Recently, a shop network spent over 200,000 SAR in conventional advertising with minimal returns. After shifting just 30% of that spending to mobile marketing, they experienced a three hundred twenty-eight percent growth in foot traffic.
- Moved product visuals to the left side, with product information and call-to-action buttons on the right
- Modified the product gallery to advance from right to left
- Incorporated a custom Arabic font that preserved clarity at various scales
As someone who has created over 30 Arabic websites in the last half-decade, I can tell you that applying Western UX practices to Arabic interfaces falls short. The unique characteristics of Arabic script and Saudi user behaviors require a totally unique approach.
Effective approaches included:
- Market studies with regionally-focused information
- Management discussions with respected Saudi professionals
- Success stories from regional initiatives
- Webinars exploring locally-relevant challenges
If you're creating or revamping a website for the Saudi market, I advise consulting specialists who truly understand the subtleties of Arabic user experience rather than simply adapting Western interfaces.
Key considerations included:
- Native-speaking writers for both tongues
- Cultural adaptation rather than literal conversion
- Harmonious company tone across two languages
- Language-specific keyword strategy
The most successful Saudi brands know that customers don't separate in terms of mediums. My financial client experienced a substantial increase in qualified leads after we integrated their once disjointed touchpoints.
- Repositioning call-to-action buttons to the right area of forms and pages
- Restructuring content prioritization to flow from right to left
- Redesigning interactive elements to follow the right-to-left reading pattern
Recently, I was helping a major e-commerce platform that had spent over 200,000 SAR on a impressive website that was converting poorly. The issue? They had merely transformed their English site without addressing the basic experience variations needed for Arabic users.
I chuckle when clients tell me they're using the "latest" digital marketing strategies but haven't revised their approach since 2022. The marketing ecosystem has transformed completely in just the past few months.
Recently, I was sitting in this elegant office in Riyadh (you know, one of those places with the glass walls and pretentious modern art), listening as an agency guaranteed me the world. Six months and 50K SAR later, our traffic had increased by a mere... wait for it... 3%. Not exactly the result I was anticipating! <20><><ED><A0><BE><ED>♂️
For a financial search ranking services Jeddah brand, we developed a material collection about generational wealth that featured halal investment concepts. This content exceeded their earlier standard financial advice by 417% in engagement.
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Place the most important content in the top-right section of the screen
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Structure information segments to advance from right to left and top to bottom
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Implement stronger visual weight on the right side of equal layouts
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Verify that directional icons (such as arrows) point in the appropriate direction for RTL interfaces
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Team members with Google and Meta certifications
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Dedicated departments (not one person doing everything)
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Proper organizational structures
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Experience with Saudi compliance requirements and compliance issues
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Documented local success stories - Not just generic case studies, but real results with Saudi businesses in your specific sector. When I interviewed our current agency, they showed me exactly how they helped a company like ours increase their Riyadh customer base by 215% in 8 months.
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Cultural expertise - This is HUGE and often overlooked. Saudi consumers engage with completely different approaches than Western audiences. The best digital marketing agency will understand nuances like the importance of Ramadan campaigns, regional preferences across different Saudi cities, and how to connect effectively with the Saudi demographic you're targeting.
- Choose fonts specially created for Arabic on-screen viewing (like Boutros) rather than traditional print fonts
- Enlarge line spacing by 150-175% for enhanced readability
- Implement right-justified text (never centered UI/UX for Middle Eastern markets body text)
- Prevent compressed Arabic typefaces that compromise the characteristic letter shapes
During a marketing workshop in Eastern Province last month, I was surprised when a business owner told me he was paying five thousand SAR monthly to his "digital expert" who turned out to be a college student running campaigns from his bedroom! No judgment on hardworking students, but professional certification and education matter enormously in this field.
I'm running a small business gathering in Riyadh next month where we'll be exploring more about finding and working with marketing partners. If you're struggling with this too, drop me a message - always happy to share experiences over some good Saudi coffee!