Search "web design company Dubai" and you will find more agencies than you can call. Most have a nice portfolio page. Fewer will answer straight questions straight.
These ten questions work for any agency, including us.
1. Can I see three live sites you built?
Not mock-ups, not screenshots. Live sites you can open on your phone. Then look at them on mobile data and see how fast they load.
2. Is the price fixed, and is it in writing?
"Starting from" is a starting point, not a price. Ask for one figure for the scope you agreed, in writing.
3. Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the files?
The answer should be you. If the domain is registered in the agency's name, leaving them later becomes very hard.
4. What does it cost every month after launch?
Hosting, security updates, backups and small changes cost money. Ask what is included, what is extra, and how you cancel.
5. How many rounds of changes are included?
Two rounds on the design is normal. Unlimited changes usually means the price was padded, or the second half of the project will be slow.
6. Who will I actually talk to?
A sales manager in the first meeting and a junior developer you never meet is common. Ask who does the work and how you reach them.
7. How do you handle Arabic?
Ask who writes the Arabic. A professional translator is the right answer. Machine translation pasted into a template is not. Ask whether the layout flips properly right to left. Our Arabic and English websites page explains what is involved.
8. Which payment gateway will my shop use?
For a shop, ask which provider and whether it supports your country. Stripe and Shopify Payments work for UAE businesses, but not for Qatar ones. Our payment gateway guide has the details.
9. Can I edit the site myself?
Changing a price or a photo should not need a ticket. Ask to see the editor before you sign.
10. What happens if I want to leave?
You should get the files, the logins and the domain, with no exit fee. If the agency hesitates, that tells you something.
Local or remote?
A Dubai agency can visit your office. A remote studio usually costs less and can work just as well over video calls and WhatsApp, if the answers to the ten questions are good.
We are remote, from Sri Lanka, and we say so. Our answers: live work, a published dirham price list, you own everything, Arabic only with a translator, and WhatsApp to the people who build your site. See web design in Dubai.