Website Cost in Winnipeg: What Changes the Price

Why quotes vary so much

A website price is mostly time: the hours it takes to plan, write, design, build, test and launch it. Two quotes can look far apart because one includes writing, photos and a booking system, and the other assumes you'll supply everything and only need a few simple pages.

Labour cost gives you a sense of scale. Job Bank, the Government of Canada's job site, reports these hourly wages for employees in the Winnipeg region (wages updated November 19, 2025):

• Web designers: a median of $31.57 an hour, ranging from $22.61 to $51.70 (2024 data).
• Web programmers (part of the web developers and programmers group): a median of $31.25 an hour, ranging from $21.00 to $42.50 (2023–2024 data).

These are wages paid to employees, not what a studio or freelancer charges a client. A business rate also has to cover software, equipment, insurance, unpaid time spent on sales and admin, and taxes. Use the figures to understand that every extra feature is someone's hours, not as a price guide.

What changes the price of building a website

These are the main factors. The more of them your site needs, the more time it takes.

• Number of pages: a five-page site and a fifty-page site are different projects. Pages with their own layout cost more than pages that reuse a template.
• Writing: someone has to write every page. If you supply finished text, the cost is lower. If the designer writes it, or rewrites it for search, that's extra time.
• Photos and graphics: stock photos are quick. A photo shoot, a new logo or custom illustrations add cost, and they often make the biggest difference to how the site looks.
• Booking: a simple link to a booking tool is quick. Booking built into the site, with availability, reminders and rescheduling, is a bigger job.
• Payments: taking deposits or selling products online means a checkout, tax setup, receipts and testing.
• Integrations: connecting the site to other tools you use, such as your email list, accounting or customer records, adds setup and testing for each one.
• Languages: a second language roughly means a second set of pages to write, translate, check and keep in sync.
• Accessibility: building to an accessibility standard from the start takes care with colours, headings, forms and keyboard use. It's cheaper to do it from day one than to fix it later.
• Moving from an old site: carrying over content and redirecting old addresses so you don't lose your Google rankings takes planning.
• Editing: being able to update pages, events or photos yourself means setting up an editor and showing you how it works.

Accessibility is a requirement in Manitoba, not an extra

Under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, the Accessible Information and Communication Standard applies to businesses and non-profits with at least one employee in Manitoba, starting May 1, 2025. Web content published on or after that date, or needed to access your goods and services, must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, an international set of accessibility guidelines.

That means accessibility should be in every quote. If a quote doesn't mention it, ask.

Ongoing website costs after launch

The build is a one-time cost. A website also has running costs every month or year:

• Domain name: your web address, renewed with a registrar every year or every few years. Some website builders include it free for the first year, then you pay to renew.
• Hosting or a platform plan: where your site lives. On a website builder or Shopify, this is a monthly or yearly subscription.
• Email: business email at your own domain is usually a separate subscription per person.
• Subscriptions for add-ons: booking tools, forms, email marketing, apps and premium plugins often charge monthly.
• Payment fees: if you take payments online, the provider charges a fee on each transaction.
• Updates and care: security updates, backups, fixing things that break, and small content changes. You can do some yourself or pay someone to look after it.

Ask for a list of every ongoing cost before you sign, including who the account is in your name with.

What website builders and platforms charge

Published platform prices give a useful baseline for running costs. These are from the providers' own pricing pages, checked October 18, 2026, in Canadian dollars, before tax. Prices change often, so check before you decide.

• Squarespace: website plans from CA$21 a month (Basic, billed annually) to CA$109 a month (Advanced, billed annually), or CA$30 to CA$139 billed monthly. A custom domain is free for the first year on annual plans.
• Shopify: Basic is CA$37 a month billed yearly or CA$49 billed monthly. Online card payments on Basic cost 2.8% + 30¢ for standard Canadian cards, and 3.5% + 30¢ for Amex and international cards.

These cover the platform only. Design, writing, setup and your time are on top.

Doing it yourself versus hiring someone

A website builder can be a good start if you have a simple site in mind, time to learn the tool, and your own text and photos. The subscription is the main cost, and your time is the rest.

Hiring someone makes more sense when you need the site to bring in work, such as quote requests or bookings, when you need features a builder handles poorly, or when your time is better spent running the business. Either way, the running costs above still apply.

Questions to ask so you can compare quotes

Send each designer the same brief, then ask the same questions. That way you're comparing like with like.

• How many pages are included, and what does an extra page cost?
• Who writes the text? Is search-friendly writing included?
• Are photos, a logo or graphics included, or do I supply them?
• Does the site meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, as Manitoba's accessibility standard requires?
• Can I edit pages, photos and events myself? Is training included?
• Which features are built in, and which rely on third-party subscriptions I'll pay for?
• What are all the ongoing costs: domain, hosting, email, subscriptions, payment fees and care?
• Who owns the domain, the content and the accounts? Can I move the site if we part ways?
• If I have an existing site, will old addresses be redirected so I keep my rankings?
• How many rounds of changes are included, and what happens after launch if something breaks?
• What's the timeline, and what do you need from me to meet it?

How to keep the cost down

• Start with the pages that bring in work, and add the rest later.
• Write a first draft of your text, even if it's rough. You know your business best.
• Gather your best photos, reviews and examples of your work before the project starts.
• Use an existing booking or payment tool if it does what you need, instead of building one.
• Make decisions quickly and in one place. Delays and scattered feedback add hours.