The UAE is one of the most multilingual advertising markets in the world. Residents and visitors search in English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and more, and many switch between languages depending on the task. For most businesses, English and Arabic are the two that matter first. Running both well takes more than translating your ads, and the businesses that get it right often find less competition and cheaper clicks in Arabic.
Start with who you want to reach
Before duplicating campaigns, decide who the customer is. A B2B software buyer in Dubai Internet City may search almost entirely in English. A family choosing a local service in Sharjah or Al Ain may search first in Arabic. Look at your existing customers, your enquiries and your sales conversations to see which language they use, then prioritise accordingly.
How language targeting works
Google Ads language targeting is based on the language settings of the person's browser or Google account, not on the language of your website. If you target Arabic, your ads can appear to people who use Arabic as their interface language, even if they search in English; the reverse also happens. That is why it is important to match keywords, ad copy and landing pages to the language you are targeting, and to check the search terms report to see what people actually typed.
Separate campaigns, separate budgets
Keep Arabic and English in different campaigns, with their own keywords, ads, budgets and reports. This lets you see the true cost per enquiry for each language, avoid one language starving the other of budget, and tailor offers and tone. Use the same naming convention so reports are easy to compare.
Write natively, not literally
Direct translation often sounds stiff or wrong. Work with a native Arabic speaker, ideally one familiar with business writing in the Gulf. Pay attention to:
- Tone: Arabic business copy often favours formality and clear benefits over casual slogans.
- Keywords: Arabic searchers use different terms and spellings, including colloquial and Modern Standard forms. Research them rather than translating your English list.
- Length: Arabic text may take a different amount of space, so check that headlines display properly.
- Numbers and currency: be consistent about AED and numerals across ads and pages.
Make the landing page match
An Arabic ad that lands on an English page breaks the promise. Provide an Arabic page, set to right-to-left layout, with the same offer and a form or WhatsApp button that works well on mobile. Check that fonts, alignment, forms and buttons render correctly, since right-to-left errors are easy to miss if nobody on the team reads Arabic.
Bidding and budget
Do not assume the two languages behave alike. Arabic search volume is often smaller but can be less competitive, while English may have more volume at a higher cost. Start each with a modest budget, collect data for several weeks, and then let the numbers guide you. Compare cost per enquiry and, ideally, cost per customer, rather than clicks.
Measure each language separately
Track conversions by campaign and by landing page language. If you record leads in a CRM, add a field for the language of the enquiry. After a few months you will know which language brings the best customers, not only the most clicks, and you can invest accordingly.
A practical starting plan
- Choose two or three core services to advertise.
- Research keywords natively in each language.
- Build matching landing pages in English and Arabic.
- Launch separate campaigns with the same structure.
- Review search terms weekly and compare results monthly.
Want a specialist team to run this for you? Crafts Software plans, builds and manages Google Ads for businesses across the UAE, and connects the results to your CRM so you can see which clicks became customers. See how our Google Ads service works or talk to us about your account.