Footbridge Media lists $249 a month with the website included and no long-term contract. Hook Agency lists $3,750 a month for local search and AI-answer work, and sells its standard website only with a recurring service. Scorpion publishes no price and says it typically requires a 12-month contract. That's what each firm's own website said on November 1, 2026. We're Space & Story, and we sell one of the options in the tables below, so our own terms are in them too. Nothing here is ranked.
The tables below answer three questions to settle before signing: the price, the contract and who owns the website. A contractor-marketing firm builds websites and runs search marketing for trades and builders. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is work to rank in Google. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is work to get a business named in AI answers such as ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews. For what that costs across the market, see what it costs to show up in AI answers.
Every fact below comes from the firm's own public pages. We read them without logging in, filling in a form or calling sales. Prices appear in the currency each page shows, and nothing is converted. Where a page shows only "$", so do we.
Last checked November 1, 2026. The next check is due by February 1, 2027.
What each firm published on November 1, 2026
Firms are in alphabetical order, and ours is last. Each cell links the page it came from.
What does it cost?
| Firm | Price, as published |
|---|---|
| Footbridge Media | $249 a month, with the website "included at no cost in our monthly fee". The page shows no currency. Homepage, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Green Lotus | AEO & SEO Services "From $2,990 /m", with "Free Smart Site Design Included". No currency on that plan. Pay Per Lead, for licensed home services and other local businesses "By Application only": "$490 /m", "+ $699 onetime setup fee." and "+ $1,000 to $3,000 /m Google ad spend (paid directly to Google).", under an "Order in CAD" button. Pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Hook Agency | Local SEO + AEO $3,750 a month. Standard Website $1,000 a month, "$12K Total - Split into 12 Months". Custom Website $2,000 a month, "$24K Total". The page shows no currency. Pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| ResolvOps | Websites "From $1,950, one-time", with Business Pro at $2,950 and Elite from $5,000. Its pricing page says "All prices are in Canadian dollars (CAD) unless stated otherwise." Barrie web design page and pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Scorpion | No published price. "The investment you decide to make with Scorpion depends on your business goals." Home services page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Thrive Agency | SEO for small businesses "Starting at $500/month". No price for its own website builds on the pages we read. The page shows no currency. SEO pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Space & Story (us) | Story build CA$5,000, one-time, "Up to 15 pages", plus a plan "From CA$300/mo". In Canadian dollars, plus HST: "CAD · Plus HST · Monthly plan required". Our pricing page, checked November 2, 2026 |
How long are you tied in?
| Firm | Contract, as published |
|---|---|
| Footbridge Media | "No long-term contracts here. We work month-to-month." A refund if you cancel "within the first 90 days". Homepage FAQ, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Green Lotus | AEO & SEO Services: "4 Month Commitment". Pay Per Lead: "No Contracts". Its homepage says "No Contract For All Services". Pricing page and homepage, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Hook Agency | Contract length not stated. The Standard Website is "Only available when paired w/ a recurring service". Pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| ResolvOps | Website fees are "due in full before work begins". AI front desk plans start with a 3-month trial, then "a 1-year agreement". Pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Scorpion | "Scorpion typically requires a 12-month contract for our marketing technology and certain marketing services". Home services FAQ, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Thrive Agency | "We offer month-to-month contracts." SEO pricing page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Space & Story (us) | "Plans are month-to-month, with no setup fee." "The build is half up front and half on launch." A Story build needs at least the CA$300 Local plan. Our pricing page, checked November 2, 2026 |
Who owns the website if you leave?
| Firm | Ownership, as published |
|---|---|
| Footbridge Media | Its FAQ asks "Does Footbridge Media own my website if I cancel?" The answer starts "Nope." Homepage FAQ, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Green Lotus | Not stated on the three pages we read: pricing, homepage and website design, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Hook Agency | "You own your website 100%". Pricing page FAQ, checked November 1, 2026 |
| ResolvOps | "You own it forever." Hosting is "set up in your name". Barrie web design page, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Scorpion | "You own your website after the length of your contract with Scorpion is complete." The same answer says you won't own the underlying system the site runs on, and that when you work with Scorpion, the domains, content and imagery are yours. Home services FAQ, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Thrive Agency | Not stated on the two pages we read: SEO pricing and web design, checked November 1, 2026 |
| Space & Story (us) | "You own your code, content and domain." Our pricing page, checked November 2, 2026 |
The tables quote sales and pricing pages. A signed contract can say more, so read it before you pay. For what a contractor website costs across the Canadian market, see our contractor website cost guide.
What else the same pages say
- Footbridge Media: the FAQ adds that if you cancel, it will help you "take your site with you". (Homepage)
- Green Lotus: the AEO & SEO plan is described as "Ideal for eCommerce & Enterprise companies". Pay Per Lead includes a one-page "Lead Engine Website" and puts the ad spend at $1,000 to $3,000 a month, paid to Google. A third plan, Custom AI Team, is $390 a month in Canadian dollars, with "No Contracts". (Pricing page)
- Hook Agency: standard websites are built on the "Hook code base" and hosted by Hook. The page also says "Most Hook clients invest $5,000 to $8,000 a month across search, paid ads and their website." (Pricing page)
- ResolvOps: AI front desk plans are listed at $397, $647 or $997 a month, plus a setup fee. Every plan "starts with a discounted 3-month trial", and after it "your plan continues at standard pricing on a 1-year agreement". The page doesn't say whether the listed prices are the trial or the standard ones. After the trial, cancelling takes "30-day written notice", and leaving early means "remaining months billed at 50%". (Pricing page)
- Scorpion: the FAQ says you don't own the underlying system the site runs on. It says a client who moves on "after fulfilling their contract" gets key accounts such as Google Analytics, plus the site's static files, design assets and content, and rebuilds the site with another vendor. Ads such as Google Ads and Local Services Ads are typically month to month. (Home services page)
Five questions to ask any of them
If I leave, what do I take with me?
The answers above differ. Scorpion says you own the website once the contract ends, but not the system it runs on, and that the domains, content and imagery are yours. A client who leaves gets the site's static files and design assets and rebuilds it elsewhere. ResolvOps says it hands over the code. Whoever you hire, get these in your own name, in writing:
- The domain registrar account.
- The hosting account.
- An export of the code, or of the content management system.
- Your content and photos.
- Admin access to your Google Business Profile and your analytics.
Our hiring questions cover what a good answer sounds like.
What do I owe if I leave early?
The terms above run from month to month, to a 4-month commitment, to a 12-month contract. ResolvOps publishes its early-exit cost for its AI plans: "remaining months billed at 50%". The pages we read for Green Lotus and Scorpion give no early-exit cost. Ask for the amount in dollars, for the month you might leave.
Can I buy the website without a monthly service?
ResolvOps sells the website as "a one-time purchase". Hook's Standard Website is "Only available when paired w/ a recurring service". Ours needs a plan too: our pricing page says "Monthly plan required".
Which currency is that, and is tax included?
Footbridge, Hook and Thrive show "$" with no currency. So does Green Lotus's AEO & SEO plan, while its other plans are priced in Canadian dollars. ResolvOps says its prices are in Canadian dollars, and so are ours, with HST added. Ask about the currency, and about Ontario's Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), before you compare two numbers.
Can I read the contract before I pay?
A sales page is a summary, and the contract sets the notice period, what you own and when you own it. Ask for it before any money moves. That goes for us too.
When to choose something else
Our row is one option. Going by what each firm publishes, these are cases where another firm in the tables fits better.
- You want to spend less up front. ResolvOps lists websites from $1,950, one-time. Footbridge lists $249 a month with the website included. Our Story build is CA$5,000, plus a monthly plan from CA$300, before HST.
- You want one payment and no monthly bill. ResolvOps says the website is "a one-time purchase", and hosting is paid to your own host. We require a monthly plan with every build.
- You want your ads run for you. Hook lists Google Ads and Local Services Ads from $2,000 a month, and Meta Ads from $3,000 a month. Green Lotus's Pay Per Lead plan includes "Full Google Guarantee Ads management". Our pricing page lists no ad management.
- You want your calls answered for you. ResolvOps lists its AI front desk from $397 a month plus a $550 setup fee. Green Lotus lists a "Voice AI Receptionist" in its Custom AI Team plan at $390 a month. Our pricing page lists no call answering.
How we checked
On November 1, 2026 we opened each firm's pricing page or main sales page and copied its wording on price, contract and ownership. Where we quote, the words are the firm's own. Where a page didn't say, the tables say "not stated" and link the pages we read. Our own rows quote our pricing page, and carry the date we last changed it, since we set those prices ourselves.
We'll check every row again by February 1, 2027, then every three months, and the "Last checked" date at the top will change only when we do. If a firm has changed its page or we got something wrong, tell us through our contact page and we'll check it again.