Pricing
How pricing actually works
We don't publish a price list, because a fixed number set before we've seen your business is a guess dressed up as a fact. What we can tell you is exactly how a number gets built: which model applies to the work you need, what actually moves it up or down, and, where we have real figures, what ad spend looks like for GTA businesses. Every engagement is scoped and put in writing before you commit to anything.
The models
How we price
Every service falls into one of three pricing models, depending on the kind of work it is.
Project-based build work
Websites, Shopify stores, brand & launch studio
One scope, one fixed price, agreed in writing before anything starts. What is included is written down: pages, features, and deliverables, so the number does not move once work begins. Build timelines follow the same logic as the price: a website runs 2–4 weeks, a Shopify build runs 3–6 weeks, and a full brand and launch package runs 4–6 weeks, depending on how much there is to build.
Monthly retained work
SEO, social media marketing, CRM consulting & support
Ongoing work is billed as a recurring fee for the work itself: content, optimization, reporting, and account management. SEO and social media run as continuous programs, while CRM consulting setup takes 2–6 weeks before shifting into ongoing support. Either way, what is covered by the fee is scoped upfront.
Ad management with media spend
PPC, Google Ads, Meta Ads
Two numbers, kept separate: what you pay us to manage the account, and what you spend on ads, which goes straight into your own ad account. Google and Meta campaigns typically launch within 1–2 weeks, and PPC campaigns can go live within a week once accounts are approved. We tell you honestly what ad spend level makes sense for your market before you commit to either number.
The variables
What drives the number
These are the real factors that move a quote, in either direction.
Scope and number of pages
A five-page site and a fifty-product Shopify catalogue are different builds. We ask how many pages, product types, or screens are actually needed before pricing anything.
Whether content and photography exist
Writing copy and producing photography from scratch takes real time. If you already have usable brand assets, copy, or product photos, the number reflects that.
Integrations and migrations
Connecting to your existing CRM, migrating a store off another platform, or pulling clean data out of spreadsheets all add real work. A clean build is simpler than one that has to talk to several other systems.
Number of locations
A single-location business and a multi-location business need different Google Business Profiles and local content for each address. More locations means more scope.
Ad spend level
For paid media, our management fee scales with the size and complexity of the account, not with how much you spend on ads. The ad spend itself is your budget, sized to your market and goals.
Ongoing support
Some clients want us managing the work continuously; others want a build handed off with documentation and light support. Every service includes a post-launch support window, and how much help you want after that changes the number.
Real numbers
Ad spend guidance
This is the one place on this page with actual dollar figures, because it's the one place where we publish them for our own services.
PPC & Paid Advertising
No surprises
What every engagement includes
Scoped and priced in writing
Before any work starts, you get a written scope and a number attached to it, not a verbal estimate.
You own every account
Every domain, ad account, and number stays in your name. Nothing here locks you to us.
Clear reporting
Reporting tied to real numbers, calls, bookings, rankings, ad spend, not vanity metrics.
Timing confirmed upfront
You know when work starts and roughly when it lands before you commit to anything.
Pricing questions GTA owners actually ask
Why doesn't Social Dots publish prices on this page?
A public price list sets an anchor before we know your scope, and it either scares off a great-fit project over a misleading number or undersells a complex one. We would rather understand your specific business first, then give you a number that actually means something.
How is a website, Shopify store, or brand launch priced?
As project-based work: one scope, one fixed price, agreed in writing before anything starts. The number moves with how many pages or product types you need, whether content and photography already exist, and what has to integrate or migrate from your current setup.
How is ongoing work like SEO, social media, or CRM management priced?
As a monthly fee covering the recurring work: content, optimization, reporting, and account management. It scales with how many channels or locations you're running and how much ongoing support you want from us versus handling internally.
What's the minimum ad spend to run Google or Meta ads in Toronto?
For Google Ads in the GTA we recommend a starting budget of $1,500–2,000/month in ad spend; small campaigns typically run $1,500–3,000/month and mid-market accounts run $3,000–10,000/month. That budget is separate from our management fee and goes directly into your own ad account.
Do I pay anything for the initial conversation?
No. Every engagement starts with a free Booking Gap Snapshot, where we look at your site, visibility, and booking flow and tell you what we'd actually recommend. You get a scoped number after that conversation, not before it.
What do you need from me to get an accurate number?
A short conversation about what you're trying to fix, what already exists (a current site, brand assets, an ad account, a CRM), and how many pages, locations, or channels are involved. From there we put a fixed price or a monthly figure in writing.
Ready to see your number?
Tell us what you're trying to fix. We'll scope it properly and put a fixed price or a monthly figure in writing before anything starts.