Building a bilingual website for a Bahrain business: Arabic-first essentials

In Bahrain, most businesses need a website that works in two languages. A contract may be discussed in English and finalised in Arabic. Customers come from Manama, Muharraq and Riffa, and from across the King Fahd Causeway. Yet many Bahrain websites are built in English first, with Arabic added later as a translated copy that never quite fits.

Starting Arabic-first does not mean Arabic only. It means designing and writing both languages as equals from the first wireframe, so neither one feels like an afterthought.

Decide which language leads, and why

Look at who contacts you today. Banks, fintech firms and many B2B suppliers find that English enquiries dominate. Restaurants, retailers, clinics, family businesses and companies dealing with government entities often see more Arabic. Saudi visitors, especially from the Eastern Province, generally expect Arabic.

Whichever language leads, the switch to the other should be visible on every page, in the same place, and should take visitors to the equivalent page, not back to the home page.

Design for right-to-left from the start

Arabic reads right to left, and the whole layout follows. A site designed in English and then mirrored automatically usually shows problems:

• Navigation and grids need to flip, so the logo, menu and reading order feel natural.
• Directional icons such as arrows, back buttons, sliders and progress bars must point the right way.
• Mixed content, such as English brand names, phone numbers and prices inside Arabic sentences, needs testing so it does not jumble.
• Numbers: decide whether to use Western digits (1, 2, 3) or Arabic-Indic digits and use them consistently.

Design key templates in Arabic as well as English, not just the English version with a note to mirror it.

Arabic copy that sounds like Bahrain

The quickest way to lose an Arabic reader is stiff, translated text. Write Arabic copy for the Arabic reader: clear Modern Standard Arabic for corporate pages, with a warmer, more conversational tone where it suits your brand, such as social links and campaign pages.

Some practical points:

• Arabic often runs longer or shorter than English. Leave room in buttons, menus and headlines.
• Do not rely on English idioms; they rarely translate.
• Keep terminology consistent: one Arabic term for each service, used everywhere.
• Have the Arabic reviewed by a fluent writer before launch, not after.

Starting Arabic-first means designing and writing both languages as equals from the first wireframe.

Fonts that work in both languages

Choose an Arabic typeface that matches the character of your Latin font and has the weights you need for headings and body text. Check that it is licensed for web use and that it renders clearly on phones at small sizes. Arabic needs slightly more line height than Latin text to stay readable, so set sizes and spacing for each language rather than sharing one setting.

If your brand identity has no Arabic typeface yet, sort that out before the website. Our guide to bilingual Arabic and English logos covers how type pairing works.

Forms, WhatsApp and contact routes

Forms are where bilingual sites often break. Make sure they accept Arabic names and addresses, show error messages in the visitor’s language, and send submissions to someone who reads both. Offer the routes Bahrain customers actually use: a phone number, WhatsApp and email. Many customers find a WhatsApp button easier than a long form, but keep a form for those who prefer it and for enquiries that need detail.

Keep forms short. Ask only for what you need, explain how you will use the information and link to your privacy policy. Bahrain has a personal data protection law, so take advice on what applies to the data your site collects.

Search in two languages

People in Bahrain search in both English and Arabic, often for the same service. To be found in both:

• Give each language its own URL, such as /en/ and /ar/, and link them with hreflang tags.
• Write separate page titles and descriptions in each language, using the words people actually search for, not translations of your English keywords.
• Create pages for each main service rather than one long services page.
• Keep your Google Business Profile, with your Manama address and phone, consistent with the site.

Reaching Saudi visitors too

If you serve customers from Saudi Arabia, consider what they need: Arabic that reads naturally to Saudi readers, prices or payment options they recognise if you sell online, and contact routes they can use from Saudi Arabia. Some Bahrain businesses add a short page for Saudi customers explaining how to visit, order or arrange delivery.

Speed and maintenance

Two languages means twice the pages to keep current. Choose a content management setup your team can actually use in both languages, and decide who owns updates for each. Test speed on mobile data, since many visitors arrive from Instagram or WhatsApp links on their phones.

A short checklist before launch

• Both languages designed, written and reviewed by fluent writers.
• Language switch on every page, linking to the equivalent page.
• RTL layout tested on real phones, including forms and menus.
• Separate URLs, hreflang and metadata for each language.
• Contact routes work: phone, WhatsApp, email, form.
• Privacy policy and cookie consent in both languages.

Build your bilingual site with our Manama studio

CREATVZ designs and builds bilingual websites from our Manama studio, with Arabic and English written as one job, and the brand identity to go with them if you need it. Tell us about your business and your customers through the start a project form, or message the Manama team on WhatsApp from this page, and we will come back with questions and a scope for both languages.