Arabic English Website: How to Build One Properly in the GCC

An arabic english website is one site with a full Arabic version and a full English version. Each language has its own URL, the Arabic pages are laid out right to left, and a person has translated the text. A language widget that rewrites the page in the browser does none of this.

If you sell to customers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh or Jeddah, that difference shows up in search, in trust and sometimes in compliance.

Why does a translation widget not count as an Arabic website?

A widget changes the words on screen, but it does not give Google a page to index or a layout that reads naturally in Arabic.

Google recommends a different URL for each language version. It advises against using cookies or browser settings to switch the language on one URL. You can read this in Google's guide to multi-regional and multilingual sites. If the Arabic exists only after a click, Search has nothing separate to show to an Arabic searcher.

Here is how the two approaches compare.

How should I structure the URLs?

Use one URL per language per page, and link the pairs together with hreflang.

Google's page lists two common options. Subdirectories, for example example.ae/ar/, are low maintenance on one host. Subdomains, for example ar.example.ae, give more separation but cost more to run. For most UAE and KSA SMEs, a subfolder is the practical choice.

Hreflang tells Google which page is the Arabic twin of which English page. It can sit in HTML tags, HTTP headers or your sitemap. A simple HTML example:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.ae/en/services/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="ar" href="https://example.ae/ar/services/" />

Three habits save you pain:

• Use full absolute URLs, not relative ones.
• Make the links go both ways. The English page points to the Arabic page, and the Arabic page points back.
• Use UTF-8 and escape Arabic characters properly in URLs. Google's page says to do this when you link. If you use Arabic slugs, test that links survive when pasted into WhatsApp and email.

Many teams keep English slugs on both versions (/ar/services/) to keep links clean. That is a valid choice. Pick one rule and apply it everywhere.

What does right-to-left layout actually involve?

It means the whole page flows from right to left, not just the paragraphs.

The W3C says to put dir="rtl" on the html element when the whole document is right to left, and to use dir on inner elements only where the direction changes. The W3C guidance on the dir attribute also says LTR is the default if you set nothing. And it advises dir="auto" on forms and injected text so the direction is detected at run time.

One thing people miss: the lang attribute declares the language but does not set direction. You need both, as MDN explains. A table with dir="rtl" also arranges its columns right to left.

Go through the page and check:

• Navigation and menus. Logo and first menu item sit on the right.
• Icons with direction. Back arrows, "next" chevrons and progress bars should point the other way.
• Forms. Labels, placeholders and the cursor position should feel natural in Arabic. Name, email and phone fields often hold English text, so test them with both scripts.
• Tables. Pricing and rate tables should read from the right.
• Fonts. Use a font with good Arabic glyphs. Don't let the browser fall back to a mismatched default.
• Images with text. Banners with English words baked in need an Arabic version.

What about English names and numbers inside Arabic text?

Arabic sentences often contain short English runs: a brand name, a product code, a phone number, an AED price. The W3C's bidirectional text tutorial says to wrap opposite-direction phrases in markup that sets their direction. The W3C's WCAG technique H56 adds that mixed punctuation and spaces can break nested runs, and that an inline dir fixes it.

In practice, this is how a line like "Call +971 4 000 0000" avoids showing its digits in the wrong order or its plus sign in the wrong place. Test these on a real phone. Design files hide the problem.

Who should translate the content?

A native Arabic speaker who knows your industry should write or edit every page.

Machine translation is not automatically banned. Google has removed its advice to block auto-translated pages and says it judges content by its value to users. But unreviewed, low-value pages are a risk, and customers notice awkward wording faster than any algorithm does.

Say a Dubai freight forwarder translates "demurrage" and "detention" word for word. A shipper in Riyadh reads it and has no idea what the charge is. A person who works in logistics would choose the term the trade really uses. That is the gap between a translation and a localised page.

Also think about dialect and tone. Modern Standard Arabic is the safe base for a business website. Keep the voice formal enough to be credible and plain enough to read quickly. Decide up front how you write company names, so "Quickship" or your own brand is spelled the same way on every page.

Is Arabic a legal requirement in the UAE?

For consumer-facing content, yes, in part. The UAE Government Portal says an invoice must be in Arabic, and the provider may add any other language. The invoice must carry the trade name, address, type of goods or service, price and quantity.

Law firm summaries of Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection say the Arabic requirement also reaches consumer-facing product information, ads, and contract and warranty terms. They also say it does not regulate e-commerce providers located outside the UAE. These are secondary sources, so confirm the detail on the official portal or with a lawyer.

This is a consumer rule. A website that only sells to other businesses may be treated differently, and I have not cited a Saudi rule here. If you sell online to consumers in either country, or you are unsure, get written advice for your case before you launch. Do not rely on a blog post, including this one.

How do I build it step by step?

Follow this order. It keeps the Arabic version from becoming an afterthought.

1. List the pages that matter. Home, services, contact, pricing and your top five product or service pages. Start there, not with all 60.
2. Choose the URL pattern. Decide on /ar/ subfolders (or another structure) and write the rule down.
3. Design the RTL layout first. Mirror the navigation, icons, forms and tables. Do not flip the English site with a script at the end.
4. Write the Arabic copy with a native speaker. Give them your glossary of trade terms, not just a Word file.
5. Add lang, dir and hreflang. Check the pairs link both ways.
6. Fix mixed-direction text. Brand names, phone numbers, AED prices and product codes.
7. Test on phones. Check in Arabic on iPhone and Android, then complete a contact form and any checkout.
8. Check the sitemap. Make sure both language versions are in it.
9. Launch pages only when both versions are complete. No half-translated pages.
10. Assign an owner. When English changes, someone updates the Arabic the same week.

What mistakes should I avoid?

• Flipping the layout with CSS only. Icons, charts and images still point the wrong way.
• Leaving forms in English. Arabic visitors drop off at the form first.
• Hreflang that points one way. If the Arabic page does not point back, Google may ignore the pair.
• Translating only the homepage. Visitors click into English pages and leave.
• Forgetting the invoice and email templates. If you invoice UAE consumers, those need Arabic too.
• No update process. Prices change in English and stay old in Arabic.

Where does Quickship fit?

Quickship is a software company in Dubai, not a translation agency. We build business websites from AED 49 a month, or AED 99 with hosting and domain. If you want an Arabic and English site, put the scope in writing before you start: RTL layout, URL structure, hreflang, and who supplies the Arabic copy.

Whoever builds it, use the checklist above to hold them to a proper job.