Arabic SEO and bilingual websites in the UAE

Should you have an Arabic site?

It depends on your customers. Government-facing businesses, family services, healthcare, real estate aimed at Gulf buyers and many consumer brands benefit. Some B2B and expat-focused businesses don't. Look at your enquiries and your audience before investing.

A few quick checks help. What share of your WhatsApp messages and calls arrive in Arabic? Do competitors that win in your category have Arabic pages? Do your Search Console queries include Arabic searches already, even with no Arabic content? If the answers point to a real Arabic-speaking audience, a proper Arabic version is usually worth it. If not, a well-written English site with Arabic contact options may be enough for now.

How Google handles two languages

Google's guidance on multilingual sites comes down to a few rules. It recommends a different URL for each language version rather than switching language with cookies or browser settings. It works out a page's language from the visible content, not from tags, so each page should be written in one language rather than showing English and Arabic side by side. And it advises against automatically redirecting visitors to a language version based on a guess about their language, because that can stop both people and Google from reaching the other version.

Technical setup

• Separate URLs for each language, such as /ar/ and /en/. Don't switch language on the same URL with a script.
• hreflang tags on each page pointing to its other-language version, so Google shows the right one. Each version must list itself as well as the other versions, using full URLs including https.
• x-default for a fallback page, such as a language chooser or your main homepage, for visitors whose language you haven't covered.
• Right-to-left layout for Arabic: dir="rtl" and lang="ar" on the page, mirrored navigation and icons that make sense in both directions.
• Language switcher that links to the equivalent page, not the homepage.

For almost every business I work with, a subfolder is the simplest choice. It keeps everything on one domain, one hosting setup and one Search Console property.

Right-to-left design details people miss

A mirrored layout is more than flipping the text alignment. These are the things I check on every Arabic build:

• Arrows and "next" icons point the other way; logos and media controls usually don't.
• Phone numbers, prices and email addresses still read left to right inside Arabic text.
• Forms align correctly, including error messages and placeholder text.
• Carousels and sliders move in the expected direction.
• The Arabic font is designed for screens and set slightly larger than the English text, so it stays readable on mobile.

Content

• Write Arabic copy natively, or have a native speaker adapt it. Literal translation reads awkwardly and loses trust.
• Research Arabic keywords separately. People don't always search the direct translation of your English terms. My keyword research guide covers the process.
• Decide between Modern Standard Arabic and more colloquial Gulf phrasing for marketing copy, based on your audience.
• Use an Arabic typeface designed for screens, at a size that's comfortable to read.
• Translate titles, meta descriptions, image alt text and structured data too, not just the visible body text.

The rollout order

Mistakes that cost rankings

• Arabic pages that are machine translated and never reviewed.
• hreflang tags that point one way only, so Google ignores them.
• A language switcher that drops visitors on the Arabic homepage instead of the matching page.
• Mixing both languages on one page, which confuses visitors and Google about what the page is.

Bilingual content strategy beyond the website, such as social posts and ads, is covered in bilingual Arabic and English content. If you are planning a new site, I build bilingual layouts as part of website design in Dubai.

Questions people ask