Most businesses in the UAE compete for English searches, where Dubai's agencies, directories and global brands crowd the first page. Arabic searches are often far less contested, yet many UAE websites either have no Arabic version or a machine translation of the English one. This guide covers what Arabic SEO involves, what we learned building and researching our own bilingual site, and how to set up Arabic pages that can actually rank.
Why Arabic Search Is an Opportunity
Search difficulty scores tell the story. In our own keyword research for UAE app development, the English search "app development company dubai" had a difficulty score of 31 out of 100, against 8 for the Arabic "شركة تصميم تطبيقات" ("app design company"), even though the Arabic phrase does not mention Dubai. The Arabic searches are smaller, but far fewer websites compete for them properly.
Less competition
Many UAE businesses publish in English only, or with weak Arabic
A different audience
Arabic searchers include Emirati customers and Arab residents who prefer to search in Arabic
Trust
A well-written Arabic page signals a business that takes Arabic-speaking customers seriously
Research Arabic Keywords Separately
The most common Arabic SEO mistake is translating English keywords. People do not search in translated phrases; they search in the words they use. Two examples from our own research for the UAE:
- "Design", not "development". For app developers, "تصميم تطبيقات" (app design) showed steady monthly searches in the UAE, while "تطوير تطبيقات" (app development), the literal translation of the English, returned no measurable volume in our research tool.
- Transliteration wins. For SEO services, "شركة سيو في دبي", which writes "SEO" phonetically in Arabic letters, had about five times the searches of the formal term "تحسين محركات البحث دبي".
Expect a mix of Modern Standard Arabic, Gulf usage, English brand and technical terms, and transliterations. Research each service in Arabic with a keyword tool set to Arabic and the UAE, and check what the top results actually call things.
Give Arabic Its Own Pages
Google needs a separate address for each language version. The common structures:
| Structure | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subfolder | example.ae/ar/services | Simplest; shares the main domain's authority. This is what we use |
| Subdomain | ar.example.ae/services | Works, but behaves more like a separate site |
| Separate domain | example-arabic.ae | Rarely worth it for a small business |
Avoid language switching on one address. If the same URL shows English or Arabic depending on a button or the browser setting, Google usually sees and indexes only one version.
Tell Google the Pages Are Pairs
Use hreflang tags so Google knows the English and Arabic pages are translations of each other and shows each to the right searchers. Each page lists itself and its counterpart, plus an x-default for everyone else, and each version has its own canonical tag pointing to itself. Include both versions in your sitemap. If a page exists only in English, do not point an Arabic hreflang at it.
Right-to-Left, Done Properly
Arabic pages need lang="ar" and dir="rtl", and the whole layout mirrored: navigation, icons with direction, form fields and breadcrumbs. Some things should not flip: phone numbers, prices, timelines and code. A page that is translated but laid out left-to-right looks broken to Arabic readers, and they leave before they enquire.
- Use a proper Arabic web font rather than relying on the device default.
- Choose one numeral style and use it consistently. Many UAE sites use Western digits (1, 2, 3) in Arabic text for prices and phone numbers.
- Test on phones: most Arabic-speaking visitors arrive on mobile.
Titles, Descriptions and URLs
Write Arabic page titles and meta descriptions in Arabic, around the Arabic keyword, not a translation of the English title. For URLs there is a trade-off: Arabic letters in a URL are valid, but they appear as long percent-encoded strings when copied and shared. Many bilingual sites, ours included, keep the English slug under /ar/ and put the Arabic keyword in the title, headings and text instead. Some SEO tools flag this as a mismatch; Google reads the title and content.
Write Arabic for Arabic Readers
Machine translation produces Arabic that is grammatically plausible and obviously foreign: literal phrases, wrong formality, English word order. Have the content written or thoroughly edited by a fluent writer. Keep the facts identical between languages, especially prices, guarantees and contact details, so neither version promises something the other does not.
Measure Arabic Separately
In Google Search Console, filter the Performance report by pages containing /ar/, and by queries in Arabic script, to see impressions and clicks for the Arabic site alone. In Google Analytics, compare enquiries by page language. Arabic pages usually take a few months to build impressions, as any new pages do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arabic SEO easier than English SEO in the UAE?
Often, for local service searches, because fewer websites compete with proper Arabic pages. Search volumes are smaller, so the best results come from doing both languages well rather than choosing one.
Can I just translate my English website into Arabic?
Translate the facts, but research the Arabic keywords separately and have a fluent writer write or edit the text. A literal translation targets phrases that people do not search for.
Should Arabic pages use Arabic URLs?
They can, but it is not required for ranking. Many bilingual sites keep English slugs under an /ar/ folder for cleaner sharing, and use the Arabic keyword in the title, headings and content.
Which Arabic do UAE customers search in?
Mostly Modern Standard Arabic mixed with Gulf usage, English terms and transliterations such as "سيو" for SEO. Keyword research in Arabic for the UAE shows which form each audience uses.
Next Step
Our own site runs in English and Arabic with the setup described here. If you want help reaching Arabic and English searchers in the UAE, see our SEO services for Dubai and the UAE, our digital marketing packages for Dubai, or our app and website development for Dubai if your site needs to be rebuilt bilingual first.
Founder of Growbz (Chennai, est. 2023). Runs the Google Ads, SEO and web builds behind every case study on this site, including the 14-month catering campaign whose numbers we publish in full.