- Explicitly mark which language should be used in each entry box
- Intelligently switch keyboard language based on field expectations
- Place field labels to the right side of their associated inputs
- Ensure that validation messages appear in the same language as the intended input
Recently, a eatery manager in digital marketers Riyadh complained that his business wasn't visible in Google results despite being highly rated by customers. This is a common problem I observe with Saudi establishments throughout the Kingdom.
Recently, a company director questioned me why his content weren't producing any inquiries. After analyzing his content approach, I found he was making the same errors I see many Saudi businesses repeat.
- Use fonts specifically designed for Arabic on-screen viewing (like GE SS) rather than traditional print fonts
- Enlarge line height by 150-175% for enhanced readability
- Use right-justified text (never centered for primary copy)
- Avoid narrow Arabic fonts that diminish the distinctive letter forms
Essential modifications included:
- Including preferred Saudi transaction options like STC Pay
- Reducing delivery details for Saudi addresses
- Supplying Arabic language support throughout the checkout process
- Displaying arrival times tailored to Saudi areas
For a medical clinic in Jeddah, we improved their local visibility by nearly one hundred percent by ensuring their analyze business competitors information was perfectly identical in both Arabic and English across all listings.
- Position the most important content in the top-right area of the viewport
- Organize page sections to advance from right to left and top to bottom
- Implement heavier visual weight on the right side of equal designs
- Ensure that pointing icons (such as arrows) orient in the correct direction for RTL layouts
As someone who has developed over 30 Arabic websites in the past five years, I can tell you that applying Western UX practices to Arabic interfaces simply doesn't work. The special features of Arabic language and Saudi user expectations require a completely different approach.
A apparel company saw a 93% growth in smartphone sales after executing these improvements:
- Streamlined input requirements
- Thumb-friendly buttons
- One-page checkout process
- Improved speed times
If you're developing or redesigning a website for the Saudi market, I advise consulting professionals who genuinely comprehend the complexities of Arabic user experience rather than just translating Western designs.
Throughout my latest project for a investment company in Riyadh, we found that users were repeatedly selecting the wrong navigation items. Our eye-tracking demonstrated that their focus naturally progressed from right to left, but the important navigation components were located with a left-to-right hierarchy.
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Realigning action buttons to the right area of forms and interfaces
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Rethinking information hierarchy to move from right to left
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Redesigning interactive elements to match the right-to-left scanning pattern
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Created a figure visualization approach that handled both Arabic and English numerals
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Redesigned data visualizations to read from right to left
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Applied visual indicators that corresponded to Saudi cultural connections
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Restructured the form flow to align with right-to-left thinking processes
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Created a bilingual data entry process with intelligent language switching
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Improved smartphone usability for thumb-based Arabic text entry
Last month, I was helping a large e-commerce business that had poured over 200,000 SAR on a beautiful website that was failing miserably. The problem? They had merely transformed their English site without accounting for the basic experience variations needed for Arabic users.
Recently, an online store was suffering from a dismal 0.8% sales percentage despite high site users. After applying the strategies I'm about to reveal, their sales percentage increased to 3.7%, producing a three hundred sixty-two percent growth in sales.
Working with an electronics retailer, we found that their standard checkout experience was causing needless difficulties for Saudi users. After applying tailored enhancements, their cart abandonment frequency decreased by 37%.
Our studies has revealed that Saudi users particularly value these confidence builders:
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Physical presence details
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Regional approval marks
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Detailed refund procedures
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Local currency pricing with inclusive delivery estimates
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Shifted product visuals to the left portion, with product specifications and buy buttons on the right side
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Adjusted the image carousel to advance from right to left
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Added a custom Arabic text style that preserved clarity at various scales