Arabic website localisation checklist

What to check when adding Arabic to a website: direction, fonts, numbers, forms, SEO tags and content review.

Direction and layout

• Set lang="ar" and dir="rtl" on the Arabic pages.
• Use logical CSS properties (margin-inline-start) instead of left/right.
• Mirror icons that imply direction (arrows), not logos or media controls.

Text and numbers

• Translate meaning, not word by word; have a native speaker review.
• Decide on digits (Arabic-Indic or Latin) and use them consistently.
• Keep phone numbers and codes left-to-right inside Arabic text.

Forms

• Error messages in Arabic next to the field.
• Allow Arabic names and addresses; do not force Latin characters.
• Accept phone numbers with country code.

Search engines

Give each language its own URL, add reciprocal hreflang tags (ar, en and x-default) and a self-referencing canonical on each version.

Source

• Google Search Central — Localized versions of your pages

Updated: 29 Sept 2026