Arabic SEO: 5 steps to rank higher in Saudi search results
Many Saudi businesses invest in an Arabic website but never appear on the first page of Google. Here are five steps that make a real difference.
1. Research Arabic keywords — do not translate them
Customers often search with different words, spellings and even dialect. "مطعم" and "مطاعم", or "عروض" versus "خصومات", can have very different volumes. Research real search behaviour instead of translating your English keyword list.
2. Get the technical basics right
Use proper RTL markup, set the correct language and hreflang tags, and make sure your site loads quickly on mobile networks. Technical issues can hold back even the best content.
3. Write for people first
Create helpful content that answers the questions your customers actually ask, in natural Arabic. Avoid machine translation — search engines and readers both notice.
4. Optimise for local search
Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, add your city to key pages and encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
5. Measure and improve
Track rankings, traffic and conversions every month, and keep improving the pages that are close to the top.