Adding Arabic is usually quoted as a translation line. It is closer to designing a second site that happens to share your content.
What actually mirrors, and what does not
In a right-to-left layout the reading order flips, so navigation, alignment, list markers, form labels and the direction of progress indicators all move. So do icons that imply direction: an arrow pointing forward now points left.
What does not flip: phone numbers, Latin brand names, code, and most logos. Getting this wrong is the clearest sign a site was translated rather than designed.
Handled at template level with CSS logical properties, this is largely automatic. Handled with a plugin on top of a fixed layout, it is a permanent source of small breakages.
Typography is the part that gets underestimated
Arabic type has different vertical proportions from Latin. A size that looks right in English often looks small in Arabic, and line height that works for one is usually too tight for the other.
You also need a typeface that covers both scripts properly, or a deliberate pairing where the Arabic face matches the Latin one in weight and tone. A default system fallback for Arabic is the visual equivalent of a shrug.
Forms, addresses and names
- Names are frequently longer and the field has to accommodate it
- Addresses in the UAE do not follow a Western postal pattern, and forcing a postcode field is a reliable way to lose submissions
- Numerals may appear in either Western or Eastern Arabic forms depending on your audience, and that is a decision, not a default
- Validation messages must exist in both languages or the form fails silently for half your users
What it means for SEO
Each language needs its own URL, its own indexable pages and reciprocal hreflang annotations so search engines serve the right version. A language switcher that changes the content without changing the URL means only one version ever gets indexed.
It also means the Arabic content has to be genuinely written, not machine translated. Search engines have been good at spotting the difference for years, and so are readers.
Plan it into the design from the start. Retrofitting a second language into a finished site costs more than building for it at the beginning.