1. Dynamic Websites VS Static Websites

There are two major types of websites, static websites and dynamic websites. A few years back there was a third type which was the mobile site or a completely separate mobile version of the website, this trend is now being replaced with responsive websites. The two major classifications of the websites are as follow:

Static Website

A static website is developed on a basic front-end design. The major difference is in order to update the website content or data a professional website developer is required. As it can only be done by changing the source code of the web pages. In the light of modern trends and the website’s function in marketing and communication, the businesses will have to update their websites and some web pages on regular basis. Each time when an update is required a professional website programmer is acquired to do so. As the website is built using HTML and CSS components, which both are purely source codes, so only a professional website programmer can update the website content and data. In that case, the businesses will have to hire a full-time website programmer or a service provider to maintain the website content updates and changes such as blogs, news, press releases, etc.

Dynamic Website

A dynamic website is developed in two major section one is a frontend which is almost a static website and the other section is a control panel or content management system. The main difference between a dynamic and static website is that the businesses don’t require a full-time professional website developer to do the updates on the website. The CMS or the content management system is a powerful software tool with an interactive admin control panel dashboard that allows ordinary people to do the updates on the website and also enable them to create new pages such as news, blogs, press releases, product pages and services pages. The frontend of the website is also made using HTML and CSS however the backend or the admin control panel is made using PHP, ASP, and Database tools.

What is a Content Management System or CMS?

A content management system or CMS as clear from its name allows managing the content of the corresponding application/frontend of a website. Although it is used for various other applications too the major application is websites. There are tons of content management system available in the market, some are open-source, some are propriety tools, some are general purpose and some are for specific applications. The businesses will have to choose the content management system or CMS wisely which could fulfil their needs.

2. Responsive Websites

The responsive website trend has gained huge popularity not only in Dubai but all over the world. These days, almost 99% of the enquiries are coming for a responsive website. As the name itself is self-explanatory, the responsive websites are those who respond to the screen size, operating system, web browser and the device from where the website is opened. The main objective of a responsive website is to maintain a similar user experience and user journey on all devices and platforms regardless of any dependency on the screen size, browser, or platform. This is achieved through the latest website programming techniques and tools. A responsive website can automatically sense the device and other details in just a fraction of a second and render its design elements, content, fonts, photos, videos and everything else as per the screen size and the platform it is being opened from. This provides a great advantage to maintain the brand identity, user experience and user journey which resultantly contributes to more sales and online leads.

3. Multimedia Content

These days another popular trend is using multimedia and graphic-rich content on the website. As in Dubai, everyone has access to broadband, 4G and even 5G also, in fact, Dubai was one of the earliest adopters of the 5G technology. So, using multimedia content is not an issue at all. These days most websites are using very attractive videos, micro animations, rich graphics elements and multimedia content to provide a good user experience. Here are a few examples of trendy multimedia elements:

Full-Screen Video

Using a full-screen video could increase customer interest in your products and services. It is human nature that our brand responds more to a moving object and moving picture than a static picture. So, the video will automatically increase the customer engagement level. You can include a lot many things in a few seconds of video which if described in words could take up to 500 words. So having an attractive video could really make a difference in your online conversion rates.

Full-Screen Image Sliders

Full-screen image sliders are also gaining popularity, you can use multiple images in an automatically rotating slider. Like I said moving objects tend to interest the human brain more than a simple static image. Another advantage of the image slider will be to be able to present multiple sales pitches in one screen area. You can further improve the user interest by adding taglines and slogans or a short description or maybe a sub-heading. Whatever you use, a full-screen image slider is far better than a small tiny image slider or image at the landing screen.

Micro Animations

Micro Animations are also gaining popularity, you can use micro animations in your image slider, in different widgets and areas of your website. The micro animations are also used to increase customer engagement. You can also utilize a single area or space to accommodate two or three taglines or sales pitches.

The multimedia content really helps to improve the user experience and use journey on your website and also help to improve your online conversions. There are so many possibilities of using the above-mentioned multimedia content or any other content on the website to increase customer engagements on the website.

4. Interactive Websites

Interactive websites are a slightly new phenomenon in Dubai, and it getting excellent response from the users. Interactive web designs are the designs that interact with the users, respond to their movements and provide a great user experience. There are several ways to improve the user experience, for example, whenever the user is moving their mouse cursor the design elements responds or at least show some kind of movements. This keeps the customer interested as they will expect to experience more such movements or responses in the website. This way the users will access more internal pages and spend more time staying on your website, either way, it is very helpful in improving the user experience at the website.

5. Thumb-Friendly Websites

Although sometimes people consider thumb-friendly as mobile-first web designs. But both are two different things. Mobile-first designs are for those businesses that are getting most of their online conversions from mobile devices. Especially the eCommerce websites, they are heavily relying on mobile traffic so they can improve their online conversion by implementing a mobile-first web design to their website. However, thumb-friendly websites are one-fit-for-all. No matter what you do, you should have thumb-friendly navigation. As in Dubai, almost everyone has a smartphone with internet access. People spent a lot of time on their mobile devices, just think about yourself or check your friends, family and colleagues, you will surely notice people tend to spend more time on their mobile devices than on regular computers. This is why smartphones are a very important aspect that each and every marketer needs to address.

These days almost 99% of our website design and development enquirer asked for a responsive website. This means everyone knows the importance of smartphone compatible websites. But most of the time our customers do not understand the importance of navigation. The navigation, menu and buttons of your websites which will navigate your customers through the various pages of the website and also take them through their user journey on your website are extremely important. So no matter how cool your website looks on smartphones if its navigation is hard to access on the smartphones, it could significantly decrease your online conversions.

Conclusion

In Dubai, almost everyone has access to the computer, internet and smartphone. The websites have a great impact and influence on purchasing decisions. No matter what a customer is looking for they will first try to look it up on Google. Even if by any promotion or marketing method you have reached your customer with a product, service or solution there is almost the probability of 90% that the prospect will try to look it up on the internet. This is when you have to be very vigilant, attentive and attractive too. Your website’s design, functions, content and everything in between will heavily impact the decision of the purchaser.

Make sure your website is dynamic and you can easily update it any time you want without any additional cost or any additional technical speciality. Your website should be able to maintain the same user experience and user journey across all devices and platforms. Multimedia content could really help you out in gaining more attention from the visitors. Interactive websites can easily gain popularity and produce better results than any traditional website. As most of the users tend to do online searches from their mobile devices so make sure your website is offering an excellent smartphone experience.

It is always wise to consult a professional. RSI Concepts is a leading web design and development agency in Dubai, having more than a decade long experience and serving hundreds of clients all across the GCC. Feel free to get in touch with us if you want to redesign your website or need any consultation. You can reach us out via the comment box below or you can approach us from our Contact Us page.

Check this out: Importance of Web Design in 2021 in Dubai

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Step 1: Know your requirements

The first and very important step is to completely understand your requirements first. The business proprietors or marketing managers often think that the vendor will provide them with a complete solution, without even having a good understanding of their requirements, which is totally a wrong approach. You should be able to understand your needs and requirements. The vendor should be able to propose a solution which not only fulfils your needs but also ensures additional benefits because of their experience. But do not totally rely on the vendor to identify your needs and propose a solution.

Step 2: Allocate a Budget

Allocating a budget to your web design project is very important. You should know what your maximum limit is, no matter how attractive the presentation or quotation is you can’t cross that limit. This will also help you save a lot of time, and as all of the requirements are already defined and a budget is allocated for the project, you can easily choose from the offers. Sometimes the web design firms add a lot many extras and add-ons which you might not require. You can exclude such things to reduce the overall quote too.

Step 3: Experience, Portfolio, and Work Examples

A good web design firm always provides samples of their previous work along with the details of their existing clientele. You should check out their website, look up for their portfolio page, or work samples, or see it they have a client testimonial section on the website or not. Checkout for their business partners and team, whether they are providing information about their team and partners on the website or not? Such things define the stature of a web design firm in the United Arab Emirates. If you do not like their website, do not worry, check their work samples, and even if you do not like them either, or you found all of them somehow lookalike or following the same kinds of attitude then move on. They might not be able to help you out.

Step 4: Strategies and Technologies

Study the proposals thoroughly and lookup for their project execution strategy and methodologies. A good web design firm also mentions clearly the tools and technologies they will use to design and develop a website for you. So, if they haven’t listed any such information then ask them if they failed to provide such information or you even have a slight doubt, then don’t go for them. Their project plan or project execution strategy should be clearly defined and understandable, if you are unable to understand it then ask them to explain it to you. In short, you must be able to understand their project execution methodology and strategy and you should feel comfortable with that too.

Step 5: Support and Maintenance

Always choose a company who provide support and maintenance for a certain period of time after the deployment and commissioning of the project without any additional cost. In case if you have missed something during the designing and development phase you might be able to ask them after the completion of the project. This way you can easily get the desired results within the budget without any hustle. After-sales support is also important, such as training or supporting document for the content management system to update the website content or any such thing.

Step 6: Other Services

When choosing a web design firm for your website development project, always choose a firm which offers other relevant services, which you can later utilize. For example, digital marketing campaigns, or SEO or 3D Animation, Graphics designing, etc. You might not require them now, but maybe in future, you could be doing some digital marketing such as Facebook Ads, or Google Adwords, or Search Engine Optimization, etc. Having a vendor who can offer multiple services is always helpful. You don’t have to go through a lengthy selection process next time when you will require service. This helps a lot.

Conclusion

You should choose a web design firm very wisely in the United Arab Emirates as your website could heavily impact your online marketing strategy. Having a trustworthy and reliable partner ensures desired results. A good web design firm always helps and support you in improving your goals. So you should first define your needs and objectives clearly then allot a budget for the project and then carefully scrutinize the vendor. You should be able to clearly communicate your expectations too so that the vendor can propose a suitable solution. If you follow the above process to select a web design firm in UAE, you can easily find a suitable vendor for your website design and development project and not only that you will be able to get a higher return over investment rate too.

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A website or web design made up of the following basic things:

Layout and Appearance

The layout or the appearance is the most important part, as the users determine in just a second whether they will stay on the page or not! The users will form an opinion of the website and the business by the first impression they got from the web design. This all happens in a second or two, only a very few people decide to dive deep into the website which could change their opinion. The photos, animations, icons, graphics, effects and all those things along with the powerful words they see at their first glimpse will decide if they will convert or not.

Design Elements and the Color Scheme

The design elements and the colour scheme of web design is a reflection of your branding online. So, pay more attention to these things. Usually, the best approach is to follow the colour scheme of the logo of a company or business. Any colour combination or contrast should be chosen with great care, as the colours impact the users a lot and they are also responsible for the textual content and interactive element’s visibility which is very important in terms of user experience and user journey. The links, buttons, highlights, headings, slogans, or anything else completely rely on the colour scheme and the design elements around them. So, this is important to sustain a balance between creativity and readability.

Typography

Earlier the typography was not as that diverse as it is nowadays. The typography of web design should be able to deliver the required information. It is very critical to keep at least 3 different sizes of the fonts to distinguish the content from each other. Although it is considered to be an industry standard to have a single font throughout the website, this trend is getting old now and the web design professionals and graphic designers are using multiple fonts on a single page which is acceptable and sometimes it even improve the readability and user experience. Another very important thing is that the background and the font should have maximum contrast for more readability.

Navigation and Menus

Navigation and Menus are not the places to be over-animated and over-designed. The best approach is to always have a simple and easy-to-use navigation and menus. The navigation and menu can be found in the header, sub-header or lower header part and also in the footer. The main purpose of the navigation and menus is to provide quick access to the information that visitors is looking for. So, if there are complex animations, sophisticated menu items, tingled with each other or infused into each other or something like that could be very bad and users might not even try to navigate through such menus. So, it is always best to have a simple, easy to read, large (as much possible) and highly readable menus and navigation.

Responsive Web Designs or Mobile-First Websites

Responsive Web Designs or Mobile-First Websites are a must to have since the mobile traffic overtook the desktop traffic in late 2016. Earlier having an exclusive mobile version was important as the mobile devices are of lower grades in terms of software and hardware, but these days, some of the high-end smartphones are more powerful than an average laptop. In short, the mobiles can provide the juice required to handle latest designs but the only thing is the screen size, as there are so many different mobile screen sizes so handling them all could be tricky when you are designing and developing a theme. Usually, the front-end developers or web designers prefer ready-made platforms such as bootstrap, but if you are not using anything like that then you should be very attentive to the responsiveness of the website.

Content is the King

Content is the King! Is it? Well, the simple answer is yes, as whoever is associated with the marketing or web designing industry all well aware of this term. No matter how wonderful your web design is if the content is not catchy and attractive the chances of a conversion are near to none. Always pay attention to the content, your slogan, sales pitch, taglines, headings and even description play a critical role in online conversions. The content should be informative, descriptive, short and precisely to the point. Each and every word matters. Try to avoid extra, ambiguous, complex, broad meaning words. People don’t like to read extra words or lengthy descriptions, such things can dilute your selling points and decrease efficiency. The content should be highly focused and well prepared. All different section should be in a flow or interconnected to each other.

Conclusion:

Having a website that completely represents your brand identity can help in communicating with the masses. The website is not just a profile but a very powerful marketing tool with a lot of potential in it. Before jumping into web design consider all important things and do a comprehensive market and competitive analysis first. While developing a website take care of the user interface and the layout, the fonts/typography, colour scheme, menus/navigation, responsiveness and the content. The website must also be able to follow the SEO (search engine optimization) standards. Sometimes people do not care about SEO standards which eventually results in bad search engine ratings and very low traffic, so it is also important to consider it too along with all the visual appearance-related things.

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