Small business website design: what to agree before you buy
Start with the customer's next step, then agree the pages, content and costs needed to support it. This checklist helps Vancouver and Canadian small businesses compare a basic information website with a larger build.
What should a visitor understand and do?
Write one sentence: “This website helps this customer understand this service and take this next step.” For a local cleaner, that might mean checking the service area and requesting a quote. A consultant might need a clear description of their work and an email enquiry route.
Start with the information that decision needs. A larger page count is not automatically more useful, and basic on-page SEO is not a promise of rankings or enquiries.
A sensible starting structure
- A home page explaining who you help and what you do.
- Service information with clear boundaries and relevant details.
- An about section with accurate business information.
- Real work examples or permitted photos, where available.
- A contact route, service area and any existing booking link.
What AIVIQ's CAD $150 basic build includes
The Basic Website Build covers up to five simple pages using one consistent layout, final copy and photos you supply, mobile-friendly navigation, basic on-page SEO, a contact route and one consolidated revision. It is a narrow, supplied-content build, not a full branding or strategy engagement.
Domain registration, hosting and paid subscriptions cost extra. Logo design, full copywriting, ecommerce and complex booking systems are not included. Do not assume a content-management system, integrations or custom functionality are included either; describe any requirement before agreeing the work.
Linking to a booking service you already use is different from building a booking system. For the distinction between published offers and larger projects, read the Vancouver website cost and scope guide. Confirm the deliverables in writing instead of comparing price or page count alone.
What to supply before the build
Collect the final material in one place and identify who can approve it. Missing copy or unclear service details make it harder to confirm a basic-build scope. Never send passwords in a website enquiry.
Look at AIVIQ's website examples to discuss layout and style. Examples help explain a direction; they do not establish what functionality your own quote includes.
- Business name, services, service area and preferred contact details.
- Final text for each proposed page, including any prices you want published.
- Your logo, if available, and photos you have permission to use.
- Existing website, domain provider and any booking or social links.
- The main customer action and any essential requirements beyond a simple information site.
Ask about ownership and ongoing costs
Put each quote beside the same checklist: pages, layout, supplied content, included revisions, launch tasks and exclusions. Separate the one-time build fee from domain renewal, hosting, subscriptions and future edits. Ask what happens when you need a change after the included revision.
Confirm who registers and controls the domain, which accounts you can access, what files or content you receive, and how moving to another provider would work. Agree who handles renewals and maintenance. Treat these as questions to settle in the written scope, not assumptions based on a low price.
Use a short acceptance checklist
- Read every page on a phone and desktop: text, navigation and buttons should be usable.
- Check business details, service areas, prices, spelling and image permissions.
- Follow each contact and booking link. If a form is included, agree a controlled submission and confirm delivery.
- Check page titles and descriptions against the actual services, without unsupported claims.
- Record any existing URLs that must be preserved; agree migration work separately if needed.
- Collect changes into the included consolidated revision and confirm account and renewal arrangements.
Start with a written scope
Send your business name, existing website if you have one, and what the new site should help customers do. AIVIQ confirms whether the basic build fits before you decide. No sales call or payment is required to get the scope confirmed.
Get my written website scope