The short answer: the principles of SEO are the same in Arabic, but the details are not. You need separate keyword research, correct language and direction settings, a clear structure for the Arabic pages and an honest decision about which kind of Arabic your customers search in. Translating an English site word for word is the fastest way to a site nobody finds.
Arabic is a large search market that many English-first sites ignore. That also means less competition for those who do it properly.
Do the research in Arabic
- Do not translate your English keywords. The phrase people type in Arabic is often different from the literal translation.
- Look at the results. Search the phrases yourself and see what kinds of pages appear.
- Expect smaller numbers. Tools show less data for Arabic queries, so treat the figures with care and test.
Choose the kind of Arabic deliberately
Standard Arabic and dialects are used differently in search. Many searches are in standard Arabic, while many customers speak and write in dialect on social media and in chat. A page can use clear standard Arabic for structure and headings and a warmer voice in the body, depending on the audience.
In markets such as Egypt and the Gulf, industry terms are often said in English, such as "marketing" or "campaign". Test both the Arabic and the English-in-Arabic forms in research, and write the way your customers write.
Get the technical settings right
- Declare the language and the direction on every Arabic page, so browsers and search engines handle it correctly.
- Use a clear address structure for the Arabic version, such as a dedicated folder, and keep it consistent.
- Connect the versions with language annotations (hreflang), so search engines show the right version to the right person.
- Use a font that renders Arabic well and test it on phones.
- Write titles and descriptions in Arabic and check they are not cut off.
Write native content
Search engines and readers both notice text that was translated. Write the Arabic page from the brief, not from the English page. The structure can match, but the examples, the questions and the tone should belong to the market.
Our guide to why you should never translate makes the case in detail.
Links and mentions
Links from Arabic-language sites and directories help the Arabic pages the same way English links help the English ones. Do not rely on English-language links alone.
Measure Arabic separately
Set up reporting so you can see Arabic and English pages apart: visits, search queries and enquiries. Otherwise the larger English numbers hide what the Arabic pages are doing.
An illustration: one topic in two languages
Imagine a clinic with an English page and an Arabic page about the same service. The English page targets a phrase that appears in English research. In Arabic, the research shows that people use a different, shorter phrase, and often add a place name. The Arabic page is written around that phrase, with its own questions and its own examples, and each page links to the other with a language annotation.
The two pages share a topic, not a text. That is why each can rank in its own market.
A short Arabic launch checklist
- Language and direction declared on every Arabic page.
- Arabic titles and descriptions that fit and read well.
- A clear address structure for the Arabic version.
- Language annotations linking each page to its translation.
- Arabic pages included in the sitemap.
- A font tested on real phones.
Mistakes we see on Arabic sites
- Translated pages with no research behind them.
- English titles and descriptions on Arabic pages.
- Arabic text inside images, which search engines cannot read.
- No link between the English and Arabic versions of the same page.
- A font that breaks letter shapes on phones.
Each is easy to fix once you know to look for it.
How Arabic search habits differ
People who search in Arabic do not all search the same way. Some type in standard Arabic, some in a regional dialect, some mix Arabic and English terms, and some write Arabic words in Latin letters. The mix varies by country, industry and age group. A service that people discuss in English in the Gulf, for example, may be searched with English words even by Arabic speakers.
The practical lesson is to learn the habits of your real audience instead of assuming. Search for your own service the way a customer would and look at the suggestions that appear. Ask customers how they would look for you. Read the questions in your enquiries. Then decide which forms to use in titles, headings and body text, and where to include more than one spelling or term.
Structure and presentation on Arabic pages
- Direction. Set the page direction correctly, and check that mixed content, such as English names inside an Arabic sentence, displays in the right order.
- Fonts. Choose a font designed for Arabic, with clear letterforms at small sizes, and test it on phones.
- Language tags. Declare the language of each page, and use the right language alternates when a page exists in more than one language.
- Addresses. Decide a consistent approach to page addresses, usually short Latin-letter paths that are easy to share, and use it everywhere.
- Numbers and dates. Pick a format and use it consistently.
These details do not make a page rank by themselves, but errors here make pages harder to read and easier to distrust.
Running Arabic and English together
Many businesses need both languages. Treat them as two audiences with a shared brand, not one text and its translation. Write each version for its readers, and let them differ where the readers' needs differ. Link the versions to each other so that visitors can switch and search engines understand the relationship.
Plan maintenance from the start. When a page is updated in one language, someone must be responsible for updating the other. Keep a simple sheet that shows each page, its two versions and the date each was last reviewed. A site where one language quietly falls behind loses trust with that audience.
How we approach it
We start with Arabic research, write natively and set up the technical side before launch. If you are planning an Arabic version of your site, tell us about your market.