Many UAE businesses publish only in English and miss a large share of searches. Arabic SEO is often less competitive and can bring high-intent customers, especially for government-related services, legal, real estate and healthcare.
1. Research Arabic keywords separately
Do not translate your English keywords word for word. Arabic searchers often use different terms, spellings and phrasing. Research Arabic queries directly and note variations in spelling.
2. Modern Standard Arabic vs dialect
Most written search queries and professional content use Modern Standard Arabic, but some searches include Gulf dialect terms. Cover the main variants naturally in your content.
3. Build proper Arabic pages
- Right-to-left layouts designed properly, not just mirrored.
- Arabic URLs or clear transliterated URLs.
- Native-quality copy written for Arabic readers.
- Arabic titles, meta descriptions and image alt text.
4. Use hreflang correctly
Tell Google which pages are English and which are Arabic using hreflang tags, so each language version shows to the right searchers.
5. Localise trust signals
Arabic reviews, local contact details and culturally relevant imagery improve conversion.
6. Build Arabic links and mentions
Arabic directories, media and partner sites strengthen authority for Arabic pages.
7. Track Arabic performance separately
Segment Search Console and GA4 by language folder so you can see what Arabic pages bring.
Our SEO team plans bilingual sites, and our web developers build proper RTL layouts.
Frequently asked questions
Is machine translation good enough for Arabic SEO?
It can be a starting point, but native review is essential. Poor Arabic hurts trust and conversions.
Should Arabic be on a separate domain?
Usually not. A subfolder such as /ar/ on the same domain is simpler and shares authority.
Does Google rank Arabic content differently?
The same principles apply: relevance, quality, structure and authority, judged in the Arabic results.