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Custom websites

Websites that turn a look-up into a call.

I design, write and code websites for small businesses in the Kootenays and anywhere else. The Trailhead is $2,000 and the Engine is $6,500, with every price published. You own the code, the words and the domain from day one. A Trailhead typically goes live in two to three weeks.

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People check you out before they call.

  • No website yet? They find your Facebook page, can't see what you charge or where you go, and stop there.
  • An old one? It looks like it was built years ago, and people read that as how the business is run.
  • Either way, if the page doesn't say what it costs or how to book, they call someone whose page does.

54% of people go to a business's website after reading its reviews, to decide. (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, n=1,002)

What every build includes

  • Custom design and custom code, built for your business.
  • I write every word, and you approve it.
  • A clear way to call, book, ask for a quote or buy on every page.
  • Set up to be found on Google and in AI answers, with analytics running.
  • A live preview link in your first week, so you watch it being built.
  • The code, the content and the domain are yours from day one.
  • A free launch film, ready to post the day you go live.

Bigger operations need the system behind the page: bookings, members, payments. That build is The Empire. See how The Empire works

Packages

Small business website packages and prices

Presence, momentum, or a full revenue machine. The same custom craft, sized to where the business actually is.

The Trailhead

$2,000

The credible front door.

or Own It Monthly: $500 + 12 x $142 ($2,204 total)

Get found by name, and in your town.

For the business running on word of mouth and a Facebook page. Someone hears about you at the rink or the job site, searches your name or your trade plus your town, and decides in about four seconds whether you are the real thing. If your work comes by referral, the Trailhead is enough, because the site closes the customers already looking for you. Legal pages, contact forms and Google setup are included rather than counted against your page allowance.

  • 3 custom page designs, built around what you actually sell
  • A live preview link in week one, so you watch the build happen
  • Findable on Google and in AI answers from day one
  • I write the words, you approve them
  • Perfect on a phone, which is where nearly everyone looks first
  • One obvious way to contact you, plus card payments if you sell
  • Your files in your own GitHub account, and hosting either on my account or yours
  • A launch film cut from the finished site, free

Perfect for

Businesses with no website yet, or one that is quietly embarrassing them.

Estimated delivery: 2 to 3 weeks

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The Engine

Best fit

$6,500

or Own It Monthly: $1,625 + 12 x $457 ($7,109 total)

Get found for every service, in every town you serve.

For the business with real competitors, where a customer is comparing three of you before anyone calls. The Trailhead grown up. Full Coverage is included, so every community you serve gets its own page, and twenty guides answer the questions people actually type into Google. The blog engine keeps compounding month after month, and brand identity is included, or its budget goes into extra content and pages if you already have a logo you love.

  • Up to 7 custom page designs, every word written for you
  • Full Coverage included: a page for every town you serve
  • 20 guides written to answer real customer questions and earn search
  • A blog engine that keeps compounding after launch
  • Includes the full brand identity package, or its value in extra content if you have one
  • Lead capture and analytics wired in from day one
  • Social starter visuals for two platforms, plus your launch film

Perfect for

Businesses being compared against others, with seasonal demand or a growth plan.

Estimated delivery: 4 to 5 weeks

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The Empire

Flagship

from $10,000

Scope determines final investment.

Everything in the Engine, and then the part that runs the business. Bookings, memberships, events, payments, portals, and accounts in one system you own.

What it runs

The part a website cannot do.

  • Bookings, memberships, events, and product funnels
  • Member accounts, private logins, and role-based access
  • Payments, deposits, and paid flows through Stripe
  • An admin area where you edit bookings, events, listings and pages yourself
  • Your existing CRM or booking system connected, where the software allows it

What it grows

Working while you are on a job site.

  • Up to 50 SEO pages and guides, aimed at real ranking goals
  • Automated email, documents, and data-driven pages
  • Calculators, finders, and tools your customers come back for
  • Bilingual architecture when you serve more than one market

What comes with it

Included, never quoted later.

  • 7+ custom page designs, as many as the build needs
  • Competitor audit and a full digital strategy first
  • A complete brand identity system
  • Built to replace the monthly stack you are paying for now
  • Lifetime Neighbours Lodge access and direct support

The Empire is not on the Own It Monthly plan. Builds this size bill by milestone, so you pay as agreed stages go live. A custom CRM or internal tool is a separate build, quoted as a web app.

Explore The Empire

Delivery times are estimates based on past builds, counted from when I have what I need from you. With clean input and prompt approvals, many launches land sooner.

Want more depth before you decide? Read how much a website costs in Canada or the rent vs own math.

Replacing a site? Your Google ranking is protected.

  • Every old address is forwarded to its new home, so old links still land somewhere correct.
  • The old site stays up until the new one is checked and you have walked through it.
  • Words on pages that already bring you work are kept.
  • I watch your search results for the first month and fix what moves.

What the cheap one and the expensive one are selling

A $900 build is usually a template with your logo dropped in. It looks fine in a screenshot, but nobody wrote the words and nobody answers the phone about it a year later.

A $12,000 agency is a real team, built for organisations with a marketing department to feed.

Here, one person writes it, builds it, and is still the person you email afterwards.

If you will genuinely build it yourself and keep it current, a Squarespace-style builder is a fine choice, and this guide compares them honestly.

Real builds, real owners.

Scotties Marina, a marina on the Lower Arrow Lake near Castlegar, Summit Handyman, a trades platform in Langley BC, and Family Designs & Creations, a maker site in Castlegar, are real client builds on this exact standard. Castlegar is my home town, and web design in Castlegar has its own page.

To see the Trailhead scope itself, open Mica Hair Studio, a salon built to the three-page limit around a colour tool. For the Full Coverage version, open Harkness Auto & Tire, an auto shop with the same core pages plus a page for each community it serves and 20 guides answering what drivers search. Both carry a visible concept build label, because they are demonstrations rather than clients, and they are deliberately nothing alike: the same entry scope should not produce the same website twice.

Facebook review

“It's easy for customers to navigate and makes my life a lot easier with all their information on the request an estimate feature.”
Brody, sole proprietor of Summit Handyman, Langley BCRead the full review

Five-star Google review

“He listens to what we have in mind, quickly understands what we are trying to achieve, and often takes our ideas even further than we imagined.”
Chantal, co-founder of Global Symphony for a United World, Slocan Valley BCRead the full review

Five-star Google review

“He jumped right on it, figured out the problem. He rebuilt the website from scratch and made it fresh and new.”
Tasha, co-owner of Scotties Marina, Castlegar BCRead the full review

Five-star Google review

“Highly Recommend Brett, He goes out of his way to make thing's perfect and with such creativity.”
Kim, owner of Family Designs & Creations, Castlegar BCRead the full review

Larch Hollow, City of Silvermere, and Vale Realty are concept builds. They show the standard, and they always carry that label. See the full portfolio

Path to launch

Simple enough to follow. Serious enough to work.

  1. 01

    I map it

    We talk about your business, your customers, and the next step each visitor should take.

  2. 02

    I write it

    Copy comes first. Every page gets words that explain, prove, and point to action.

  3. 03

    I build it

    Custom design and code around that copy. You review real pages, not mockups.

  4. 04

    I launch it and stay close

    I launch with analytics and Google basics set up. After launch, ongoing support is there if you want it.

What I need from you: photos of the real work (phone pictures are fine), your prices or the ranges you will publish, and the logins for your domain.

The full path, payment terms and all, lives on the process page.

Buying through a board or a council? Every build is tested against WCAG 2.2 AA, and proposals, references and procurement scope are on the public sector page.

Public sector work

What serious owners ask before they build.

Can I pay for my website monthly instead of all at once?+

Yes. The Trailhead and Engine can go on Own It Monthly, a 12-month payment plan where you own the site outright at payment 12. The Trailhead is $2,000 once, or $500 today and 12 monthly payments of $142, which is $2,204 all in. The Trailhead, Full Coverage is $3,200 once, or $800 today and 12 monthly payments of $226, which is $3,512 all in. The plan runs directly between you and me, with no credit checks, both totals always on the table, and your domain in your name from day one.

Who looks after the website after it launches?+

I do, and you are never obliged to pay me for it. Every build leaves with the code in your own account, so any developer can pick it up. If you would rather not think about it, the Ongoing Support plans cover updates, monitoring, backups and the small changes that come up, and that is a choice made after launch rather than a condition of the build. The site keeps working if you never take one.

Is this only for small businesses?+

No. Trailhead and Engine fit owner-led local businesses. Empire is for larger organizations: tourism operators, venues, memberships, events, portals, payments, bookings, or any website that has become business infrastructure.

Do you patch my existing website?+

No. I only do fresh builds. Patching old templates and plugin stacks caps how good the result can be. A fresh build gives me full control of speed, structure, and design, so the site can be yours instead of another reskinned theme.

Do you build websites for businesses outside the Kootenays?+

Yes, and about the only thing that changes is that the first conversation happens on a call instead of over a coffee. The work is written, built, reviewed and launched the same way wherever you are, and you see a live preview link in week one either way. The 10% neighbours discount is the one thing reserved for Kootenay businesses, and it applies to website, store and app builds.

How much does a small business website cost in Canada?+

With me, a small business website costs $2,000 for the Trailhead, $3,200 for the Trailhead, Full Coverage, or $6,500 for the Engine, in Canadian dollars. Across the market, a serious custom site usually lands in the low to mid thousands. The price follows the work: page designs, copy, the towns you serve, and features like booking. The Trailhead can also be $500 at signing and 12 payments of $142, which is $2,204 in total.

Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?+

A Facebook page can be enough for a while, if referrals are strong, you are fully booked and people only need a quick way to message you. A website becomes necessary once strangers, tourists or comparison shoppers have to trust you before they call. It holds service pages, proof and a contact path that stay put, on a domain you own and pages Google can rank. Most growing local businesses run both, and each does a different job.

Should I use a website builder or hire a designer?+

Use a builder while the offer is still changing, and hire a designer once the site has to earn search rankings, do a job past showing information, or live in your own accounts. Below that bar, a builder is good value. Before you compare, price the whole year: the plan times twelve, card fees, apps, the domain and a mailbox. With me, a build starts at $2,000 once, with no Wix or Squarespace platform bill afterward.

See where your site stands before you spend a dollar.

The free 60-second website check-up is an automated scan of your speed, SEO, security headers, and best practices. It gives you an honest picture of what is working and what is not.

No website yet?

Start My First Website

Already have one?

Get a Free Check-Up

Every build ships with a launch film cut from your finished site, free and ready to post the day you go live. Want a story about the business itself? That is The Lantern.

If you do not have a website at all, you are in ordinary company: about three in ten Canadian businesses with under five staff still do not. CFIB, September 2025, n=2,478. There is nothing to audit yet, so we start with a conversation instead.

Refer a neighbour who signs, and I e-transfer you $200. Anyone can refer, there is no limit, and it pays out when their first payment clears (second payment for Own It Monthly projects).