posted by Mark

As we draw the series to a close, we invite you to take a step back from the process of choosing a web designer in Dubai and think about what's really important. In each of these posts, and throughout the questions and issues that have been raised along the way, we've been trying to help point you towards the things that actually matter. That's because, as pressing as samples, coding, and other details might be, they are all only clues... clues that help you figure out what sort of result you can expect working with one designer or another.

Whatever it is your site actually has to do – not just in terms of functionality, but as a marketing tool for your business – make that the forefront of your search. Never lose sight of the idea that the end product has to look as impressive on your balance sheet and future earnings as it does on a computer screen. It's easy for clients to fall in love with the process of looking at spectacular designs, or learning about different ways to code things, or even getting mesmerized by different functionalities. In the end, however, these are all just tools to help you get where you want to go.

Usually, when the rest of the advice in this series has been examined with that perspective, your choice of web design and marketing partners becomes very clear. Of course, we hope it’s Blue Beetle, but even if it isn't, we hope you've found this process helpful because the right fit is more important than anything else.

Finding the right person or team to work with isn't always easy, especially here in Dubai, but it is always important. Choose wisely, and the best of luck to you with your next site.

posted by Mark

It’s often said that selecting a company to help you design your web site, or get your online marketing off the ground, is a bit like buying a used car. Here in Dubai, that’s a pretty good analogy… if the car were sitting in the middle of a minefield.

What makes it so tough to find a company that’s reliable and worth the investment? Some of the difficulty has to do with the fact that there are a lot of different kinds of companies operating here – and each with their own ideas of what things should cost and what standards to work to. It isn’t unusual for a company to look for the standard three bids and get back anything ranging from AED10K to AED100K for the same job.

Even worse, paying more might not get you anything extra, in terms of real quality. The basics of web design and development are actually very easy. Anyone with text-editing software and a pair of brain cells to rub together can arrange a functioning  HTML page; add a little bit of artistic flair, or even a decent-looking template, and they might come up with something that looks passable.

But “functioning” and “passable” aren’t what most business want, or need. To really help them meet their marketing goals, it doesn’t have to simply look about right or feature your logo on the home page – it has to serve a business need properly to have any real impact. That means loading quickly, being optimized for SEO, and working across different browsers and platforms, just to name a few of the details that might not be obvious at first glance.

Over the next few posts, we are going to offer more in-depth advice on choosing the right web partner for your business. As you read through, however, remember this important piece of advice that we are opening with: it takes more than a quick look to choose the right vendor. When it comes to web designers in Dubai, it really is a minefield out there – but we’re going to show you how to keep your business from becoming another crater beside the road to online profits.