How to make your first website in Canada

A plain-language, step-by-step guide for beginners. No tech words you have to look up, and honest numbers for what a first website costs in Canada.

Updated October 4, 2026 · By the WebNewBee team, Atlantic Canada

Before you start: what you need

You don’t need to know anything about websites. You need about half an hour and these four things:

• Your name, or your business’s name, written the way you want people to see it.
• What you do, and where. Two or three sentences, the way you’d explain it to a neighbour.
• How people reach you: phone, email, address or the area you serve, and your hours.
• A few real photos taken with your phone: you, your work, your place. Real beats stock.

Step 1: Pick your web address

Your web address (the domain) is what people type to find you, like yourbusiness.ca. As a beginner you have two choices:

• A free address. Many builders give you one, like yourname.webnewbee.page. It costs nothing extra and works right away. It is perfect for trying things out or for a personal site.
• Your own domain. Something like yourbusiness.ca looks more professional, is easier to remember, and is what you need for email at your own name (step 2). You buy it from a domain registrar, usually for about $15 to $30 a year.

.ca or .com? If your customers are in Canada, .ca is a good choice: Canadians recognise it, and it tells Google you’re Canadian. To get a .ca you have to meet the Canadian Presence Requirements (being a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Canadian business qualifies). A .com works too, and some people buy both.

Tips for a good name: keep it short, avoid hyphens and odd spellings, say it out loud once (if you have to spell it for people, try another), and check that the same name is free on the social networks you use.

Step 2: Get an email address at your name

An address like hello@yourbusiness.ca looks more trustworthy than a free webmail address, and customers remember it. You can only get one with your own domain: a free web address can’t carry email.

Some website plans include email; with many builders it is an extra monthly fee for each address. Read the price page closely before you choose. Ask how many addresses you get and whether they work on your phone.

You don’t have to give up the email you already have: you can keep using it and add the new address next to it.

Step 3: Choose how to build it

There are three common ways to make a first website. None is wrong. They suit different people.

For a first website, a builder is usually the easiest and the cheapest way to get online.

Step 4: What to put on your website

A first website doesn’t need to be big. Four or five pages are plenty:

• Home. In the first screen: what you do, where, and one clear button (call, book, or write to you). Most visitors decide in a few seconds.
• Services (or what you sell). One short paragraph each. Prices, if you’re comfortable showing them.
• About. Who you are and why people can trust you. A photo of you helps.
• Contact. Phone, email, address or service area, hours, and a map. On phones, make the number tap-to-call.

Write like you talk. Short sentences, no jargon. Use the words your customers would type into Google: “plumber in Moncton”, not “residential hydraulic solutions”.

English and French? If you serve both, a bilingual site is a real advantage in Canada, especially in New Brunswick, Quebec and parts of Ontario.

A contact form? It’s handy, but say in one line what you do with the messages you receive. In Canada, personal information is protected by privacy law (PIPEDA), so a short privacy note is good practice.

Step 5: Help people find you on Google

• Create your free Google Business Profile. It puts you on Google Maps and in local results. Add the same name, address, phone and hours as your website.
• Name your town on your pages. “Hair salon in Dieppe” in your page title and first sentence helps local searches.
• Keep your details identical everywhere: website, Google, Facebook and directories.
• Be patient. A brand-new site can take a few days to a few weeks to show up. Ask happy customers for Google reviews in the meantime.

Step 6: What a first website really costs in Canada

Prices are before sales tax (GST/HST). Watch for low first-year prices that go up at renewal, and for features that are only on a more expensive plan.

Example with WebNewBee: CA$6.99 a month plus tax covers the AI website builder, hosting, a secure (https) address and, once you connect your own domain, up to 3 email addresses. Add a .ca at about $20 a year and your whole first year is roughly $105 before tax.

Before you publish: a quick checklist

• Your phone number and email are right, and the phone number taps to call on a phone.
• Your hours and address (or service area) are correct.
• Every page reads well on your phone, not just your computer.
• Spelling checked, and nothing on the site is a placeholder or a promise you can’t keep.
• You sent yourself a test message through your contact form, and it arrived.
• You added your website address to your Google Business Profile and your social pages.

The easy option: WebNewBee

WebNewBee was made for first websites. You answer a few simple questions, and our AI writes your pages from the facts you give it (it never invents reviews, prices or awards) and puts them in a design made for your kind of business. The whole site is written in seconds, and most people have a site they like in under 10 minutes.

Click any text to change it, switch designs any time, and publish in one click. Start on a free web address and connect your own domain whenever you’re ready to get email. CA$6.99 a month plus tax, English, French or both, and you can cancel anytime. Made and supported in Atlantic Canada, by real people.

Start your websiteSee the designs

See sites made with WebNewBee

• A plumberplumber.webnewbee.page
• A hair salonsalon.webnewbee.page
• A bistrobistro.webnewbee.page
• A personal portfolioportfolio.webnewbee.page

Questions about your first website? Read the beginner FAQ →