When we talk about SEO for Arabic, it is the process of improving the online visibility of your Arabic website in the Middle East region. It will allow the search engines to index and crawl your Arabic content and rank it accordingly. Arabic SEO is an affordable tool that enables your business to break into the Middle East market.
There are many Arabic-speaking online users in the world. Plus, the Arabic language is among the most used languages on the internet. Therefore, Arab consumers are the target audience of many established or small businesses.
It is known throughout the world that Arabs are active in using the internet. They often have the intent to purchase local products and services. Hence, you are right to consider and expand your brand into the Middle East region. Here are some Arabic SEO tips that you can follow to get organic traffic to your business website.
Identify Your Target Search Engine
Gerard Newman, Chief Technology Officer at FlowForma, said, “Before you step into your targeted region or country, you should research the search engine perspectives in that specific market. It is known that Google is the most dominant internet search engine provider in the major online markets. Likewise, it is also the most common search engine in the Middle East region. Consider Google as your target search engine while considering your expansion into the Middle East region. Focusing on this channel will shorten the journey to reach your target audience.”
Arabic On-Page Google SEO
Meta descriptions and title tags play a crucial role in the ranking of your page on search engines. The title tag shows the title of your webpage when your site is shown on the search engine result page (SERP). Similarly, the meta description can be considered as a summary of your content. It also appears in search engine results right under the title.
If you want your business website to function efficiently in different countries, localization of meta descriptions and title tags is important. The translator should consider the diversity of the audience to be successful in translating the meta description and title tags. It is specifically when you are choosing keywords for various countries.
Social Media Marketing
It is essential to keep in mind that social media marketing is not only about Instagram and Facebook. While you are setting up a social media strategy, you must make the right choice regarding the social media channel.
Every platform has its distinct features and effectiveness rate. People need to understand that Instagram is more of an entertainment and trending channel for Arabic users.
Google Ads and PPC
Google Global Cache, or GGC, has an emerging consumer who looks forward to finding services and products. Google ads are a strong way to access the locality in a short time in the form of search ads.
Moreover, the conversion rate is also generated at a lower cost. However, Arabic PPC and search engine marketing services require skilled optimization and configuration skills.
Link Building
Mahmoud Ali, CEO of Dawenly, said, “Like any other SEO effort, link building is essential. Performing SEO in Arabic is no different than in any other language. Obtain regional links using Arabic anchor texts from Middle Eastern regions. It might be a profitable strategy and well worth the entire effort. But, nowadays, only some Arabic websites will even use links to other websites.
Most websites would even steal content illegally from other websites instead of linking to it as a reference. This is because of the country’s lack of enforcement of copyright laws. Despite the obstacles, there are some strategies to help you get additional links from the region.
When looking to get links to increase the rankings of the Arabic section of your website, there is one common mistake businesses usually make. It is forgetting that links from other regions and English sites would benefit the Arabic website section. This is specifically when the website is on the same domain as the English section. Many websites have gained top rankings in Arabic, regardless of having no or few Arabic connections. It was simply due to the high backlink profile in English.”
Publish Arabic Content
Arvind Rongala, CEO of Invensis Learning, said, “This strategy is among the most obvious ones. If you have good running Arabic content, it will bring more traffic than any other way of ranking for SEO in Arabic. However, knowing this is not enough; you must understand why it happens. Competition in the Middle East for various keywords is very low. Therefore, when you have simply SEO content in Arabic on your website, it will potentially lead to ranking for long-tail keyword search queries.”
Some websites have less than five connections to the page. Many Arabic content also rank in the top places for several keywords in an industry. Since many sectors have only some competitors optimizing for Arabic keywords, your website may rank for a diverse range of things. It is when you simply publish content regarding issues in that area.
Arabic Website Design
Arabic is a Semitic language that is written from right to left. Moreover, Arabic letters are wider and shorter than Latin characters. It may cause some issues in different Arabic localized websites. This usually results in a website redesign since page headers and menus will require to be flipped horizontally or mirrored.
It will help in enhancing conversion and usability. You can avoid these issues by hiring a professional company with the skills. They can offer a full website expansion package and design the appropriate website for your business. When you have a website that matches your audience, it will improve website visibility and traffic.
Remember Native Arabic Keywords
Make sure to extract the top relevant keywords according to the monthly volume. However, it is not enough for an SEO in Arabic. You need to understand that the competition is low for terms and keywords that are specific to the Middle East. Start by undertaking comprehensive research to determine the most relevant keywords.
You can create a list of phrases that your offline sales team, customer service representatives, and clients use. You can include them in your final list. After that, filter the final list thoroughly and split it into different categories as required. Moreover, avoid translating keywords directly. You need to localize keywords to avoid targeting ineffective phrases. Typically, websites translate keywords from English to Arabic and lose a major proportion of relevant traffic.
For instance, in Arabic culture, the word “hospitality” would be translated to “generosity”. It is completely inaccurate. It is so because many words translated are sometimes transcribed in Arabic instead of directly translated.
Conclusion
The website you build for the Middle East market expansion can be a wise move. However, you must do it properly if you are planning on doing it. Apply the Arabic SEO tips and give your brand website exponential online exposure. It can lead to improved awareness of your business, resulting in conversions. SEO tips for an Arabic website are not much different from the other regions. But, you must consider some factors to enhance your business website performance and visibility.
