Riyadh has no shortage of agencies. The portfolios look similar, the pitch decks look similar, and the differences only surface after the contract is signed. Here is what to test before that point.
Arabic first, not Arabic added
The single clearest signal is how the agency treats Arabic. A site where Arabic is a translation layer bolted onto an English design will have broken line breaks, cramped headings and forms that read backwards.
Ask to see a live Arabic page on a phone. Check three things: whether the layout truly mirrors rather than just aligning text to the right, whether the Arabic type is a real Arabic typeface rather than a system fallback, and whether embedded English product names sit correctly inside the sentence. Those three tell you more than an hour of discussion.
Hosting, data and compliance
Saudi regulations on personal data have real teeth, and where the data sits matters. Ask where the database will be hosted, who has access, and what happens to backups. If the answer is vague, the agency has not thought about it, which means you will inherit the problem.
Ownership is the question that reveals everything
Who owns the code, the domain, the hosting account and the analytics property. The correct answer is always you. An agency that registers your domain under its own name to "simplify management" is selling you a dependency.
Get it in writing before the first payment. It is trivial to agree at the start and painful to unwind later.
Look for the support agreement, not the promise
Every project has incidents. What separates a serious partner is a written answer to: who responds, within how long, what counts as a defect covered free of charge, and what is billable. Without that document, you have goodwill rather than support.
Warning signs
- A single-line quote with no breakdown of design, build, content and integrations.
- Unlimited revision rounds, which sounds generous and means the scope is undefined.
- A guarantee of first position on Google.
- No live links, only portfolio images.
- No answer on who maintains the site after launch.
What a fair proposal contains
Unique screen count rather than page count, deliverables per phase, acceptance criteria, code ownership, a defect warranty period, and maintenance terms with a response time. Six items. Any agency that works properly already has them written.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a corporate website cost in Riyadh?
For professional bilingual work with custom design and real content, expect a meaningful five-figure range in SAR rather than the low quotes advertised online. Anything far below that is a configured template.
Should I choose a local agency or an international one?
Local matters for Arabic quality, market understanding and being in the same time zone during a launch. International matters if you need capability that is genuinely scarce locally. Most projects are better served locally.
