How to Choose a Web Designer in Saudi Arabia: Questions to Ask

Choosing who designs your website is a decision that goes far beyond looks. The designer or company you pick will decide the platform your site runs on for years, its speed, how easy it is to manage, how visible it is in search — and sometimes who owns the domain and hosting. Many of the problems site owners face after launch, from a site they can’t edit to a domain registered in the developer’s name, could have been avoided with a few simple questions before signing.

This guide puts those questions in order and helps you read quotes and past work with a sharper eye.

Start with yourself: what do you actually need?

Before asking for quotes, write a one-page summary. It makes the quotes comparable, and it reveals which designers read your needs and which send a template proposal:

Goal: what should the website achieve? Quote requests, bookings, sales, introducing the company to partners and investors?
Audience: who will visit, mostly on which device, and in which language?
Pages: an initial list of pages and sections.
Features: forms, bookings, a store, a blog, two languages, integration with other systems, WhatsApp.
Content: are the texts and images ready, or do you need someone to write and photograph them?
Identity: do you have a complete visual identity, or just a logo?
Budget and deadline: an approximate budget range, and any deadline that can’t move.

If you’re not sure what standards the website should meet, read company website design standards first.

Freelancer, agency or in-house team?

Option	A good fit for	Watch out for
Freelance designer or developer	Small and medium websites, and direct contact with the person doing the work	Whether they can cover every area (design, development, content, SEO), and a backup plan if they’re busy or unavailable
Agency or company	Large, multidisciplinary projects	Who will actually do the work? Is the team you met the team that will work on your project?
In-house team	Companies that need continuous development	The fixed cost, and the need for several specialisms

No option is best in absolute terms. What matters is that the provider’s size and specialism match the project’s size and needs.

How to read past work

The portfolio is the first thing you look at — but look at it as a user, not a spectator:

Open the live sites: don’t settle for screenshots. Open the sites on your phone, navigate them, and try the forms.
Test the speed: put a few of the links into PageSpeed Insights.
Look for Arabic sites specifically: is the right-to-left layout polished? Was the Arabic typeface chosen with care? Is the English version clearly separate, if there is one?
Variety: do all the sites look alike? That may mean one template repeated regardless of the client.
Their actual role: ask what they did on each project. Did they design and build, build someone else’s design, or customise a template?
Talk to past clients if possible: about deadlines, communication and life after launch.

The questions you should ask

About the platform and technology

Which platform will the site be built on, and why is it the right one for me?
Will it be a customised ready-made theme or a custom design? (Both are fine if it’s clear and suits the budget.)
Will I be able to edit text and images and add pages myself? Does the quote include training?
How many paid plugins or apps will the site need, and what do they cost each year?

About quality

How do you ensure the site is fast on mobile?
What technical SEO does the quote include? (Titles, sitemap, structured data, redirects from the old site.)
How do you test the site before launch, and on which devices and browsers?
Does the site take accessibility into account?

About the process

What are the project stages, and when do I review and approve at each stage?
How many revision rounds are included at each stage?
Who is responsible for writing content and preparing images?
Who will be my point of contact?

Asset ownership: don’t give it up

This point alone deserves your full attention. Make sure, in writing, that:

The domain is registered in your company’s name and under your account, with access granted to the developer only when needed.
Hosting is in your name or on an account you can access — or there’s a clear agreement to transfer it to you whenever you want.
The main admin account for the site is yours, not only the developer’s.
Design files and custom code are handed over to you at the end of the project.
Licences: paid themes, plugins, fonts and images are licensed in your name, or in a way that allows continued use.
Google Analytics and Search Console accounts are in your name.

One of the most common problems site owners face: a previous developer stops responding and the domain is registered in their name. Recovering it is sometimes possible, but exhausting. Ask about this point before anything else.

How to compare quotes

Large price differences between quotes are normal, because each quote includes different things. Don’t compare the final number alone; compare:

The number of pages and page templates designed (home page, service page, article page…).
Whether the design is custom or a customised template.
Whether writing or migrating content is included.
Whether it includes two language versions, each fully designed.
Technical SEO and integration with measurement tools.
Recurring costs: hosting, plugins, apps and maintenance.
Post-launch support: how long it lasts and what it covers.

A much cheaper quote may be a ready-made template with minimal changes — which is sometimes fine if it’s stated clearly. The problem is when it’s presented as a custom design.

What should the contract include?

A detailed scope of work: pages, features and languages.
Stages and timeline, and each party’s responsibilities (such as delivering content by a set date).
The number of revision rounds, and the cost of extra changes.
A payment schedule tied to stage deliveries.
An asset and file ownership clause.
Warranty and post-launch support: fixing bugs for a defined period.
Confidentiality and data protection.
How the contract can be terminated, and handover of work completed so far.

Warning signs

A guarantee of “page one on Google” within a set time.
Refusing to explain the platform or technology being used.
Insisting on registering the domain or hosting in their own name without a clear reason.
A price quote without a single question about your needs.
A portfolio with no live links, or links to sites that don’t work.
Full payment upfront before any work begins.

After launch

A website needs care: updates, backups, security and performance monitoring, and content edits. Agree from the start who handles that — you and your team after training, the developer on a monthly maintenance contract, or another party. And if the website is part of a wider digital presence, see our article on building a brand’s digital presence.

Frequently asked questions

How much does website design cost in Saudi Arabia?

It varies a lot with the number of pages, the degree of customisation, languages, features and whether content is included. So ask for detailed quotes based on your summary of needs, and compare what each quote includes, not just the number.

Is it better to work with a freelancer or a company?

A freelancer suits small and medium projects when they’re skilled across every required area. A company suits large, multidisciplinary projects. The yardstick is past work, clarity and reliability — not size.

Does the designer need to be in my city?

Not necessarily — most of the work is done remotely. But knowledge of the Saudi market, experience with Arabic websites and availability during your working hours all matter.

What if my previous developer owns the domain?

Ask them to formally transfer it to your account. If that isn’t possible, contact the domain registrar with documents proving ownership of the business. That’s exactly why the domain should be registered in your name from the start.

Conclusion

Choosing the right web designer starts with clarity about your needs, then reading past work as a user, asking technical and process questions, comparing what quotes actually include, making sure you own the domain, hosting and files, and signing a contract that defines it all. These steps take time before you sign, but they save you a great deal afterwards.

If you’re looking for someone to design and build your website, explore the WordPress websites service, look through the work, or get in touch with a summary of your needs.