Freelance Website Designer for Local Businesses

Local small businesses such as trades, salons, restaurants and clinics, plus community groups and individuals with a personal or portfolio site.

A fixed price per website project, with optional monthly fees for hosting, updates and small changes.

• Basic design sense and layout
• Comfort with WordPress or a website builder
• Clear communication with non-technical clients
• Meeting deadlines

• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Register your business name with your province and check when you need to register for GST/HST
• Use a written contract that covers scope, payment schedule and who owns the finished site
• Check you have the right to use any images, fonts and plugins you include
• Consider professional liability insurance, and check privacy rules for any customer data the site collects
• Quebec clients may expect French-language sites, so check local language requirements

Startup costs are typically around $300 to $2,000, depending on your tools, portfolio work and how you find clients. These are estimates only. You can work from home using website builders or WordPress.

Monthly revenue is typically around $500 to $4,000, depending on how many clients you take on, your project prices and the time you can commit. The estimate assumes at least about 8 hours a week. These are estimates, not guarantees.

Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence, and register your business name with your province. Also check GST/HST registration, use a written contract covering scope, payment and ownership, confirm image and font rights, consider liability insurance, and review privacy and Quebec language rules.