Less time on your website. More time doing what you enjoy most.
Running a small business is already a full-time job. Your website shouldn’t feel like another one.
Get started today!
Web & Graphic Design Services
Everything you need to look great online and off
I keep it simple. You get a website that looks professional, loads fast, and helps the right people find you.
New WordPress Websites
A professional WordPress website built to get found on Google and turn visitors into customers. Every site includes mobile-friendly design, a contact form, SSL, and AI search optimization so your business shows up whether someone’s searching on Google or asking ChatGPT.
Website Redesigns
Rebuild or refresh a site that no longer reflects your business — without starting from scratch if you don’t need to. You’ll end up with something faster, cleaner, and better optimized than what you had before.
WooCommerce Online Stores
Sell products, services, or bookings online with a WooCommerce store built to make the buying process simple for your customers. Includes payment gateway setup, product loading, and all the same SEO and performance foundations as every site I build.
Logo & Business Card Design
A professional logo and matching business card designed to work seamlessly with your website and make a strong first impression. You’ll receive print-ready files so you can use them anywhere — business cards, social media, or wherever your business shows up.
Speed & Performance Fixes
Find and fix what’s making your site slow — whether it’s oversized images, too many plugins, or a hosting issue. A faster site improves both your Google ranking and how long visitors actually stay.
AI Search Optimization
Make sure your business gets found by ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity — not just traditional Google search. I include structured data, clear entity signals, and properly formatted content so AI tools can read, understand, and recommend your business.
About Goldfinch Creative
Affordable Small Business Web Design in the Cranbrook Area
Based in Kimberley, BC, I design and customize WordPress websites for small businesses across the Kootenays — from Cranbrook and Fernie in the East to Nelson, Castlegar, and Trail in the West. I’ve spent years building websites for small businesses across retail, trades, health, hospitality, and the creative arts, and I’m now bringing that experience home to the Kootenays. Every site is tailored to your brand, your customers, and how you actually run your business. WordPress means you own your site completely and can update it yourself. And from first email to launch day, you deal directly with me — not a ticket system or a chatbot.
Why not just DIY it?
- More time for the lake and trails. No DIY headaches, no troubleshooting rabbit holes — just a finished website.
- You own it, full stop. No platform rental fees, no lock-in — just a site that’s genuinely yours.
- Real support. Got a problem? You’ll talk to me, not a help forum or chatbot.
- Small business helping small business. I’m a local business owner just like you. I genuinely care whether your business grows.
- There’s always something a bit off. Font choices, spacing, colours that don’t quite match — DIY sites show their seams. A professional gets the details right so you don’t have to think about it.
Recent Projects
Web Design | WordPress Customization | Logo Design | Social Media
Pricing
Professional results without the agency price tag.
Here’s what things typically cost — every Kootenay web design project is confirmed with a written quote before we start.
Starter
STARTING AT
$699
A clean, professional 5-page WordPress website. Ideal for trades, services, restaurants, and local businesses just getting online or starting fresh.
What’s included:
- Up to 5 pages
- Mobile-friendly design
- Contact form
- Google-ready and AI search optimized
- 1 round of revisions
Business
STARTING AT
$999
A fuller website for established businesses that need more room. Up to 10 pages including a blog if needed.
What’s included:
- Up to 10 pages
- Mobile-friendly design
- Contact form
- Blog setup (optional)
- Google-ready and AI search optimized
- 2 rounds of revisions
Store
STARTING AT
$1,499
A WooCommerce online store for businesses ready to sell products or services online.
What’s included:
- Up to 15 pages
- WooCommerce store setup
- Up to 20 products loaded
- Payment gateway setup
- Mobile-friendly design
- Google-ready and AI search optimized
- 2 rounds of revisions
Annual Care Plan
STARTING AT
$199/year
Keep your website healthy, secure, and up to date.
- Starter care — $199/year
- Business care — $299/year
- Store care — $399/year
Looking for a complete business starter package?
Get everything you need to launch
A website, logo, business cards, and social media templates, all designed to work together. Send me an email and let’s talk about what that looks like for your business.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does a small business website cost in BC?
Website costs in BC vary widely depending on who you hire and what you need. DIY platforms like Wix or Squarespace can cost as little as $20–$50 per month, but they come with ongoing subscription fees, design limitations, and you’ll spend significant time building and maintaining it yourself. A freelance web designer typically charges between $700 and $3,000 for a small business website, while larger agencies in Victoria or Vancouver often start at $5,000 and go well beyond $10,000. For most small businesses in the Kootenays, a professionally designed WordPress website in the $700–$1,500 range hits the sweet spot — you get something that looks polished, loads fast, and actually shows up on Google, without the agency price tag.
Should I use WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace for my small business?
All three can produce a decent-looking website, but they’re built for very different situations. Wix and Squarespace are subscription platforms — you pay monthly to rent your website, and if you cancel, it’s gone. They’re easy to use but limited when it comes to SEO, performance, and customization. WordPress is different. It’s free, open-source software that runs on your own hosting, which means you own your site outright. It powers over 40% of all websites on the internet and gives you far more control over design, SEO, and functionality. For most small businesses that want a professional result and long-term ownership, WordPress is the better choice — especially if you’re working with a designer who knows how to set it up properly.
Do I need a local web designer, or can I hire someone online?
You don’t strictly need someone local, but there are real advantages to working with a designer who knows your area. A local designer understands your market, your competition, and the kinds of customers you’re trying to reach — whether that’s tourists passing through Fernie, tradespeople in Cranbrook, or shoppers in Nelson. They’re also in your time zone and are easier to hold accountable. That said, the most important factors are communication, experience, and fit — a responsive designer in the same region who understands small business will serve you better than a cheap overseas service or a big city agency that treats you like a small account.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
For most small business websites, you should expect 2–4 weeks from the time the project starts to the day it goes live. Redesigns of existing sites typically run 2–3 weeks. The biggest factor that affects timeline isn’t the designer — it’s how quickly you can provide feedback, approve drafts, and supply any content like photos or text. Designers who build in an efficient back-and-forth process can move quickly. Projects stall when feedback takes days to arrive or content isn’t ready. If you have a hard deadline — like a seasonal launch or a grand opening — mention it upfront so your designer can plan around it.
What should a small business website include?
At minimum, a small business website needs a clear description of what you do and who you serve, a way for customers to contact you, and enough information to build trust before someone picks up the phone. In practical terms that usually means a homepage, an about page, a services or products page, a contact page with a form, and an SSL certificate so the site is secure. Beyond the basics, a mobile-friendly design is non-negotiable — more than half of all web traffic comes from phones. Good SEO setup matters too, so your site actually shows up when someone searches for what you offer. A blog isn’t essential at first, but it’s one of the best long-term tools for driving organic traffic.
Will my website show up on Google?
Not automatically — launching a website doesn’t guarantee Google will rank it. Showing up in search results requires a combination of things: your site needs to be technically sound so Google can crawl it, your content needs to use the words and phrases your customers are actually searching, and ideally you’ll have some local signals like a Google Business Profile and mentions of your location. A well-built WordPress website with proper SEO setup gives you a strong foundation. From there, consistent content — even a few well-written blog posts or service pages — makes a significant difference over time. If a web designer promises you the number one spot on Google, be cautious. If they explain how they set up your site to be found and what you can do after launch to keep improving, that’s a good sign.
What is AI search optimization and does my business need it?
AI search optimization — sometimes called AEO or generative engine optimization — is the process of structuring your website so that AI tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, and Perplexity can understand your business and recommend it to people asking relevant questions. When someone types “who’s a good web designer in Cranbrook?” into ChatGPT, the answer it gives is pulled from websites it can read and trust. If your site has clear, well-structured information about what you do, where you are, and who you help — along with technical signals like schema markup — you’re much more likely to be cited. It’s not a separate thing from regular SEO; it builds on the same foundation. But it does require specific technical steps that many older websites don’t have in place. Most small businesses would benefit from it, especially in regional markets where AI tools are increasingly the first place people look for local recommendations.
What's the difference between hiring a freelance web designer and a web agency?
A web agency is a company with multiple staff — project managers, designers, developers, and account managers. They can handle complex, large-scale projects and have more capacity, but you’ll often work through layers of people rather than directly with whoever is building your site. Agencies also tend to charge significantly more, with small business websites often starting at $5,000–$10,000 or higher. A freelance web designer works independently, which usually means lower costs, more direct communication, and a more personal working relationship. The tradeoff is that a freelancer has limited capacity and may have a longer queue. For most small businesses — especially those in regional areas like the Kootenays — a freelance designer with solid experience is the practical choice. You get professional results, direct access to the person doing the work, and pricing that reflects the actual scope of your project rather than agency overhead.
Get In Touch
Let's talk about your website
Fill out the form or send me an email at hello@goldfinchcreative.ca — I’ll get back to you within one business day. I’m happy to have a no-obligation conversation about what you need before you commit to anything.
Based in Kimberley, BC · Serving the East Kootenays and beyond · I respond to every message personally.