The verdict in three sentences
A 700 CAD website almost never includes serious hosting, security maintenance or SEO, which return later as separate invoices. The hidden cost shows up above all as a premature redesign at 18 months, when the undersized site blocks your growth. Over three years, the gap with a properly built site shrinks to 2,000-4,000 CAD, for an incomparable result.
What the 700 CAD offer leaves out
A rock-bottom headline price is possible because it excludes essential items. 2026 order of magnitude of the extra costs, CAD.
| Item often excluded | Real 2026 extra cost | Consequence if ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Reliable hosting + SSL | 45 - 130 CAD/mo | Slowdowns, browser warnings |
| Maintenance & backups | 450 - 1,000 CAD/yr | Hacking, data loss |
| Security updates | 300 - 750 CAD/yr | Exploited flaw, defaced site |
| Local & technical SEO | 700 - 2,200 CAD | Zero visibility, zero enquiry |
| Form & privacy compliance | 450 - 900 CAD | Non-compliance, spam |
| Premature redesign | 4,500 - 9,000 CAD | Rebuild everything at 18 months |
The classic trap: the initial quote looks unbeatable, then every essential function becomes a billable option.
TCO compared over 3 years
Add it all up: the cheap site rarely ends up cheaper. 2026 order of magnitude for a Toronto SME.
| Line item over 3 years | Cheap site (700 CAD) | Properly built site |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 700 CAD | 6,500 CAD |
| Hosting/SSL | 2,700 CAD | 1,600 CAD (often 1 yr included) |
| Maintenance/security | 2,200 CAD | 1,800 CAD |
| SEO retrofitted later | 2,200 CAD | 0 (included) |
| Premature redesign | 6,000 CAD | 0 CAD |
| 3-year total | 13,800 CAD | 9,900 CAD |
The result is counterintuitive: the 700 CAD site costs about 3,900 CAD more over three years while generating fewer sales enquiries. The false economy is twofold.
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Mini case study
Mark, owner of a 9-person joinery SME in Scarborough near Toronto, bought a 690 CAD site. Within 18 months: three hosting outages, a spam injection through an unprotected form, zero enquiries from the site for lack of SEO. He had to rebuild everything for 6,900 CAD. Net result: he paid twice, about 7,600 CAD in total, where a proper 6,500 CAD site would have sufficed from the start and produced enquiries in the first quarter. The false-economy penalty: roughly 1,100 CAD wasted plus 18 months of lost enquiries.
FAQ
Is a cheap site always a bad choice? No; for a pure business-card need with no acquisition goal, a well-handled 1,200 CAD template can do. The trap is the 700 CAD offer sold as a high-performing brochure site.
How do I spot hidden costs in a quote? Check that hosting, SSL, security maintenance, basic SEO and privacy compliance are priced. If those lines are missing, they will return as separate invoices.
What does maintenance really cost? Budget 450 to 1,000 CAD a year for a brochure site, whatever the build price. It is non-negotiable for security and backups.
Why does the redesign come so soon? An undersized site with no SEO structure or scalability becomes a drag as the business grows. On average you rebuild everything at 18 months, hence the overcost.
What is a realistic minimum budget in 2026? For an SME brochure site that generates enquiries, budget 4,500 to 9,000 CAD all-in, hosting and basic SEO included for the first year.
Let's scope your project. Send us the cheap quote you received: we will show you the hidden costs line by line and a transparent all-in quote. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
