Frequently asked questions
Plain answers to what people ask me before they start: how I work, what a website costs, domains and hosting, SEO, Google Business Profiles and what happens after launch. If your question isn't here, send it to me on WhatsApp.
Working with me
Who will I actually be working with?
With me, Zubair Lone. I work on my own, so the person who answers your first message is the person who plans, builds and launches your site. Your project isn't handed over to someone you have never spoken to.
Where are you based, and do you work with clients abroad?
I'm based in Kalantra Payeen, Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir, and I build websites for businesses in Kashmir and around the world. The whole project can run online: you send your details and photos on WhatsApp or email, and you check the work on a preview link from wherever you are.
How long have you been doing web development?
Since I was a kid. I taught myself to build websites while I was still at school and never stopped. Today the work covers the website, the SEO and the Google Business Profile, because a site that nobody finds doesn't bring in enquiries.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Hotels, resorts, travel companies, schools, colleges, online stores, clinics, restaurants and small businesses of every kind. The industries page shows what I build for each one. If your business isn't listed there, ask anyway.
What do you need from me to get started?
Your business name, what you sell, where your customers are and a link to anything you already have, such as an old website or your Google listing. A few lines on what you want the site to do is enough for a first reply. The website cost calculator can turn your answers into a short brief to send me.
How will I know how the work is going?
You can ask me on WhatsApp or email at any point, and you get a preview link to check the pages on your own phone before anything goes live. Changes you want are sent the same way, so there is one conversation from start to finish.
Can I meet you in person?
If your business is in Baramulla district, I can come to you if that's easier. For clients further away, WhatsApp, calls and email work well, and a project can run from the first message to launch day without a meeting.
Cost and quotes
How much does a website cost?
There is no fixed price list. The price depends on how many pages you need, whether you want to edit the site yourself and extras such as online payments, a booking engine or business email. Tell me what you need and I'll send a quote. You know the price before any work starts.
Why don't you publish prices on the website?
Two websites that look alike on paper can need very different amounts of work. One arrives with its text and photos ready, while another needs every package page written from notes. A quote for your actual project is fairer than a price range that might not apply to you.
What costs come on top of building the site?
Your domain renewal, hosting if your site needs paid hosting, and any paid services you choose, such as business email mailboxes, a booking engine or a payment gateway's fee on each transaction. I list them before you decide, and you pay them directly, so the accounts and receipts are in your name.
How can I keep the cost down?
Have your text and photos ready, start with the pages you need now and add the rest later, and choose a plain HTML site if you won't need to edit it often, because there are no plugins to keep updated. A small site done well is a better start than a large one left half finished.
Can I hire you for just one thing, like SEO or a Google listing?
Yes. Each service can be done on its own. You can have a Google Business Profile set up without a new website, SEO on the site you already have, or business email on its own. The services page lists everything I do.
Building your website
Do you use WordPress or build sites from scratch?
Both. A plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript site is the fastest option and has very little to look after. WordPress makes sense when you want to log in and change prices, packages or notices yourself. I'll recommend one for your case, and the WordPress development page has more detail.
Will my website work well on phones?
Yes. I design every page for phones first, then check it on tablets and computers. Text is readable without zooming, buttons are big enough to tap, and your WhatsApp and call options stay easy to reach.
Do I have to write all the text myself?
No. Send me notes in your own words about what you do, who it's for and what makes you different. I turn them into clear page text and send it to you to check before anything goes live. You know your business best, so your notes are the part I can't replace.
What if I don't have professional photos?
Your own phone photos are fine if they're sharp, well lit and show your real place, team and work. I crop and resize them so they look right and load quickly. Real photos build more trust than stock pictures of people who don't work for you.
Can I see the site before it goes live?
Yes. You get a preview link to open on your own phone and computer, and you can ask for changes before launch. Nothing goes live until you're happy with it.
How long does it take to build a website?
It depends mostly on how quickly the text and photos are ready and how many pages the site needs. A small site with its content ready moves quickly. I give you a realistic date once I know what's involved, instead of a promise I can't keep.
Can you redesign my website without losing my Google traffic?
That's the main thing I plan for. Before changing anything, I check which of your pages Google already shows, then keep those addresses or redirect each one to its new page. The website redesign page explains how it works.
Can you build an online store?
Yes, on WooCommerce, on Shopify or, for a small catalogue, with plain pages and payment links. I connect your payment gateway and make sure the policy pages it checks are in place before you apply. See ecommerce website development for how I choose between them.
Can my website be in more than one language?
Yes. Key pages can have a second language version, each on its own address so visitors and Google both find the right one. A proper translation reads far better than an automatic translation widget.
Will people with disabilities be able to use my site?
That's part of how I build. I check contrast, headings, form labels and keyboard use as I go, and test pages with a screen reader. If your current site has problems, the website accessibility page covers fixing them.
Domains, hosting and email
Who owns my domain and accounts?
You do. I recommend registering the domain in your business's name with your own login, and keeping the hosting and other accounts in your name too. That way you never depend on one person to keep your website online.
Where will my website be hosted?
A plain HTML site can be served from Cloudflare Pages, which is where this website lives too. A WordPress site needs a web host that runs PHP and a database, with Cloudflare in front of it for HTTPS, caching and protection. I'll tell you what you need before anything is bought.
I already have a domain. Can I keep it?
Yes. Your new site can use the domain you already own, wherever it's registered. If you'd like to move it to another registrar, that's possible once the transfer lock is off and you have the transfer code from your current registrar.
Can I have an email address on my own domain?
Yes, an address like name@yourbusiness.com on Zoho Mail or Google Workspace. I set up the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so your mail is less likely to land in spam. The business email page explains the options.
Will moving my website stop my email working?
It shouldn't. Email depends on your domain's MX records, which stay as they are unless you're also changing email provider. I note every DNS record before a move and check that mail still arrives afterwards.
SEO and Google search
Can you guarantee first place on Google?
No, and nobody honestly can. Google decides rankings and changes how it ranks pages many times a year. I build pages Google can read, plan them around what your customers search for, and show you in Search Console which searches find you and how that changes.
How long does SEO take to show results?
Fixes to a slow or broken site can show within weeks, once Google has crawled the pages again. Ranking for competitive searches takes months of steady work. If your business is seasonal, start well before the busy months, not in the middle of them.
Do you buy backlinks?
No. Paid links, link exchanges and mass directory submissions break Google's spam policies and can hurt your site. I help you get listed where it genuinely makes sense for your kind of business and look for real mentions, such as trade associations and local press.
Will my business show up in AI answers?
Nobody controls what AI tools such as Google's AI Overviews quote. What helps is the same work that helps search: clear pages that answer real questions, business details that match everywhere they appear, and structured data that tells search engines what each page is about.
What is Google Search Console, and do I need it?
It's Google's free tool that shows which searches your site appears for, how often people click and any problems Google finds with your pages. I connect your site to it under your own Google account, so the data stays yours whoever looks after the site.
Google Business Profile and reviews
Do I need a Google Business Profile as well as a website?
If customers visit you, or you serve them in their area, it's worth having. Your profile is what shows on Google Maps and in local results, with your hours, photos and reviews. For a shop people walk into, a complete profile often matters more than the website at first. See Google Business Profile services.
Can an online store have a Google Business Profile?
Yes, many online stores have one. Google asks for some in-person contact with customers during the hours you list, and a showroom, a counter where customers collect orders or your own staff delivering locally all count. If you deliver from home, the listing can show your service areas and keep your address hidden.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every customer, not only the ones you expect to be happy, and make it easy with a short review link or a QR or NFC review card. Never offer a discount or gift in return, because that breaks Google's rules. Reply to every review calmly and specifically.
Someone else created a listing for my business. What can I do?
You can request ownership through Google. If the current owner doesn't respond, Google may hand the listing to you after you verify. It often happens with listings made by former staff or relatives, and I can take you through the steps.
My Google listing was suspended. Can you help?
Yes. I check the profile against Google's guidelines to find the likely cause, such as extra keywords in the business name, an address customers can't visit or a duplicate listing. Then I fix it and help you prepare the reinstatement request with evidence.
After launch
What happens after my website goes live?
I make sure the site is connected to Google Search Console, that forms and WhatsApp buttons reach you and, if it replaced an older site, that the old addresses redirect properly. After that, you can make changes yourself on WordPress or send them to me, and I can look after the site through website maintenance.
Can I update the website myself?
On WordPress, yes: you log in and edit text, prices and photos from the dashboard. On a plain HTML site, you send me the change and I publish it, which keeps the site light and stops anything breaking by accident.
How quickly can you make changes after launch?
Small edits such as a new price, phone number or photo are usually quick once I have the details. A new page or section gets a date once you and I have agreed what's involved. If something is broken, that comes first.
My website was hacked. Can you fix it?
Yes. Start by changing the passwords for your hosting, domain registrar and site admin. Then I clean the site or restore it from a clean backup, find how the attacker got in and close that gap. The website security page has more.
Can you take over a website someone else built?
Yes, once I have the logins for the domain, the hosting and, on WordPress, an administrator account. I look through the site first and tell you plainly what needs fixing before regular updates make sense.
How do I contact you?
WhatsApp or call +91 95963 20118, email support@zubairlone.com, or use the form on the contact page. Tell me a little about your business and what you need, and I'll reply with the questions I need answered.
Still have a question?
Send it to me with a line about your business. I'll answer it and tell you what I'd do first.