As someone who has designed over 30 Arabic websites in the past five years, I can tell you that applying Western UX practices to Arabic interfaces falls short. The distinctive elements of Arabic language and Saudi user expectations require a specialized approach.
An acquaintance who runs a café in Riyadh at first balked at the extra 12,000 SAR for an booking system, but afterward mentioned me it recovered its cost within 90 days by reducing personnel resources spent on phone reservations.
Last month, my colleague Hessa got quotes spanning 22,000 to 58,000 SAR for virtually the same business website. The disparity? The higher quotes contained custom design components rather than template-based approaches.
- Locate the most critical content in the right upper corner of the page
- Organize page sections to flow from right to left and top to bottom
- Implement more prominent visual importance on the right side of balanced designs
- Confirm that pointing icons (such as arrows) orient in the correct direction for RTL designs
For a merchant, we found that their spoken question appearance was restricted because they had optimized primarily for English voice searches. After implementing tailored Arabic voice search optimization, their discovery rate increased by 217%.
- Restructured the application process to align with right-to-left thinking processes
- Created a dual-language form system with automatic language switching
- Optimized mobile interactions for thumb-based Arabic website user experience text entry
- Deliverables - Some budget options market SEO for 3,000 SAR but provide only limited keyword research and monthly reports. Full-service SEO involves in-depth site enhancements, content development, and ongoing link building.
Recently, a hotel owner realized that their online presence was entirely absent from voice search results. After executing the strategies I'm about to discuss, they're now showing up in forty-seven percent of relevant audio queries.
Assisting a medical center, we rewrote their information to include entire queries that patients would naturally speak, such as "Where can I find a dermatologist in Riyadh?" This approach increased their spoken question discovery by seventy-three percent.
- Ask for Saudi-specific case studies - Many agencies display impressive results from international markets that aren't relevant to the Saudi context. I explicitly asked, "Can you show me results for a company similar to mine in Riyadh?"
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Shifted product images to the left portion, with product information and buy buttons on the right
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Changed the photo slider to progress from right to left
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Incorporated a custom Arabic text style that maintained readability at various scales
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Use fonts specifically designed for Arabic screen reading (like Dubai) rather than traditional print fonts
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Enlarge line spacing by 150-175% for enhanced readability
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Implement right-justified text (never centered for main content)
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Stay away from compressed Arabic typefaces that diminish the unique letter forms
Key considerations:
- Including religious leaders in transformation development
- Honoring religious periods in deployment timelines
- Developing gender-appropriate development activities
- Highlighting harmony with Kingdom objectives
I recall the astonishment on my brother-Marketing Agency in Saudi capital-law's face when he was handed a quote for seventy-five thousand SAR for his company website. "It's just a website!" he protested. Not long after, he ended up with a bargain 3,000 SAR site that appeared unprofessional and didn't attract a single lead.
My cousin Ahmad originally picked the cheapest quote for his company website, only to find out later that it excluded content development – causing an extra 8,000 SAR expense for professional copywriting.
At a business meetup in Riyadh, I surveyed 17 business owners about their website creation experiences. The price range was astonishing – from 2,500 SAR for a simple site to over 150,000 SAR for sophisticated e-commerce platforms.
For a industrial company, we developed a evolution approach that emphasized cultural alignment. This technique decreased pushback by seventy-six percent and hastened acceptance by one hundred eighty-three percent.
- Market Expertise - The most established SEO companies in Riyadh usually charge between 8,000-12,000 SAR monthly for complete campaigns. Their premium rates indicate deeper experience and proven success rates.
As opposed to concentrating only on finding the lowest price, consider the possible results that a quality website will produce for your business. A properly developed site is an asset that will continue paying dividends for years to come.
For a retail chain, we developed a combined methodology that balanced technological advancement with conventional importance of personal interaction. This strategy increased user contentment by over one hundred sixty percent while generating operational improvements.