Two kinds of Arabic
Modern Standard Arabic, or fusha, is the formal written language used in news, government and most websites across the Arab world. Gulf Arabic, or khaleeji, is how people in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman actually speak. Most people read both easily. They just respond to them differently.
Formal Arabic sounds trustworthy and serious. Gulf dialect sounds friendly and close, but it can feel too casual in the wrong place.
How we decide
We don't pick one voice for the whole site. We pick per page, based on what the reader is trying to do:
- Legal, medical, financial and government-facing pages: Modern Standard Arabic. Readers expect it, and dialect can look unprofessional.
- Product and service pages: mostly Modern Standard Arabic, with Gulf words where they're what people actually search for.
- Social posts, ads and short campaign pages: Gulf Arabic often works better, especially with younger audiences in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
- Support pages and FAQs: plain Modern Standard Arabic that's easy to scan, with no flowery phrasing.
What about search?
Search is where dialect matters most. People often type Gulf words, or mix Arabic with English brand names, even when they'd expect a formal reply. We check Search Console and autocomplete for the real terms, then make sure they appear in titles, headings and the first paragraph, even on pages written in formal Arabic.
Who writes it
Whatever voice you choose, it should be written by a native speaker from the region you're targeting. A writer from Cairo or Beirut can produce excellent formal Arabic but may miss the Gulf words your customers use. For dialect pages, we always use writers from the Gulf.
A simple test
Read the page out loud to someone from your target audience. If they say it sounds like a translation, or like a ministry announcement on a page that's meant to sell sunglasses, rewrite it.
- Content
- Arabic content
- Multilingual SEO
Mariam Al Zarooni
Mariam leads Arabic content at AdAscend and edits everything we publish in Arabic. She grew up in Sharjah and has written for Gulf brands in retail, health and government.
