A Dubai business has customers who search in English and customers who search in Arabic, often for the same service and rarely with the same words. A site that ranks in one language is invisible to the other group. Bilingual SEO is the work of being found by both, and it is the core of our SEO services in Dubai and the UAE.
Two languages mean two keyword lists
Arabic searches are not English searches run through a translator. A customer may type an English brand name in Arabic letters, use the Gulf word in place of the formal one, or mix both languages in a single search. So the research is done twice, from what people really type: the queries already showing in Search Console, the questions your sales staff hear in Arabic, and the suggestions Google offers in each language.
| English | Arabic | |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords | Researched in English | Researched in Arabic, not translated from the English list |
| Page text | Written for English readers | Written in Arabic and read by a native speaker |
| Layout | Left to right | Right to left, including menus, forms and tables |
| Address | Its own URL, such as /en/ | Its own URL, such as /ar/ |
| Title and description | Written for the English search | Written for the Arabic search |
| Google Business Profile | Description and services in English | The same, entered in Arabic as well |
One page per language, each at its own address
Each language version needs a URL of its own. A button that swaps the text on the same address gives Google one page, not two, and sending visitors to a language by their browser settings can stop Google reaching the other version at all. With separate addresses in place, hreflang tags tell Google that the two pages are the same content in different languages, so an Arabic search is shown the Arabic page.
Keep a visible language link on every page as well. Search engines follow it, and so do customers who landed on the wrong version.
Arabic pages that are really Arabic
- Text written for the Arabic search, not machine-translated and left unchecked.
- A right-to-left layout that covers menus, forms, tables and buttons, not only the paragraphs.
- Arabic titles, descriptions and headings, because those are what the search result shows.
- Images that carry words remade with Arabic wording.
- Phone numbers, prices and dates that still read correctly inside Arabic text.
We research and write for Arabic searches alongside English, and ask for a native reader on your side to go through the Arabic pages before they are published. Absher Landscaping, a website we built for a UAE landscaping company, runs in English, Arabic, Chinese and Russian, and is where our right-to-left pages can be seen.
Google Business Profile in both languages
For searches with an area name or "near me", the profile matters as much as the website. The business name, address and phone number must be identical everywhere they appear. Fill in the description and the services in both languages, add real photos, and reply to reviews in the language they were written in. Customers in Dubai often search by area, so the areas you serve belong in the profile and on the pages. The basics are the same ones set out in our guide to local SEO in Karachi.
A bilingual SEO plan, in order
Fix the technical base
Pages Google can reach and index, a site that is quick on a phone, and no duplicate addresses for the same page.
Research both keyword lists
English and Arabic separately, starting from the searches that already bring you impressions.
Give each keyword a page in its language
One main keyword per page, with the Arabic page planned in its own right and not as a copy.
Write both versions
The Arabic text is checked by a native reader before it is published.
Pair the pages
Add hreflang tags and list both language versions in the sitemap.
Complete the Business Profile
Description, services and areas served in both languages.
Report by language
Impressions, clicks and enquiries for English and for Arabic, month by month.
If the site is slow, start there: why website speed costs enquiries explains what to fix first. If you are about to replace the site, read how to redesign without losing your rankings before any address changes.
What to expect
Technical fixes tend to show first, because they remove what was holding existing pages back. New Arabic pages have to be found, indexed and compared with competitors that may have been there for years, so crowded keywords take longer. A sensible plan starts with the searches you can win, such as a service in a named area, and builds from there.
Nobody can promise a first position on Google, in either language. Be wary of any offer that does, and ask to see the monthly report you will receive before you sign.
Where Operix stands
We do this work remotely from Karachi, one hour ahead of the UAE, with no office in Dubai. See how we work with Dubai and UAE clients, or book a demo and send us the address of your site. We will tell you which searches it already appears for in each language, and where the gaps are.
Questions people ask
What is bilingual SEO?
Search engine optimisation done in two languages on one website. In Dubai that means English and Arabic, each with its own keyword research, its own pages and its own measurement.
Do I need separate pages for Arabic and English?
Yes. Each language should have a page at its own address, linked to the other with hreflang tags. A text switch on a single address leaves Google with only one version to index.
Can I just translate my English pages into Arabic?
Translation gives you Arabic text, not Arabic keywords. Customers often use different words in Arabic, so the page should be written around what they actually search and checked by a native reader.
What is hreflang?
A tag that tells Google two pages carry the same content in different languages. With it, Arabic searches are shown the Arabic page and English searches the English one.
How much does bilingual SEO cost in Dubai?
It depends on the number of pages, the two languages' content and how competitive your keywords are. Operix does not publish prices; you receive a written quote after an audit of your site.
