These guides are written for owners and managers of Canadian service businesses who are planning or improving a booking website. They explain the rules that apply, the decisions you need to make and the details that tend to go wrong. Where a guide states a fact or a rule, it links to the source so you can check it.
Planning a booking site
What a booking website needs
A checklist of pages, rules, messages, policies and privacy points before you open bookings.
Booking platform or custom build
A neutral comparison and the questions that decide which suits your business.
Booking website cost in Canada
Price ranges published by Canadian firms in 2026, and what drives the cost.
Google Business Profile booking links
Booking links you add compared with links supplied by scheduling partners.
Rules and compliance
CASL and appointment reminders
How the anti-spam law treats confirmations and reminders, and where marketing begins.
Booking forms and privacy
PIPEDA, provincial laws, Quebec's Law 25 and health information on booking forms.
Deposits and cancellation policies
Deciding on deposits, writing clear policies and showing the real price upfront.
Payment security for deposits
Hosted payment pages, embedded forms and the 2025 SAQ A script criterion.
Getting the details right
Time zones and daylight saving
The 2026 clock changes province by province, and how to store and show times safely.
Accessible date pickers
Keyboard patterns, screen reader announcements and WCAG 2.2 for booking calendars.
How these guides are written
Each guide is researched against primary sources where they exist: legislation, regulators, standards bodies and official documentation. Secondary sources, such as law firm summaries, and commercial sources, such as agency price guides, are labelled as such in each source list. Our editorial policy explains how we check and correct content. The guides are general information about website design and do not replace advice from a lawyer, accountant or your professional regulator.
If a guide raises questions about your own booking setup, the booking planner turns them into a brief, and the contact page explains how to reach us.