Ontario SEO · Remote from Edmonton
SEO for Ontario Businesses
Eastern time
Or run a free SEO audit on your current site.
The short version
We are Edmonton based and work remotely with businesses across Ontario, from Toronto and Ottawa to Hamilton, London and Windsor. Ontario is the biggest market we serve and, for clinics, the one with the most varied rules.
Ontario has 26 health colleges for 27 professions and no single testimonial rule, a health privacy law with real penalties, and an accessibility report deadline at the end of 2026. Here is how each of those shapes an Ontario website, and how we do SEO inside them.
How we work
Working in Eastern time
Most of Ontario is on Eastern time, and the part west of 90 degrees west uses Central time. Your morning starts before ours, so we book calls in your working day, not ours.
The rest happens by email, shared documents and video, with a plain monthly report so you always know what changed.
What is different in Ontario
PHIPA, PIPEDA and clinic booking forms
Ontario has no general private sector privacy law, so PIPEDA applies to most businesses. For clinics, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) applies to health information custodians, including health care practitioners and group practices.
- Health details on a booking form are personal health information, and your web, form and CRM vendors act as your agents.
- Section 33: no using personal health information for marketing without express consent. That means no feeding booking form data into newsletters or retargeting ads without it.
- Section 12: keep safeguards in place, notify patients at the first reasonable opportunity of loss or misuse, report prescribed breaches to the IPC, and send annual breach statistics to the IPC by March 1.
- Since January 1, 2024, the IPC can issue penalties of up to $50,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations.
Advertising rules for Ontario clinics
There is no single Ontario rule on testimonials or reviews. Each college decides, and the answers range from "allowed with conditions" to "not even on social media".
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Chiropractors
College of Chiropractors of Ontario standard S-016 (February 21, 2025) allows testimonials with conditions: specific to a member only on the member's own site, with written consent and a results may vary disclaimer. No comparisons or guarantees, no soliciting potential patients by telemarketing or electronic methods, and members are responsible for agency content.
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Pharmacies
The Ontario College of Pharmacists bans testimonials, comparative statements and endorsements. Inducements of more than nominal value tied to drugs or services are a conflict of interest, and there are no loyalty points on prescriptions.
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Massage therapists
The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario standard (September 8, 2026) bans testimonials by anyone, and members should take steps to disable testimonial functions on social media. No superiority comparisons, no specialist claims, and fees posted before service.
CMTO advertising and social media standard SEO for Massage Therapists
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Audiologists
CASLPO bans testimonials and says members must not solicit or include reviews in advertising, so no review links or incentives. No comparative or superlative language or "specialist", free offers must be genuinely free, and no gift cards for referrals.
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Hearing instrument practitioners
Not a regulated health profession in Ontario, but ADP vendors must follow ADP Policy 415: no soliciting for new devices unless the client initiates, and no stating ADP amounts.
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Dentists
An RCDSO advisory bans testimonials, superiority or "state of the art" claims, contests and free services. Advertised fees are maximum and all inclusive.
What this means for our work: Ontario massage therapists and audiologists get no review requests and no testimonials, chiropractors only get testimonials on their own site with consent and a disclaimer, and booking form data never goes into a marketing list without express consent.
AODA, online sales and language
Under the AODA, organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario must meet WCAG 2.0 AA on their websites, a rule in place since 2021. The customer service standard applies to organizations with 1 or more employees, and businesses with 20 or more employees file an accessibility compliance report every 3 years, next due December 31, 2026.
The Consumer Protection Act, 2002 still governs online sales, because the 2023 Act is not yet in force as of October 2026. Internet agreements over $50 need disclosure, express acceptance and a copy of the agreement, and gift cards can't expire.
The French Language Services Act covers government agencies, not private businesses.
Ontario listings and links
The Ontario Business Registry offers free searches of basic business information, so make sure your record matches your Google profile and website.
Your local chamber listing is another consistent citation, and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce links the province's chambers together.
Sources
- CCO standards of practice
- OCP practice insight on advertising
- CMTO advertising and social media standard
- CASLPO advertising standards
- ADP policies and procedures
- RCDSO advertising guidelines
- Personal Health Information Protection Act
- IPC Ontario: report a privacy breach
- Ontario Regulation 256/24 (pharmacy)
- Ontario: how to make websites accessible
- Ontario: accessibility compliance report
- Consumer Protection Act, 2002
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check with your regulator.
Our approach
How our SEO works for Ontario businesses
Pages that compete in a big market
One page per service, written for the specific searches you can win in your part of Ontario rather than broad terms the largest firms own.
Google profile
Categories, services, photos and weekly posts, matched to your Ontario Business Registry record.
Reviews by college
Each Ontario college gets its own approach, from a simple request where allowed to no requests at all.
Consent first
Booking data stays out of email lists and ad audiences unless the patient expressly agrees.
Pricing
Same prices in Ontario
Ongoing SEO is $500 a month for any business. If we built your site, the SEO foundations are already in it. If you have a site now, you give us access and we work on it directly, plus your Google profile, listings, reviews and links. If a franchise or head office controls your site, we focus on that off-site work. Websites with SEO built in start at $499, and most businesses fit Grow at $1,499.
Every other service works the same way in Ontario: small business website design, website maintenance, the CRM portal, social media management, UX audits and AI Studio.
See how we work with businesses across Canada, or start with a free SEO audit.
FAQ
Ontario questions
Can my Ontario clinic use booking form data for newsletters or ads?
Not without express consent. Section 33 of PHIPA bars using personal health information for marketing without it, and your web and CRM vendors act as your agents.
Can Ontario massage therapists show testimonials?
No. The CMTO standard of September 8, 2026 bans testimonials by anyone, and members should take steps to disable testimonial functions on social media.
Can an Ontario audiologist send patients a review link?
No. CASLPO says members must not solicit or include reviews in advertising, which rules out review links and incentives.
When is the next AODA accessibility compliance report due?
December 31, 2026, for businesses with 20 or more employees in Ontario. Reports are due every 3 years.
How much does SEO cost for an Ontario business?
Ongoing SEO starts at $500 a month for any business, on the site you already have or one we build. Websites with SEO built in start at $499. Same published price as in Alberta, no Toronto markup.
Across Canada
Other provinces
Each province page covers its own rules on privacy, clinic advertising and online sales.
Edmonton based, working across Ontario
Let's get you found.
Not ready to talk? Run a free SEO audit.