From small brands to enterprise-grade corporations, all businesses have to work with web developers because websites now are the first point of contact for customers. These developers create the basic building blocks of any organization’s digital presence.
On the other hand, even if you have a brick and mortar store, and no plans to scale in near-future, you still need a website to maintain a decent digital presence, get some foot traffic and stay relevant in times when 87% product searches start online.
If you too are a business and planning to work with a web development company in Dubai now or in future on one of your internal or client-side projects, I’ll tell you that hiring web developers of top caliber can be challenging because you’ll have to strike the right balance between price and technical expertise.
To help you with your decision-making, this article covers a list of 15 factors you should consider when hiring or outsourcing web development in Dubai.
But before that, do you really need the services of a website developer?
Because you are here reading this guide about hiring web developers, I am assuming you already know what a web developer does and is capable of. For a recap, a web developer is a software programmer that specializes in coding websites, web applications and other web-based online apps for example, ecommerce stores that run on browsers.
These web developers take design wireframes and prototypes from UI/UX designers, then use technologies like HTML and CSS to build fully-functional websites and web applications.
Now some of our clients get confused and ask us if they really need a web developer, when there are platforms like WordPress and Wix that claim to help you DIY responsive websites in 2 hours, and often for free. If that’s possible, why spend time and money to hire a professional web development agency?
Website Strategy
A template-based platform like WordPress can give you a real 10-pager website in minimal charges and under 2 hours, provided that:
- You write the website content and design images for the website
- Set up domain and hosting beforehand
- Know your way around drag and drop
But these aren’t the only things a website needs to be successful. A website needs a complete, documented strategy that outlines a SILO structure for navigation, mobile responsiveness for SEO, monetization framework, and a scaling plan for features, architecture, traffic handling and revenue through online conversion.
And a ready-made template definitely doesn’t cater to all of these factors – but a web developer starts work with this website strategy that covers the in-depth scope of your website for present and five years in future.
Customization
Template-based websites scream generic and unoriginal. While these templates are a seemingly quick and inexpensive solution, these lack the unique flair and personalized touch that will engage your target audience. A web developer, on the other hand, will tailor your website to reflect your brand messaging so it will resonate with your niche audience. Web developers know no limits – so if you can achieve a specific look, or a feature, a developer can code one for you. That’s why, hiring a professional web design and development agency will make a significant difference in the long run – both in terms of functionality and aesthetics.
How to Hire A Web Development Company in Dubai – 20 Factors to Consider
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Expertise
You must have a goal for your website, and specific plans to scale it in the future. And so, there are different technologies that help with different kinds of websites. To ensure you are working with a developer that can actually deliver work you want, you should hire one with the technical expertise to handle your website requirements.
That’s why expertise is the first box you need to check when making a hiring decision. This will ensure smoother development processes and better results.
You can scrutinize the technology stack and inquire about their proficiency in key tools and frameworks, like HTML and CSS.
If you want something more specific, for example, an online store from where you can book orders and sell, you’ll need developers’ expertise in relevant technologies like Shopify and WooCommerce.
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Location
Hiring a web development company in Dubai is your best bet because of two reasons:
- you’ll get access to top talent specialized in everything from blockchain to virtual reality to machine learning.
- the cost of website development in Dubai is competitive because of the growing IT talent pool.
For a quick reference, Dubai is one of the fastest growing technology hubs in the world, and the tech talent is growing because of the economies of scale, demand for websites and mobile apps. For quick reference, the competitive nature of the industry has impacted the hourly development rates, which are as low as $15 to $25 per hour for web development – which in comparison to the USA and UK is low. Average web development rates in American states and european countries are between $35 – $75.
With expertise and affordable hourly rates, the developers in Dubai have strong cultural alignment because it is a diverse region; they also have strong business sense as well as professional ethics. With most website development companies in Dubai, you’ll get multilingual support. If you are from the Middle East, you’d love the time zone matches and the virtual meeting schedules.
In addition, hiring from Dubai locally gives you other benefits like the opportunity to meet your developer for a coffee and discuss scope of work. You also get to save on taxes.
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Full-Cycle Coverage
Look for a web development company that provides full-cycle courage – this will save you time, money and energy in the short run as well as long run. Full-cycle development means a company would help you from discovery to design, development, launch, post-launch maintenance and on-going maintenance and development, with Search engine optimization and other methods of digital marketing your website business.
When confirming if the company is full-cycle and has expert professionals for each KPI, talk about how they handle scope of work changes, search engine optimization campaigns and content management systems.
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Portfolio
If you want to get a quick insight into the company’s design style, technical expertise, and industry experience, check the portfolio section on their official website. This will help you judge if the company’s past work aligns with your vision and requirements. By assessing a web development company’s portfolio, you can evaluate the user experience, creativity, and diversity of its past projects. Having a strong portfolio demonstrates the company’s capability to deliver on their promises. You can request live links to the showcased websites and explore them thoroughly for these five factors:
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Design Skills
When done right, website design can help business founders create memorable web experiences for their visitors, evoke emotions, drive user engagement, convert visitors into customers on the spot, and build loyalty. That’s because effective design captures attention and communicates your unique selling proposition and most importantly, guides your users through the conversion funnel without a break.
But oftentimes, Dubai’s web developers operate as teams with limited skills, so design customizations and brand-level vibrance and business essence might be missing in some portfolios you go through. That’s why, when you are going through the portfolio, check for uniformity as well as variety in design. Try to identify patterns and look for trends in the design. Look at the iconography and typography, placement of logo and use of stick images, mega menu and micro-interactions. If all looks and feels right, then you have hit the box for website design.
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User Experience
If the design impresses you, start assessing the website for the overall experience – navigation, accessibility, readability and loading speed of the website. If there are no glitches, crashes and friction – go ahead and check the menus. If it’s an ecommerce website, then evaluate the checkout process. If it’s an informational website, look at the hierarchy of content.
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Mobile responsiveness
Check how well the website adjusts to the screen size of your mobile device – ideally check the website on diverse mobile devices. This is because there is 99% mobile penetration in the Middle East and it only makes great sense to optimize the user experience for mobile devices.
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Security
Check if the websites have HTTPS, and SSL certificates. You can check if these websites are secure enough yourself, but don’t base your decision completely on this factor because security measures do have a cost and clients may choose to invest or not in such measures.
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Niche experience
Web development experience, especially in niches like real estate, healthcare, ecommerce, legal and education, is paramount as it reflects a web developer’s ability to handle niche requirements like your business website may have.
In fact, companies with diverse experiences bring valuable perspectives to the table and have to offer something in nice advice for you – most importantly, such developers can quickly offer insights and solutions to business challenges or problems you might be facing at the time of web discovery or development.
So, when checking a portfolio, look if the company has relevant niche experience and a proven track of working on websites with medium to advanced complexity.
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Social Proof and References
Social proof includes client reviews, testimonials, references and LinkedIn endorsements. They offer valuable insights into a company’s reliability, professionalism, and customer satisfaction levels.
In addition, consistent positive reviews indicate a company’s commitment to delivering high-quality services and satisfying client needs.
While I have advised you to begin your search from platforms like Sortlist and Clutch, these can be the great starting points to check your developers’ social proof as well. When you have shortlisted 3 to 5 companies based on the technical expertise and portfolio, go to their LinkedIn page. Then go to B2B review platforms, Google Business profile and social handles to check their credibility.
References, reviews and ratings from your own region, for example from UAE, or let’s say, Dubai, should validate your choice and help you make an informed decision.
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Communication
If you are outsourcing your web project, you’ll have to maintain strong and regular communication with your web developer to achieve your timelines and development KPIs. So, when choosing a company, try to work with one that has a standard, established communication process for clients. See how they update the clients about progress. Also, ask about how they handle business and technical queries on adhoc basis.
For reference, a web development company in Dubai would designate a dedicated project manager with each website. This project manager is responsible for keeping the team on track and the client posted about progress. Whatever questions you have, you should direct to the project manager and he/she coordinates accordingly.
Also, most web development companies now give their clients active access to a dashboard, or a CRM portal interface where they can see the movement in sprint plans and web development steps in real-time, with varying accesses for commenting and suggesting edits.
All in all, you have to choose a company that offers timely exchange of information, gives a transparent sneak peak into what’s going on with your website and resolves problems in time.
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Cost and Value
While cost is an important factor, the key is to prioritize value over the lowest price.
Consider the overall value proposition, including quality, expertise, and post-launch support, when evaluating pricing proposals from different companies.
I would recommend you perform a thorough cost-benefit analysis.
I have observed our clients doing so – even when they are confused between website outsourcing and staff augmentation.
As a business owner, a cost-benefit analysis will help you assess the long-term implications of your investment and you’ll make an informed decision.
Make sure to weigh the cost of website development against the capacity to deliver on their promises and provide tangible benefits that justify the cost.
Moreover, take quotes in black and white documentation to avoid potential pitfalls, such as hidden fees, subpar quality, or inadequate support.
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Timeline
Discuss project milestones and deadlines with potential companies to align expectations and avoid unnecessary delays.
Remember that a well-defined timeline
- serves as a roadmap for project execution, guides the development process and facilitates effective resource allocation.
- allows stakeholders to track progress, monitor performance, and identify potential bottlenecks or obstacles early on.
- Creates a sense of accountability
- promotes transparency
- minimizes the risk of project scope creep and timeline extensions.
By setting clear expectations upfront, businesses can mitigate risks and ensure successful project outcomes.
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Scalability
Developing a website to achieve your online conversion and revenue targets for the next 6, 9, 12, 24 and 36 months is a thing – laying its groundwork sustainable and scalable enough to accommodate the increasing demand and load is another!
Scalability is the transformative step for adapting to changing business requirements, accommodating user growth, and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. Scalability measures ensure that your website can evolve and grow alongside your business, without compromising performance, functionality, or user experience.
So, I would recommend that when you are making a decision to hire a web development company, choose one capable of accommodating the scalability needs of your business.
Start by inquiring about your prospective company’s scalability strategies, talk about flexible architectures, and discuss their capacity to handle future enhancements and expansions.
Technically sound and future-ready companies will most likely highlight their use cases of creating web-based admin portals to expand website capacity.
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Maintenance and Support
As a business website owner, you’ll feel the need to audit, monitor, maintain and even upgrade your website in terms of load handling, data exchange, features, new web pages, security protocols and loading speed.
That’s why post-launch support and maintenance services are essential: in simplest terms, these services address issues and keep websites running smoothly.
In addition, effective maintenance and support extend the lifespan of your website by:
- safeguarding it against security threats
- identifying, solving and minimizing technical glitches
- reducing performance degradation
Decent maintenance services ensure that your website maintains a user experience and improves brand reputation by staying functional, reliable, and up-to-date.
Most importantly, hiring a technical expert for maintenance provides peace of mind to businesses, because they know their digital assets are in safe hands and that any issues will be promptly addressed by experienced professionals.
If you’ll choose a full-cycle web development company, they’ll most likely provide you a FREE post-launch maintenance ticket for around 25 business days. After the conclusion of this term, you’ll have to rehire this same development firm, or look for a new dedicated maintenance firm to look into the health and performance and on-going maintenance of your website.
When hiring a web development company in Dubai, I would recommend you to prioritize companies that offer comprehensive support packages and proactive maintenance plans as standard services.
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Security
While you want a website that’s aesthetically pleasing, you definitely want it to be trustworthy and secure too. Or else, a website that is not secure quickly becomes a nightmare for a business founder because after ‘web page not secure to browse’ messages, they resemble clickbaits.
And as part of a web development company in Dubai that has more than 8 years of experience in building web-based products, I can tell you that 65% of website security depends on the coding practices of the developer. The rest 35% is the SSL certificates. hTTPS protocol, VPN connection, end to end encryption and human verification.
To ensure you too have a secure website, inquire about the company’s approach to security, and discuss their measures including
- Data encryption
- regular website audits
- compliance with industry standards such as GDPR and PCI DSS
Remember that corporate security breaches can have devastating consequences. Think about the cyclical impact of the reputation: including financial losses, reputational damage, and legal liabilities.
Partnering with a company that prioritizes security minimizes the risk of data breaches, cyber attacks, and other security threats. It demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding client information, ensuring regulatory compliance, and upholding ethical standards in data handling and privacy protection.
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Ownership of website
Clear ownership arrangements and explicit clauses mentioned in the contracts regarding the intellectual property rights like copyright will protect the investment you make on custom website development. It will safeguard your interests and preserve your rights to the website, its source code, and its text and visual components.
So when hiring a web development company in Dubai, talk to them about the ownership rights and access to code after post-launch maintenance and delivery. Start by reviewing the company’s terms and conditions regarding the ownership transfer upon project completion and openly discuss about white labeling of website design. Take written assurance that clients have full control and autonomy over the digital assets, which means you can, in future, make modifications, updates and enhancements as needed – while the company can’t sell the same assets to other clients.
This way, you can mitigate risks of legal compliance and safeguard the long-term investments from getting stolen digitally.
Over to you…
Once you have made up your mind to hire a web development company, it’s time to check their processes and approach. For reference, you can check how to build a business website – this is a comprehensive guide that will walk you through the process typical, agile-based website development companies like CMOLDS UAE follow.
Looking for a reliable web development partner? CMOLDS UAE can help. Book a FREE idea validation session with product development strategist and we’ll take it from there!
