A translate button and a mirrored layout are not an Arabic website. Here is what it takes to build one customers in the Gulf trust.
For businesses selling in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, an Arabic version of the website is often the difference between looking local and looking like a visitor. But a lot of Arabic sites are built in a way that quietly works against them. These are the things we get right first.
Give Arabic its own pages
Automatic translation widgets swap text in the browser, so search engines never see a proper Arabic page. Give each language its own address, link the versions together with hreflang tags, and Google can show Arabic searchers the Arabic page.
Design for right to left, not a mirror image
Flipping the whole layout breaks things that should not flip: logos, phone numbers, video controls and charts. Good right-to-left design decides element by element what mirrors and what stays. That is far easier to plan from the first wireframe than to fix after launch.
Handle mixed text
Arabic pages often include English product names, prices and codes. Without care, punctuation jumps to the wrong end of the line and numbers read in the wrong order. These details make a page feel either professional or broken.
Choose fonts for Arabic
Many web fonts have no Arabic characters, so the browser falls back to whatever it has, and the page looks mismatched. Pick an Arabic typeface that sits well beside your English one and loads quickly.
Write it, do not just translate it
Machine translation is a useful first draft. A native speaker should always review the final copy, especially headlines, calls to action and anything about price, delivery or returns.
Customers forgive a small website. They do not forgive one that reads like it was not meant for them.
Keep both languages up to date
The most common failure is not launch day; it is six months later, when English has moved on and Arabic has not. Set up your content system so both languages sit side by side and updates happen together.
If you are planning an Arabic version, we can review your current site and tell you what is involved before you commit.
Related services: Multilingual websites, UI/UX design, Custom website development.