Questions
Questions from business owners, answered in the first line
Is it required, is it allowed, what does it cost, how long does it take? The answer in the first sentence, the exceptions and the numbers below it.
The questions business owners ask us most, about e-invoicing, cookies, Google, AI and websites in Belgium and the EU. The first sentence is the answer: yes, no, yes if or no unless for a yes-or-no question, the answer itself for a how or why question.
Below it who gets a different answer, what the rule or the price says exactly, and what you do next. Search for your question or browse by theme.
Questions by theme
Type a word or pick a theme. Every question shows its answer in one sentence.
Getting found
- NoCan I buy Google reviews?No: Google bans paid and rewarded reviews and removes them, and buying or commissioning fake reviews is illegal in the EU since 2022, in the UK since 2025 and fined in the US.
- No, unlessCan I remove Google reviews?No, unless the review breaks Google's rules, such as spam, a conflict of interest, hate or content not based on a real experience: then you report it, and an honest negative review stays up.
- Yes, ifDo I need an SEO specialist or not?Yes, if your market or your site goes beyond the basics: a local business with little competition gets far on its own, but with tough competition, a large or multilingual site or a site move, a specialist pays for itself.
- Why is my Google Business Profile not showing?Usually the profile is not verified yet, suspended for breaking a Google rule or still too new, or the searcher is too far away and uses words your profile does not contain.
- Why does Google Business Profile verification fail?Usually because what you show or provide does not match the method Google chose: a video that proves too little, a number behind a phone menu, a postcard code that became invalid, or a second profile next to the first.
- Yes, ifCan you have a Google Business Profile without an address?Yes, if you go to your customers: you hide your address and set up to 20 towns, postcodes or areas as your service area. If customers come to you, your address should be visible.
- How long until my website shows on Google?A new site usually enters Google's index within a few days to a couple of weeks; being found on your customers' search terms, without your name, takes weeks to months.
- YesIs Google Business Profile free?Yes: creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free, and a better spot in the regular map results is not for sale; you only pay if you start ads yourself.
- NoIs SEO dead in 2026?No: Google still handles about 9 in 10 searches in Europe and AI assistants often take their sources from the same results; a top position does bring fewer clicks than before, so the work shifts.
- Why are Google reviews disappearing?Usually Google's spam filter removes a review that looks like fake engagement, the review is still being checked, or two profiles were merged; sometimes the writer deletes the review or their account.
Websites and webshops
- Yes, ifCan I build my own online store?Yes, if what you sell fits a standard theme: on Shopify, Wix or WooCommerce a simple store goes online in a weekend, without writing code.
- Yes, ifDo I need a website for my business?Yes, if customers who do not know you yet need to find or check you before they call: your own site is the only place you control that Google, AI assistants and hesitating buyers all read.
- How long does it take to build a website?A one-pager often takes two to three weeks, a business site four to eight and a multilingual site six to twelve; your copy and decisions set the pace more than the build does.
- How long does it take to build an online store?A small store on a platform like Shopify usually takes three to six weeks, a custom store with integrations six to twelve, and your product data sets the pace.
- Yes, ifCan you transfer a domain name without email downtime?Yes, if you set up every DNS record at the new registrar first: you move a domain with an authorisation code from the current registrar or registry, and the transfer itself takes hours to a few days.
- Yes, ifIs an online store worth it?Yes, if what you keep per order covers your fixed costs: at 703 euro a month and 28 euro kept per order you need 26 orders a month before you earn anything.
- NoIs Shopify free?No: after three free days and three months at 1 euro you pay at least Basic, 24 euro a month on yearly billing in the euro area, plus a fee on every payment you receive.
- No, unlessIs Wix free for a business website?No, unless a Wix banner and a wixsite.com address do not bother you: building is free, but your own domain without ads starts at Light, 14 euro a month excluding VAT in the euro area.
- YesIs WooCommerce free?Yes, the plugin itself is free and open source, with no subscription and no cut of your sales; what a working store costs sits in hosting, payments and upkeep.
- Yes, ifIs WordPress safe?Yes, if you keep it updated: WordPress core is rarely the problem, the plugins you install on top are, and a known flaw gets exploited within hours.
- Yes, ifMoving a website to a new host: can it be done without damage?Yes, if you follow the order: set up and test the new hosting first, then switch your DNS with a short TTL, and with new addresses redirect every old URL with a 301 for at least a year.
- What does a web designer do?A web designer designs how your site looks and works: the page structure, the first screen, the buttons and the phone version; building, copy and findability are often done by others.
- Why are my emails going to spam, and how do I fix it?Usually because your domain cannot prove the mail is yours: DMARC is missing, SPF leaves out a sending tool, or DKIM is off. Gmail has required these since 2024, Outlook since May 2025.
- Why is my online store not selling?An online store that is not selling almost always loses people in one of three places: too few visitors arrive, they put nothing in the cart, or they leave at checkout, and your own analytics show which.
- Why is WordPress so slow?Usually not because of WordPress itself but because of how it runs: cheap shared hosting, no page cache, a heavy page builder with many plugins or an old PHP version, so the server rebuilds every page.
Advertising and marketing
- What is the best time to post on LinkedIn for B2B?Tuesday to Thursday between 11 am and 5 pm in your buyer's local time. For a UK and continental audience at once, post between noon and 5 pm Central European Time, which is 11 am to 4 pm in London.
- What is the best time to post on social media?On average Tuesday to Thursday afternoons, in your audience's local time: Instagram between 1 and 7 pm, TikTok between 2 and 6 pm, Facebook between 12 and 8 pm, LinkedIn between 11 am and 5 pm.
- How does Google Ads work for local businesses?You choose which search terms your ad appears for, which area around your business and how much you spend per day, and you only pay when someone clicks or calls.
- How to use social media for business?Pick one or two channels where your customer spends time, post there on a fixed rhythm, and send the reach to your site.
- No, unlessIs Google Ads free?No, unless you are a registered nonprofit that gets Ad Grants: the account is free, but you pay for every click, with no minimum budget.
- What is a good CTR in Google Ads?For search ads the average sits around 6.6 percent, with industries roughly between 5.5 and 7.6 percent; if you are clearly lower, your ad does not match what people search for.
AI
- What do the AI literacy requirements of the EU AI Act ask of your company?Measures that give your staff a working understanding of the AI they use, in proportion to the risk: since 2 February 2025, still after the 2026 Digital Omnibus, but without a mandated level, certificate or test.
- NoDo I need an AI policy for my business?No, a written AI policy is not required anywhere in the EU, but AI literacy is: if your staff use ChatGPT, Copilot or another AI tool for work, you make sure they understand what it does.
- How to build a chatbot?A simple AI chatbot you build in an afternoon with a tool and your own FAQ; a chatbot that answers from your documents or talks to your calendar and CRM you build custom in a few weeks.
- Yes, ifIs ChatGPT safe for business?Yes, if you use a business plan and agree what may go in: on Business and Enterprise your input does not train models by default and you manage the accounts; on free and personal plans what you type may train models.
- Which chatbot is European?Le Chat by the French company Mistral is the best-known chatbot from a European company; ChatGPT Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Copilot keep your data in Europe but remain American companies under US law.
Software
- How do you turn a website into an app?You turn a website into an app as a web app without a store, as an app shell for the App Store and Google Play, or as a native app for heavy phone use.
- How long does ERP implementation take?An ERP implementation usually takes one to three months for a business of up to ten users and three to six months up to fifty users, while large projects averaged more than a year in measurements.
- Yes, ifIs HubSpot free?Yes, if two users and 1,000 contacts are enough: HubSpot's free CRM has no time limit, but puts its logo on your emails and forms, and more users are paid per seat.
- Yes, ifIs Lovable good for real apps?Yes, if you know where the platform stops: for a prototype or a site without client data Lovable is good enough, but with login, client data and payments someone must check the database access rules before you go live.
- Yes, ifIs n8n free?Yes, if you host it yourself for your own business: the Community Edition costs no licence, but it does cost a server and your time; n8n's cloud starts at 20 euro a month billed yearly.
- Yes, ifIs Odoo free?Yes, if one app is enough: with One App Free you use one Odoo app free, for unlimited users; from the second app you pay per user for everything.
- Which software for Peppol?The right software depends on where your invoices are made: in an invoicing, accounting or ERP package Peppol is usually built in, while invoices from your own planning tool, webshop or platform need an integration with a certified access point.
- Why outsource software development?You outsource software development for skills you lack, for a start within weeks instead of months of hiring, for work that does not fill a permanent job, and only then for a lower hourly rate.
Running a business
- NoAre there website grants in Belgium?No, in October 2026 Flanders has no grant left that pays for an ordinary website: the SME growth subsidy has no new calls and the SME wallet is ending; what remains runs through tax.
- What does a marketing agency do?A marketing agency makes sure the right customers find and choose you, through your website, Google, ads, social media and content; because the title is not protected, what you get varies widely between agencies.
- When should you capitalize website costs?You capitalize website costs when you buy something that lasts years, such as building a site, online store or portal, and depreciate it; hosting, upkeep, copy and ads are expensed in the year itself.
Rules and obligations
- No, unlessAre Google Fonts GDPR compliant?No, not when your site loads them from Google's servers without the visitor's consent: a Munich court ruled in 2022 that this passes the IP address to Google unlawfully. Hosted on your own domain, Google Fonts raise no GDPR issue.
- No, unlessCan I use images from Google on my website?No, unless you hold a licence or permission: a photo is protected by copyright from the moment it is taken, and Google only shows images that belong to others. Credit alone is not permission.
- YesMust your company number be on your website?Yes: every EU business site shows its registration number, name, address, email and any VAT number; Belgian companies add legal form, seat and register court.
- Yes, ifDo I need a cookie banner?Yes, if your site uses cookies or similar techniques that are not strictly necessary, such as Google Analytics, a Meta pixel or an embedded YouTube video: then you ask consent first, with a button to reject everything.
- YesDo I need a privacy policy on my website?Yes: once your website processes personal data, and a contact form, a newsletter or analytics already counts, the GDPR requires you to tell visitors what you do with their data, in a privacy policy.
- What are the European Accessibility Act website requirements?Since 28 June 2025 a site where EU consumers buy or book must meet WCAG 2.1 AA, unless you are a microenterprise; a site without sales falls outside.
- NoIs a website disclaimer required?No, EU law does not require a website disclaimer; it does require your company details, a privacy policy if you process personal data and, for a webshop, your terms of sale.
- Yes, ifIs Peppol mandatory in Belgium?Yes, if you are a VAT-registered business established in Belgium invoicing another Belgian VAT-registered business: since 1 January 2026 that invoice must be a structured e-invoice, in practice sent over Peppol.
- No, unlessDo non-profits in Belgium need Peppol?No, unless your non-profit has a Belgian VAT number: without VAT duties it is out of scope, but one that sells taxed services to Belgian businesses sends those invoices over Peppol since 2026 and must be able to receive.
- YesDo small businesses in Belgium need Peppol?Yes: with an active Belgian VAT number you must be able to send and receive e-invoices over Peppol since 1 January 2026, also as a sole trader, as a side business and under the small business exemption.
- No, unlessDo you need Peppol without a VAT number?No, unless you also make taxed supplies: without a Belgian VAT number, or with VAT-exempt work only, as for most doctors and physiotherapists, you do not have to send or receive Peppol e-invoices.
Your customers' questions, answered on your own site
What your customers ask on the phone, others type into Google. We give each question its own page with the answer in the first sentence, the exceptions and the way to you.
- Questions chosen on what buyers really search, with proof
- The answer first, then the exceptions and the figures from the source
- Every question linked to your service and your contact form
Tell us where you stand.
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