Five to seven well-planned pages are enough for a small business to generate calls. A large site isn't a prerequisite; it's actually a starting trap.
The real decisions are elsewhere: who builds the site, and what it should accomplish. Quebec regulations apply from launch.
| This four-point guide |
|---|
| A small business website fits in five to seven pages: home, services, portfolio, about, contact. Three paths available: do it yourself, hire a freelancer, or entrust the project to an agency. Two laws govern your website in Quebec: Law 25 (personal information) and Law 96 (French language). Start small, but on transferable foundations. Your site must be able to grow with the business. |
The essentials for a small business, nothing more, nothing less
The question isn't "how many pages," but "which pages drive a customer to act". For most small businesses, the list fits on one hand.
- Home: who you are, what you do, who for, in one second of reading.
- One page per main service, written for those seeking that service.
- Portfolio or testimonials: proof that you deliver what you promise.
- The about page: your story, your face, your region.
- Contact: phone, short form, hours, service area.
Everything else—blog, newsletter, client portal, can wait. Adding empty sections or ones never updated hurts more than their absence.
| Each page is an entry point |
|---|
| Many visitors land directly on a service page from Google. Each page must therefore be able to welcome a stranger: clear title, proof, visible contact method. A well-written service page often brings more clients than the home page. |
Yourself, freelancer or agency: the right path based on your reality
The choice comes down less to budget than to your available time and the importance of your website in your sales. The sorting happens fairly quickly.
| Your situation | Recommended path | The reason |
|---|---|---|
| You're just starting out, the website is secondary | Self-service platform | Minimal upfront investment, you learn as you go |
| Your customers arrive through referrals, the website reassures them | Freelancer | A clean website, delivered quickly, without heavy structure |
| Your website needs to become your sales channel | Agency | Strategy, content and follow-up focused on sales |
On the budget side, keep in mind the ballpark figure: approximately $420 CAD per year for self-service, several thousand for a professional mandate.
Nothing locks you in to your first choice. Many businesses start with self-service, then hire a professional for a redesign when requests multiply.
| The trap of the tech-savvy relative |
|---|
| Entrusting your website to a gifted nephew in IT rarely ends well. No guarantees, no follow-up, no availability. The day he goes off to study or changes jobs, no one knows how to update the website. If your website matters to your sales, treat it as a professional business expense. |
A website that brings in customers, not a business card
A small business website succeeds when it appears where your clients are searching. In Quebec, that means local search.
Your future clients are typing a service and a city : « electrician Terrebonne », « caterer Levis ». Your site must name your services and your territory, page by page.
Complete it with your Google Business Profile and recent reviews. The two feed each other: the profile brings the click, the site transforms the visit into a call.
Reviews do the rest of the work. Get in the habit of asking for one after each successful project, by text or email, with the direct link.
| A typical case in the regions |
|---|
| An excavation company in Lanaudière serves eight municipalities. Its site lists each service, and its service area appears on the contact page. Result: it ranks in local searches for its territory, without buying ads. |
Quebec requirements: Bill 25 and Bill 96
Two laws apply to your site as soon as it goes live. Ignoring them exposes to real financial penalties.
On the personal information side, Bill 25 requires a privacy policy and a designated responsible person. Navigation cookies consent must also be obtained. A simple contact form is enough to subject you to it.
On language, Bill 96 is clear. Your website must be available in French, and this version cannot be less complete than another.
These rules don't just target large organizations. A one-person business is subject to them as soon as an email is collected or an English version is added.
| ⚠️ Compliance doesn't happen by accident |
|---|
| A privacy policy copied from a French site doesn't cover Bill 25. The cookie banner must allow refusal, not just acceptance. Plan for compliance at the design stage: adding it later costs more. |
The mistakes that cost small businesses dearly
The same missteps come back in most of the projects we take over. None of them are technical issues.
- The domain registered in the service provider's name: when disagreement happens, you lose your address.
- No designated person internally: the site remains frozen on the day it went live.
- Paying for features "just in case": member area, shop, blog never updated.
- Neglecting mobile, even though most local searches happen there.
- No real photos: generic stock images don't inspire trust.
The first mistake on the list is the most serious. Check today that the domain, hosting and access are under your control.
Start small without blocking growth
A good starting website isn't a minimal one. It's a website where each piece can be preserved as the business grows.
Concretely, three choices guarantee this continuity. A domain in your name, texts and photos you own, and a tool whose content exports.
The website then works for you, continuously. It answers common questions, reassures referred clients and receives requests outside business hours.
Finally, plan for one hour per month for small updates. Hours, rates, recent photos: these details signal a living business, to Google and visitors alike.
| Your starting plan |
|---|
| Five to seven pages, including one per main service, written for local search. The creation path is chosen based on your time and the website's role in your sales. Law 25 and Law 96 apply from day one, even for a one-person business. Domain, contents and access in your name: that's the condition to grow without starting over. |
Let's talk about what your business needs →
Small business website: your questions
What budget for a small business website?
For a website entrusted to a professional, plan for from $2,000 CAD to $10,000 CAD depending on what's included. As a self-service option, the subscription is around $420 CAD per year, plus your time.
Isn't a Facebook page enough?
It complements, it doesn't replace. You don't control the presentation, visibility, or longevity. A website in your name remains the only digital asset you own.
Does a one-person business need a website?
Yes, often more than a large one: your clients search for you online before calling. Three well-crafted pages, home, services and contact, are enough to appear as credible as an established competitor.
How long before the site goes live?
As a self-service option, a single-page site can be built in a weekend. With a professional, plan for two to six weeks, the time needed to produce text and photos.
Does my website need to be bilingual?
Nothing requires it: French alone is perfectly acceptable. If you add English, the French version must remain at least as complete, as required by Law 96.
What photos should I use if I don't have anything professional?
A recent phone, natural daylight and your actual premises are enough. These images beat generic stock photos. Show what clients will see by choosing you.
Who manages the site once it's live?
Designate someone internally for content, and budget for technical maintenance. An abandoned site eventually works against you: outdated information, unpatched vulnerabilities.
