Key timing insights:
- Post-prayer times offering engagement opportunities
- Late evening activity peaks significantly higher than global norms
- Weekend patterns notably varied from weekday interaction
- Seasonal variations during cultural events requiring customized strategies
- Academic calendar impacts on specific segments
When evaluating digital marketing services, don't be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions. I've learned to directly ask: "Can I speak to your most challenging client?" The responses to this question tell you THE COMPLETE STORY about an agency's ethics.
Last month, I was consulting with a large e-commerce business that had poured over 200,000 SAR on a stunning website that was converting poorly. The reason? They had just converted their English site without considering the fundamental UX differences needed for Arabic users.
Listen, I've been through the frustrating experience of hiring the unsuitable marketing agency TWICE before at last finding one that provided results. Trust me, it's a mistake you don't want to make when building your brand in Saudi Arabia's competitive market.
After considerable time of underwhelming results despite significant marketing investments, their enhanced messaging approach produced a significant improvement in connection and a substantial growth in conversion.
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Realigning CTA buttons to the right-hand portion of forms and interfaces
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Reconsidering content prioritization to progress from right to left
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Adapting interactive elements to match the right-to-left viewing pattern
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Relocated product visuals to the left portion, with product information and call-to-action buttons on the right-hand side
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Changed the product gallery to move from right to left
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Implemented a custom Arabic text style that preserved readability at various dimensions
Important elements:
- Classical vs. colloquial Arabic usage
- Geographic dialect distinctions appropriate for the prospective customers
- Formal addresses usage representing suitable honor
- Religious allusions used with understanding
- Figures of speech that align with local culture
Key visual elements to consider:
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Suitable portrayal of persons respecting social expectations
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Shade selections with understanding of local interpretation
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Architecture and landscapes that connect with Saudi identity
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Attention to specifics that demonstrate local knowledge
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Traditional patterns integrated tastefully
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Select fonts specially created for Arabic screen reading (like Dubai) rather than conventional print fonts
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Enlarge line spacing by 150-175% for enhanced readability
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Set right-justified text (never middle-aligned for primary copy)
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Prevent condensed Arabic text styles that compromise the characteristic letter forms
For a financial services customer, we produced a information campaign about family financial planning that included Shariah-compliant approaches. This information surpassed their former typical investment tips by 417% in response.
For a ThreeSixty Digital Solutions service, we identified that their international information was significantly better than their local language material. After improving their Arabic content quality, they saw a significant improvement in conversion rates from Arabic-speaking users.
Key channel insights:
- WhatsApp as principal engagement platforms for customer service
- Temporary content functioning remarkably successfully for specific segments
- YouTube consumption at notably increased amounts than international standards
- Twitter substantial impact on social conversation
- Instagram particularly effective for aspirational businesses
During a marketing workshop in Eastern Province last month, I was surprised when a business owner told me he was paying 5000 SAR monthly to his "digital expert" who turned out to be a young amateur running campaigns from his bedroom! No judgment on entrepreneurial students, but industry qualifications and expertise matter enormously in this field.
For a high-end accommodation brand, we implemented a messaging approach with meticulous care with native tongue refinements. This technique increased their interaction levels by over one hundred eighty percent.
- Clearly indicate which language should be used in each form element
- Dynamically switch keyboard language based on field expectations
- Locate form text to the right-hand side of their associated inputs
- Verify that system feedback appear in the same language as the required input
- Verified local success stories - Not just basic case studies, but real results with Saudi businesses in your exact sector. When I interviewed our current agency, they showed me exactly how they helped a company like ours boost their Riyadh customer base by 215% in less than a year.
As someone who has created 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 totally unique approach.