an hour, and a small business website typically costs $5,000 to $10,000, per CS Web Solutions, checked October 2026 .

Four ways to get a trades website

Build it yourself on a platform, hire an agency on that platform, run WebCore yourself, or have an agency run WebCore for you.

DIY on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or Duda

Agency on that platform

WebCore DIY

WebCore + agency, done for you

Done for you means an agency builds and runs your site on WebCore: you pay your WebCore plan, and the agency bills its own service fee on top for the work it does for you.

Sources

  • "Wix Pricing: Plans, Fees and Hidden Costs", Expert Market - expertmarket.com/ca/website-builders/wix-pricing
  • "Squarespace Canada: Is Squarespace Right for my Canadian Business", MDC Designs - mdc-designs.com/blog/is-squarespace-right-my-canadian-business
  • "Duda Pricing 2026", TrustRadius - trustradius.com/products/duda-platform/pricing
  • "WordPress Hosting Canada | Managed, Fast & Secure", WHC - whc.ca/managed-wordpress-hosting
  • "Web Design Ontario | Web Design Company Ontario", CS Web Solutions - cswebsolutions.ca/web-design-ontario

Prices checked October 2026.

A WebCore plan vs. a one-time website project

A one-time project gets you a site for a single upfront bill. But the bill doesn't end there: you still need somewhere to host it, an SSL certificate, and someone to keep it working and current as your business changes. None of that is included once the project is handed over.

A WebCore plan starts at $99 a month and includes hosting, SSL and ongoing maintenance and improvement from an AI agent, for as long as you're a customer. There's no separate line item for keeping the site running. If you're moving an existing one-time-built site onto WebCore, migration is priced at $1,500 for the first 20 pages, $2,000 for every 20 after that.

What a slow site costs a trades business in leads

The Web Index (October 2026 edition) looked at 295 Ontario trade and clinic sites across 15 towns. The median site takes 6.8 seconds to show its headline on a phone, and 92% take longer than three seconds. Google considers 2.5 seconds good. Only 9% of sites scored 90 or more, and 48% give Google no business details at all for search to read.

Every second a trades site takes to load on a phone is a second a homeowner with a leaking pipe or a dead furnace is looking at a competitor's site instead. A slow, incomplete site isn't a cosmetic problem, it's a lead problem. Hosting, performance and maintenance being included in the plan price is what keeps a WebCore site out of that 92%.

6.8s

Median time for a trades site to show its headline on a phone, across 295 Ontario sites.

92%

Take longer than three seconds. Google considers 2.5 seconds good.

48%

Give Google no business details at all for search to read.

Roofing is the slowest trade in the index at a median 10.1 seconds; plumbing is the fastest at a median 5.2 seconds. Either way, a homeowner calling around for a plumber, electrician, roofer or HVAC company isn't going to wait on a page that hasn't loaded, they'll call the next name on the list.

Common questions

How much does a website cost for a trades business in Ontario?

With WebCore, plans start at $99 a month for Essential (1 site), $299 a month for Starter (2 sites), $799 a month for Pro (5 sites), and $1,499 a month for Empire (10 sites). Every plan includes hosting, SSL and the AI agent that edits, maintains and improves your site, so there's nothing extra to pay for those. You bring your own domain and keep paying your registrar for it. There's also a 7-day free trial for owners who build it themselves.

How much should a contractor website cost?

The same plans apply to contractors as to any trade: $99 to $1,499 a month depending on how many sites you need and what's included. SEO Lighthouse is included from the Starter plan up. On Essential, SEO or Ghost-Writer is $50 a month each if you want them. If you're moving an existing site over, migration is $1,500 for the first 20 pages and $2,000 for every 20 pages after that.

How much does an HVAC website cost?

Same pricing as any trade on WebCore: $99 to $1,499 a month. An HVAC business that wants SEO on one site would pick Starter at $299 a month, since SEO Lighthouse is included from that plan. There's no separate hosting, SSL or maintenance bill.

How much does a website cost in Canada?

On WebCore, it's the same monthly price everywhere: $99 to $1,499 a month depending on the plan. You keep your own domain and pay your registrar directly for it; that's the only cost WebCore doesn't include.

Is a monthly plan or a one-time website project cheaper?

A one-time project is a single bill, but it doesn't include ongoing hosting, SSL, maintenance or improvements, those keep costing you after the site is built. A WebCore plan includes hosting, SSL and the AI agent that keeps the site maintained and improved every month, for one monthly price starting at $99.

What does it cost to move my existing site to WebCore?

Migration is priced by page count: $1,500 for the first 20 pages, and $2,000 for every 20 pages after that. Most trades sites (service pages, a few locations, a blog) fall in the first tier.

How much does a website cost for a plumber?

A plumber on WebCore pays the same plan prices as any trade: $99 a month for Essential (1 site) up to $1,499 a month for Empire (10 sites). Plumbing is actually the fastest trade in the Web Index, with a median 5.2 seconds to show the headline on a phone (n=29), and hosting, SSL and maintenance are included in every plan so there's nothing extra to budget for on top.

What does an electrician website cost?

Electricians pay the same WebCore pricing as other trades: $99 to $1,499 a month depending on how many sites you need. SEO Lighthouse is included from the Starter plan ($299 a month) up, and hosting, SSL and ongoing maintenance are included on every plan, so an electrician's monthly bill doesn't grow once the site is live.

How much does a roofing company website cost?

Roofing companies use the same WebCore plans as any trade, $99 to $1,499 a month. Roofing is the slowest trade in the Web Index at a median 10.1 seconds to show a headline on a phone (n=23), which is worth knowing because a slow site means a homeowner with a roof leak moves on to the next search result. Every WebCore plan includes hosting, SSL and the AI agent that keeps the site fast and maintained.

What's the website maintenance cost for a small business in Canada?

On WebCore, there isn't a separate maintenance cost: it's included in the plan price, from $99 a month for Essential up to $1,499 a month for Empire. That covers hosting, SSL and an AI agent that edits, maintains and improves the site on an ongoing basis. The only thing a small business pays outside the plan is its own domain registration, kept with its registrar.

See what it costs for your business

Check the plans, or run your page count through the migration calculator to see the exact cost of moving your current site.