Website Checklist for Dubai SMEs

A Dubai SME website has one job: turn strangers into conversations or orders. Pretty portfolios are optional. This checklist is a working audit you can run on a phone this week — not a 40-page RFP.

Use it for company sites, service pages, and key landing pages. Score each item pass / fail / N/A. Anything “fail” on the conversion path outranks a new Instagram aesthetic.

How to run the audit (45–60 minutes)

1. Open Chrome remote device mode and a real iPhone + one Android if you can.
2. Start from Google (incognito) for your brand and for one high-intent query in your category.
3. Walk the path as a first-time buyer: land → understand → trust → act → confirmation.
4. Note load feel on mobile data, not only office Wi‑Fi.
5. Capture screenshots of every fail — useful for freelancers and agencies.

1. First five seconds (above the fold)

• ☐ H1 states outcome + who + (ideally) where. “Interior fit-out for Dubai offices” beats “Crafting excellence since 2012.”
• ☐ One primary CTA is visible without scrolling (Call, WhatsApp, Book, Shop, Get quote).
• ☐ Secondary CTA is clearly secondary — not three equal buttons fighting.
• ☐ Hero image is real (your work, team, product) or honestly illustrative — not a random skyline.
• ☐ Language switcher works and does not drop users on a 404 or English page with Arabic button labels.
• ☐ No auto-play sound; video is optional and never blocks the CTA.

Fail here and many users never meet your offer.

2. Contact & conversion paths

• ☐ Phone numbers use tel: links and are large enough for thumbs.
• ☐ WhatsApp uses wa.me / official widget with a pre-filled message and a real monitored number.
• ☐ Sticky mobile bar for Call / WhatsApp on service sites (does not cover content permanently).
• ☐ Business hours or response expectation shown (“Usually replies within 30 minutes, 9–7”).
• ☐ Email is optional for high-intent services — do not force email-only.
• ☐ Map / service areas listed if you are local (Marina, JLT, Business Bay, Deira, Abu Dhabi, etc.).
• ☐ Spam-trap contact forms are not the only path (CAPTCHA walls with no WhatsApp alternative).

3. Trust (UAE buyers are sceptical of polish without proof)

• ☐ Google review score or count near primary CTA (or Trustpilot/Talabat/etc. if that is where reviews live).
• ☐ Trade license / free-zone entity name visible where B2B or regulated services matter.
• ☐ Real project photos or product shots with context (neighbourhood, unit type, before/after).
• ☐ Team or founder face for local services — anonymity lowers trust for clinics, home services, tutoring.
• ☐ Payment methods shown if you take money online (cards, Apple Pay, Tabby/Tamara, COD policy).
• ☐ Clear cancellation / warranty / “what happens next” copy near forms.

See also trust blocks.

4. Offer clarity & pricing cues

• ☐ Services or products are named the way customers search, not internal jargon.
• ☐ AED ranges, packages, or “from” prices where the market expects them (many home services, clinics, SaaS tiers).
• ☐ Hidden “contact for price” only when the sale is genuinely custom — and even then, process is clear.
• ☐ Shipping / delivery timelines for ecommerce (Dubai vs Northern Emirates vs rest of UAE).
• ☐ VAT note if prices can surprise (incl. vs excl. VAT).

5. Forms & checkout

• ☐ Field count justified; name + mobile (+ area) is often enough for first contact.
• ☐ Mobile keyboard types correct (tel, email).
• ☐ Error messages human and bilingual if the page is bilingual.
• ☐ Success state is obvious (thank-you page or on-page confirmation) and fires analytics.
• ☐ Ecommerce: guest checkout available; no forced account before pay.
• ☐ Address fields fit UAE (city, area, building, not US “state” required without mapping).

Deep dive: forms and checkout.

6. Speed, mobile UX, Arabic

• ☐ Feels usable on 4G; hero not a 4MB PNG.
• ☐ Text readable without pinch-zoom; contrast passes a quick eyeball test.
• ☐ Tap targets not tiny; sticky elements do not hide the CTA.
• ☐ Arabic pages use proper RTL layout, not mirrored disasters or mixed-direction forms.
• ☐ Fonts: Arabic webfonts subset or system stack if performance is critical.

Deep dive: mobile-first UX and speed + Arabic fonts.

7. SEO & findability hygiene (conversion-adjacent)

• ☐ Title tags and meta descriptions match the page promise.
• ☐ Unique service or location pages are real content, not doorway spam.
• ☐ NAP (name, address, phone) consistent with Google Business Profile if local.
• ☐ 404 page helps users recover (search, WhatsApp, popular links).
• ☐ HTTPS, no mixed-content warnings on checkout.

8. Tracking & operations

• ☐ GA4 (or equivalent) installed once, not thrice.
• ☐ Key events: generate_lead, WhatsApp click, tel click, purchase — tested on device.
• ☐ Thank-you URLs stable for ads conversion tracking where used.
• ☐ Someone owns response: WhatsApp during ads is not a shared family phone that goes silent after 8pm without an autoresponder.
• ☐ Privacy notice / cookie banner does not block the entire first screen without a clear accept path (PDPL-aware, not European copy-paste only).

Priority order if you can only fix five things

1. Sticky Call + WhatsApp that actually gets answered
2. H1 + offer clarity above the fold
3. Proof next to CTA
4. Form/checkout field diet
5. Device-tested conversion events

Everything else is iteration.

Illustrative scorecard — café brand launching online pre-orders

A concept café in JLT running Instagram traffic to a site:

Same followers, higher order rate — because the site stopped behaving like a brochure.

What not to do

• Rebuild the whole brand because the checklist failed six items.
• Add chatbots that cannot hand off to a human in Arabic and English.
• Publish “from AED 99” if frontline staff refuse that price.
• Pass the checklist once and never re-run after a theme update (updates break tel: and pixels constantly).

Weekly maintenance (15 minutes)

• Click Call and WhatsApp from the live site.
• Submit a test lead; confirm notification.
• Check Lighthouse or PageSpeed on the homepage and top lander.
• Skim Clarity/Hotjar rage-clicks if installed.
• Confirm review score widget still loads.

What to remember

• Audit on real phones with a pass/fail mindset — conversion path first, aesthetics second.
• UAE SME sites win with clear outcomes, WhatsApp/call, proof, AED honesty, and speed.
• Five foundation fixes usually beat a full redesign for lead volume.
• Tracking and response SLA are part of the website, not a separate “ops” problem.
• Re-run the checklist after theme, plugin, or campaign launches.

Scoring your site in one sitting

Give each critical page a 0–2 score on: clear offer, area/service fit, proof, mobile CTA, speed feel, and WhatsApp/call path. Any zero is a same-week fix. Total under 8 on the homepage means pause paid traffic until repaired. Re-score after changes so freelancers cannot declare “done” without numbers.

Related guides

• Above the Fold That Earns the Next Scroll
• Calls to Action: Call, WhatsApp, Form
• Conversion Optimization in the UAE: Start Here
• Landing Page Structure That Converts
• Google Ads for UAE Businesses: Start Here
• Meta Ads for UAE Businesses: Start Here

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Part of the Dubai Marketing Playbook by Shabang — practical marketing for UAE businesses.