To hire a web designer well, you need three things: a short list of people whose live work you have checked, the same set of questions put to every one of them, and a written agreement that covers what happens after launch, not just before it. This guide gives you all three for a business in Saudi Arabia: where to look, 25 questions grouped by topic with what a good answer sounds like, the red flags that should end a conversation, a worked comparison of three proposals and the contract terms worth insisting on.
In short:
- Find candidates through live websites you like and businesses you trust, then cut the list to three before you start long conversations.
- Ask all three the same 25 questions, in writing, about scope, content, ownership, hosting, SEO, support and payment.
- The answers that matter most are the dull ones: whose name the domain is in, who fixes the site when it breaks, and what you receive if you leave.
- Compare proposals on the same scope and over three years, then put the scope, milestones, ownership and exit terms into the contract.
In this guide
Where to find a web designer worth talking to
Start with websites, not people. A designer's own site shows what they do when they control everything; a client's live site shows what they deliver with a real brief and a real deadline. The second picture is the one you are buying.
Sites you already like
Note five business websites that load quickly on your phone and make it easy to get in touch. Many carry a design credit in the footer. If not, ask the business who built it and how the project went.
Referrals from similar businesses
A recommendation from a company in your sector is valuable, but ask the right follow-up: not "is the site nice?" but "what happened the last time something broke?"
Local search and Google Maps
Searching for web design in your city brings up studios with reviews. Read them for patterns about deadlines and support. A listing proves a business exists, not that its work suits you.
Freelance platforms and LinkedIn
Useful for finding individual designers and specialists. Open every portfolio link: dead links and mock-ups that were never launched tell you something. Ask how the person invoices and whether they work alone.
In Saudi Arabia, a freelancer can register through the government Freelance Work Platform run by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, which issues a freelance document to eligible citizens. A company will have a commercial registration. Either way, ask for the name that will appear on the contract and the invoices.
Cut the list to three
Before you book any calls, keep only the candidates who pass all four filters:
- Live work of a similar kind. At least three working sites for businesses of similar size or complexity.
- Arabic done properly, if you need it. Look at their Arabic pages on a phone. The layout should mirror from right to left, the font should be comfortable to read, and mixed Arabic and English lines should not jumble. Our bilingual website design guide lists what to check.
- A reply that asks questions. Your first message should get questions back about your customers and goals, not an instant price.
- Clarity about who does the work. If you cannot tell whether you will deal with the designer or a subcontractor, you cannot judge the risk.
Freelancer, agency or subscription: decide the model before you hire a web designer
The 25 questions below work for any provider, but each model has a typical weak spot your questions should probe. We compare the three routes in detail in freelance web designer vs agency; here is the short version for interviews.
| Model | Usually strong on | Typical weak spot | Questions to press hardest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance web designer | Direct contact, flexibility, lower one-off price | Cover when the person is ill, busy or moves on; support after handover | Who owns the accounts (9–11), support (18–21), exit (24) |
| Web design agency | Several skills in one team, formal process | Higher price, account managers between you and the work, retainers after launch | Who does the work (2), annual costs (23), total cost (22) |
| Subscription studio | Low upfront cost, one provider running the site | Files usually stay with the provider; terms for leaving | Ownership (10), cancellation and exit (24), what is included (20) |
Before the first call, write a one-page brief: the site's goal, its audience, pages, languages, features, who writes the content, your target date and a budget range. Sharing a range stops a designer proposing a project you cannot afford, or a cheap one that cannot do the job. Our website brief template gives you the headings. Send the same brief to all three candidates.
Questions 1–8: scope, process and content
These questions establish what you are buying. Most disputes start here, with two people holding different pictures of the same project. Ask in writing, or confirm answers in writing after a call.
1. Exactly which pages, languages and features will you deliver?
A good answer is a list: Home, About, four service pages, Projects, Contact, in Arabic and English, with a quote form and a WhatsApp button. "A complete professional website" is not a scope.
2. Who will actually design and build the site?
Subcontracting is common and not wrong, but you should know about it. Ask who designs, builds and writes, and who answers your questions.
3. What are the stages, and where do I approve things?
Listen for named stages with an approval point after each: brief, content, design, build, testing, launch. A designer who starts building before you have approved anything will be rebuilding later at your expense.
4. How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as a change of scope?
Changing a colour or a heading is a revision. Adding a booking system is new scope. A clear answer defines both and says how extra work is priced: in writing, before it starts.
5. How will I see the site before it goes live?
You should get a private preview link where you can click through every page on your own phone and computer, not only screenshots or a video call.
6. Who writes the text, in Arabic and in English?
Writing is often the slowest part of a project. Ask whether the designer writes the copy, edits yours, or simply pastes what you send. Translation is not the same as writing for each audience.
7. Where will the images come from, and are they licensed?
Your own photos, licensed stock or images taken from a search engine are three very different things. Only the first two are safe to use on a business website.
8. What do you need from me, and by when?
A realistic designer ties the delivery date to your inputs: logo, photos, approvals. If they promise a date without asking for anything, the date is not real.
Questions 9–17: ownership, hosting and SEO
This group decides how much control you keep. Designers rarely raise these subjects themselves, because most clients never ask. The table shows what a sound answer sounds like and when to push back.
Ownership and access
| # | Question | A sound answer | Push back if |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | In whose name will the domain be registered? | Yours, or your company's, with renewal reminders going to you | "We register it for you to keep things simple" |
| 10 | Who owns the design, code and content at the end? | A plain statement of what transfers to you and when, including on a subscription | The answer changes depending on how you phrase the question |
| 11 | Which logins will I receive? | Domain, hosting or a hosting summary, WordPress administrator, analytics and Search Console | You only get an editor account and "we handle the rest" |
| 12 | Are the theme and plugins licensed, and in whose name? | A list of paid components, who holds each licence and what renewal costs | "Premium plugins are free with us" |
On question 12: WordPress is free software under the GPL, and the WordPress licence page explains that themes and plugins inherit that licence. That is why paid plugins get redistributed cheaply, usually without official updates and sometimes with malware added. Licensed copies keep receiving security fixes.
Hosting and performance
13. Where will the site be hosted, what is included, and what does renewal cost? Ask who hosts the site, whether backups and SSL are included, and the second-year price, since introductory prices often rise at renewal. If the designer resells hosting, ask what happens to it if you part ways. Email on your own domain is a separate item; see business email with your domain.
14. How do you test speed and mobile display before launch? A good answer names real checks: actual phones, compressed images, forms tested on mobile data. Most visitors arrive on a phone, so a designer who presents work only on a large monitor is showing you the wrong screen.
SEO and accessibility
15. What search engine setup is included at launch? At minimum: a unique title and description for each page, sensible headings, clean addresses, an XML sitemap and the site connected to Google Search Console. If it replaces an old site, old addresses should redirect to the new ones. Our SEO-friendly web design guide lists the build decisions that matter.
16. What results do you expect from search, and how will you measure them? Google's own page on whether you need an SEO is blunt: no one can guarantee a top ranking on Google, and anyone who promises one, or claims a special relationship with Google, should be avoided. A sound answer describes the setup work, a realistic timeframe and how progress will be reported, for example impressions and clicks in Search Console.
17. How do you make the site usable for people with disabilities? Listen for readable contrast, text alternatives for images, labelled form fields and keyboard use. The international standard is WCAG; the W3C states that WCAG 2.2 is the latest version and encourages using it. Our website accessibility checklist turns it into plain checks you can run yourself.
Questions 18–25: support, payment and exit
A website is not finished at launch. Software needs updates, forms stop sending, a new service needs a page. This group asks what working with this designer looks like in month seven, and what it costs to leave.
Support after launch
18. Who updates WordPress, the theme and the plugins, and how often? If the answer is "you can do that from the dashboard", the job has just been handed to you. If nobody on your team will do it, ask for maintenance in writing, or look at a website maintenance service that takes it off your hands.
19. How are backups taken, where are they stored, and have you ever restored one? Backups stored only on the same server as the site disappear with the site. The question about restoring is the important one: a backup nobody has tested is a hope, not a plan.
20. How do I request an edit, how fast is it done, and what does it cost? Ask for the channel (email, WhatsApp, a ticket), a typical turnaround, whether edits are included or billed, and what counts as a new page instead of an edit.
21. What happens if the site goes down or is hacked? Listen for a sequence: who notices, who you call, how the site is restored from backup, how the cause is fixed. Ask whether fixing faults is included or charged separately.
Payment and exit
22. What is the total, does it include VAT, and what are the payment milestones? Ask for the price before VAT, the VAT amount and the total on separate lines, because some providers are VAT-registered and some are not. Payments should follow visible progress, for example on signing, on design approval and at launch.
23. What costs come back every year? Hosting, the domain, licences, maintenance, email. Ask for year-two prices now, not when the invoice arrives. Our guide to website design costs in Saudi Arabia lists the recurring items most quotes leave out.
24. If we stop working together, what do I receive, and how long does handover take? A sound answer names a full backup, the administrator login, the domain transfer if needed and a time limit. On a subscription, ask whether you can buy the site files and for how much.
25. Can I speak to two clients whose sites you built more than a year ago? Recent clients are still in the happy phase; older ones can tell you about updates, response times and whether the designer still answers the phone.
Ask every candidate the same questions in writing, then compare the answers, not the sales calls.
Red flags that should end the conversation
Any one of these is a reason to slow down; two or more is usually a reason to move on to the next name.
- Full payment before any design. A deposit is normal. Paying everything upfront removes your only leverage if the work stalls.
- Promises about Google. First place, a set number of visitors, or "we have contacts at Google". Google itself warns against exactly these claims.
- The domain or accounts in the designer's name "for convenience". Convenient for them. If the relationship ends badly, your address on the internet depends on their goodwill.
- A portfolio of screenshots only. If the designer cannot point you to sites that are live today, you cannot check speed, mobile layout or Arabic quality.
- No questions about your business. A designer who quotes before asking who your customers are is pricing a template, not your website.
- "We'll sort out the details as we go." Later usually means on the designer's terms and your invoice.
- Requests for more access than the task needs. Google's guidance, for example, suggests read-only Search Console access for an audit.
- Pressure to sign today. Serious providers give a quote with a reasonable validity period.
None of these says the person lacks talent, only that working together will be harder than it should be. For problems that show up after launch, see website mistakes that cost customers.
How to compare web designer proposals: a worked example
Imagine a facilities maintenance company in Riyadh that wants a bilingual ten-page site with a quote form, a WhatsApp button and a map. The owner sends the same brief to three providers. Proposals A and B are illustrative; proposal C uses Webnaa's published terms so you can see how a subscription reads against the same brief.
| Item | A: freelancer | B: agency | C: subscription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | SAR 5,000 one-off, not VAT-registered | SAR 15,000 plus VAT | SAR 489 a month for a ten-page bilingual WordPress site in the calculator (Webnaa prices start from SAR 39 a month), paid in advance: SAR 2,934 every 6 months, or SAR 5,281 for a year at 10% off |
| Content | Client supplies all text in both languages | Agency writes it after two workshops | Provider writes it from the business details |
| Design review | One revision round, screenshots | Three rounds, preview link | Preview link before launch; money-back guarantee during the design stage if the design is not liked, per the refund policy |
| Domain | Registered by the freelancer | In the client's name | In the client's name |
| Hosting | Client buys it, roughly SAR 600 a year | Included in the retainer | Included |
| After launch | 30 days of fixes, then per request | 3 months free, then SAR 450 a month retainer | Fault fixes, updates and backups included; you edit the site yourself from the dashboard |
| Files on exit | Handed over at final payment | Handed over at final payment | Not handed over by default; the owner can buy the site for its value plus an independence fee, SAR 7,041 in total, with what has already been paid counting towards the value |
| Rough three-year total | About SAR 9,000 including hosting and occasional paid fixes, plus your time writing two languages | About SAR 30,000 plus VAT | SAR 5,281 for year one paid yearly, then only the monthly base in years two and three (see the price calculator); taking the site away after a paid first year costs the SAR 1,760 independence fee |
Reading the table honestly:
- Proposal A looks cheapest, but the owner writes ten pages twice and the domain sits in someone else's name. The domain is fixable: ask for it to be registered to the company before signing. With that change and a reliable person for updates, A can suit a simple site.
- Proposal B costs the most, mainly because of the retainer. It earns that when the site is a main sales channel or will grow into something more complex. For ten pages, ask whether the retainer can be smaller or optional.
- Proposal C has the lowest upfront cost and leaves the fewest jobs with the owner. Exit terms are stated too: the site stays a subscription unless the owner buys it, and the purchase price is published, so leaving with the site is a known cost. It suits owners who want the site run for them.
Whatever proposals you receive, follow the same routine: make the scope equal by adding a realistic cost for anything left out, project the cost over three years with VAT and renewals, score what is not money (domain ownership, who does the work, support and exit terms), and call the references from question 25. Our web design quote guide includes a section-by-section template for proposals, and how to choose a web design company covers the wider selection process.
Contract essentials before you sign
The contract does not need to be long; it needs to turn the answers you collected into commitments. This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check that it covers:
- The parties. Legal names, and the commercial registration or freelance document number, matching the invoices.
- Scope by reference. The page list, languages and features from question 1, attached or written in, plus a short list of what is not included.
- Who supplies what. Content, photos, logo and approvals, with dates, so that a delay on either side moves the timeline fairly.
- Milestones and acceptance. What "approved" means at each stage and how long you have to review.
- Price, VAT and payment schedule. Each payment tied to a milestone you can see.
- Changes. Extra work is quoted in writing and approved before it starts.
- Ownership and licences. The domain in your name, what transfers to you and when, and who holds the licences for paid components.
- Accounts and access. The list of logins you receive at launch.
- Support terms. What is included after launch, for how long, response times and prices beyond that.
- Personal data. Forms collect names and phone numbers, so the site needs a privacy policy and careful handling. Our PDPL website compliance checklist explains the basics of Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law.
- Ending the agreement. Notice period, what you receive, and how long the handover takes.
The first weeks after signing
Hand over your inputs quickly
Send the logo, photos, contact details and service list in one go. Most delayed projects are waiting for the client, not the designer.
Review the preview properly
Click every page on your phone, submit every form, tap the WhatsApp button and the phone number. Send your feedback as one consolidated list.
Check before launch
Titles, sitemap, Search Console, forms delivering to the right inbox, legal pages in place. Our website launch checklist covers the full list.
Collect the keys
Confirm you hold the logins listed in the contract and that the domain shows your name. Then read what to do after your website launches.
How Webnaa answers these questions
Webnaa provides web design in Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh and serving clients across the Kingdom remotely. Here are our own answers, from our published terms, for a 5-page WordPress website in Arabic and English; prices start from SAR 39 a month, and the price calculator prices any other size.
| Topic | Our answer |
|---|---|
| Scope (1) | A professional WordPress website of 5 pages, each in Arabic and English, with an order or inquiry form, gallery, map, WhatsApp button and direct call number |
| Preview (5) | You review the design on a preview link before launch, and a money-back guarantee applies if you do not like it during the design stage, per the refund policy |
| Content (6) | We write the content from your business details |
| Timing (8) | A preview link within 24 hours at most from receiving all the information and content we need from you |
| Domain (9) | A standard domain registered in your name, so it stays yours if you cancel |
| Ownership (10, 24) | Buying the website is optional: you pay its value (one year at 10% off, without articles) plus an independence fee of 30% of the undiscounted year, SAR 4,665 in total for this site, including a year of hosting and the domain in your name. If you leave as a subscriber, what you have paid counts towards the value. A bought site moves to accounts in your name with the first year of care included; after that you go fully independent at no fee or choose the optional yearly care plan |
| Hosting (13) | Hosting and SSL included; fast and mobile-friendly |
| Search setup (15, 16) | Search engine setup with Google Search Console and a sitemap; we do not promise rankings, because nobody can |
| Support (18–21) | Fixing technical faults, security and technical updates, backups and answering your questions are included in the subscription; you edit the site yourself from the dashboard |
| Payment (22, 23) | Prices from SAR 39 a month with no setup fee and no long contract; the WordPress website described here is SAR 324 a month, paid in advance every 6 months (SAR 1,944) or for a year at 10% off (SAR 3,499). From year two you pay only the monthly base. A new page after launch is priced as in the calculator and added to your subscription |
| Leaving (24) | Cancel renewal at any time with no cancellation fee; your website stays live until the end of the paid period. Taking the website with you means buying it: you complete its value, with what you have paid counted, plus the independence fee |
Privacy policy and terms pages come ready. New features such as an online store, bookings or online payment are priced in writing before work starts. Read the website design service details, see how we work, or work out your price in our price calculator.
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See what the website design subscription includes, then send us your brief and compare our answers with everyone else's.
FAQ
How do I hire a web designer for my small business?
Write a one-page brief, find three candidates whose live work suits your kind of business, send each the same brief and the same questions, then compare their written answers on scope, ownership, support and three-year cost. Sign only once the scope, milestones and exit terms are in writing.
What should I ask a web designer before hiring them?
Ask what they will deliver, who does the work and writes the content, whose name the domain is in, who handles updates and backups, what recurs every year and what you get if you leave.
How much does it cost to hire a web designer in Saudi Arabia?
It depends on scope, languages, content and who runs the site afterwards. A freelancer's one-off quote is usually lower than an agency's, while a subscription replaces the upfront fee with smaller payments in advance; at Webnaa prices start from SAR 39 a month, and the price calculator prices your pages and languages. Always compare over three years, including renewals and VAT.
Should I pay a web designer upfront?
A deposit on signing is normal for one-off projects. Paying the full amount before you have seen any design removes your leverage. Link the remaining payments to milestones such as design approval and launch.
Who owns the website, me or the web designer?
Whatever the contract says, so make it explicit. The domain should always be in your name. With a one-off build you usually receive the files at final payment; with a subscription the files usually stay with the provider unless you buy them, so ask for the buy-out price.
Summary
When you hire a web designer, the portfolio gets you to the shortlist, but the answers to the dull questions decide whether the project goes well. Find candidates through live sites and trusted referrals, cut the list to three, and send each the same brief and the same 25 questions about scope, content, ownership, hosting, SEO, support and payment. Walk away from ranking promises, domains in someone else's name and pressure to pay in full. Compare proposals on equal scope over three years, then write the answers into the contract, so you know exactly what you have bought.
Sources: Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?, W3C WAI: WCAG 2 overview, WordPress.org: GPL licence, Freelance Work Platform, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Webnaa terms: pricing, refund policy. Figures in the worked example for proposals A and B are illustrative.