Category: Website Builders

Wix and Squarespace are the easiest options for absolute beginners because they offer drag-and-drop editors with no coding required, and hosting is included in the price. WordPress.com (the hosted version) sits in the middle, while self-hosted WordPress.org offers the most flexibility and power but has a steeper learning curve. For Canadian small business owners who want to get online quickly, Squarespace and Wix are excellent starting points. However, if you plan to scale significantly or need advanced customization, WordPress is the better long-term investment.

No, modern website builders allow you to create a professional-looking website without writing a single line of code. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress with page builders like Elementor provide visual, drag-and-drop interfaces that let you design pages by moving elements around on screen. However, knowing basic HTML and CSS can be helpful for making small customizations beyond what the builder offers. For most Canadian small businesses and personal projects, a no-code builder is more than sufficient to get started.

Yes, most website builders offer built-in e-commerce features or integrations for selling products online. Shopify is the leading dedicated e-commerce platform and is headquartered in Canada, making it an especially popular choice for Canadian businesses with features like automatic tax calculation for Canadian provinces. Squarespace and Wix also have solid e-commerce capabilities for smaller stores. If you use WordPress, the WooCommerce plugin turns your site into a fully functional online store with support for Canadian payment gateways like Moneris and Interac.

The cost depends heavily on your approach. Using a DIY website builder like Wix or Squarespace costs between $16 and $50 CAD per month, while a self-hosted WordPress site runs about $5 to $30 CAD per month for hosting plus the cost of any premium themes or plugins. Hiring a professional web designer in Canada typically costs between $2,000 and $10,000 CAD for a basic business website. You should also factor in ongoing costs like domain renewal (around $15 to $20 CAD per year), SSL certificates (often free), and any premium tools or plugins you use.

You can switch website builders, but it is rarely a seamless process. Most builders use proprietary systems, meaning your design and layout will not transfer directly -- you will typically need to rebuild the site on the new platform. Your content (text and images) can usually be exported and re-imported, but formatting may be lost. WordPress makes migration easier because its content can be exported in standard XML format. Before committing to any builder, consider your long-term needs to avoid a costly and time-consuming migration down the road.