How To Run A WordPress Site In Arabic And English

A Dubai clinic owner sends over their WordPress site and asks for "the Arabic version" by next week. They picture a button in the header that flips every page into Arabic. What they actually need is a second copy of each page, written in Arabic, laid out right to left, on its own address, and linked to its English twin so Google and visitors can find it.

That is the short answer to how you make a WordPress site work in Arabic and English. Install one multilingual plugin, such as WPML, Polylang or TranslatePress, give each language its own URL (for example /ar/), make sure your theme supports right-to-left layout, and have a fluent Arabic speaker write or check every page. The plugin is the easy part. The layout, the fonts and keeping both languages in step are where most bilingual sites go wrong.

What does a bilingual WordPress site actually involve?

A bilingual WordPress site is one installation that holds a separate version of each page per language, tells search engines which versions belong together, and switches the whole layout direction when the language is Arabic. It is not a translation overlay on a single page.

In practice that means five pieces of work:

1. A multilingual plugin that stores the Arabic and English versions and links them as pairs.
2. A theme that handles right-to-left properly. WordPress switches the page direction when the language is Arabic, but the theme has to supply styles that mirror menus, columns, icons and form fields.
3. An Arabic font. Most Latin web fonts have no Arabic characters, so the browser falls back to whatever the visitor's device has, and the page looks unfinished.
4. Translated everything, not just page text: menus, buttons, form labels, error messages, email notifications, the footer and, if you sell online, product data and checkout.
5. Clear URLs and language signals so each version can be indexed and shown to the right searcher.

Which plugin should you use for Arabic and English?

There is no single right answer, but the main options behave differently. Check each provider's current pricing and feature list before you commit, because plans change.

Approach	How it works	Suits	Watch out for
WPML	Paid plugin. Each translation is its own post, linked to the original.	Larger sites, WooCommerce stores, teams with a translator	Adds weight to the site; needs its add-ons for shops and forms
Polylang	Free core plugin with a paid Pro version. Separate post per language.	Brochure sites and blogs on a tighter budget	WooCommerce support is a separate paid add-on
TranslatePress	Translate on the front end while looking at the page.	Owners who want to edit the Arabic text themselves	Layout fixes for right-to-left still fall to the theme
Hosted translation service	An external service translates and serves the pages, usually on a subscription.	Quick starts, very small sites	Ongoing fee; your translations live on someone else's platform
WordPress Multisite	A separate site per language under one network.	Very different content per market	More to maintain; overkill for most small businesses

For most small businesses we work with in Dubai, the deciding question is whether there is a shop. If you sell through WooCommerce, pick a plugin with mature WooCommerce support from the start. Switching multilingual plugins later is painful, because each one stores translations in its own way.

Why does the Arabic version look broken?

This is the most common complaint, and it is rarely the plugin's fault. The usual causes:

• The theme has no right-to-left styles, so text runs right to left but the logo, menu and columns stay where they were in English.
• Page builders with fixed spacing. Padding set as "left 40px" stays on the left, so Arabic text is pushed against the wrong edge.
• Icons that point the wrong way. Arrows, "next" chevrons and progress bars need mirroring.
• Mixed text. Phone numbers, prices, email addresses and English brand names inside an Arabic sentence can jump to the wrong position unless they are marked up correctly.
• No Arabic font loaded, so headings in your brand font sit next to Arabic in a system fallback.

Test the Arabic pages on a phone, not only on a desktop. Most mirroring problems show up first in mobile menus and stacked columns.

How should the URLs be set up for Google?

Give each language its own address. A subfolder such as example.ae/ar/services/ is the simplest choice for a small business, because it keeps everything on one domain. Each page should declare its other-language twin with hreflang tags; the main plugins add these for you, but check that they point at real, published pages.

Two things to avoid. Do not automatically redirect visitors based on their browser language or location, because Google's crawler may never see one of the versions, and a Dubai resident who prefers English gets forced into Arabic. And do not translate only the home page. An Arabic home page that links to English service pages tells visitors and search engines the Arabic site is an afterthought.

The Arabic version will not rank just because it exists. It needs to be written for the words people actually type in Arabic, which are often not a literal translation of your English keywords. The same principles in our guide on whether AI tools can read your website apply to both languages.

Do you actually need an Arabic version?

Not always, and this is worth saying before you spend money on it. Many Dubai businesses sell mainly to customers who search, enquire and buy in English. If your enquiries, reviews and WhatsApp messages are almost all in English, an Arabic site may bring in very little while doubling the content you have to keep up to date.

A half-maintained Arabic site is worse than none. Old prices, missing pages and machine translation that reads awkwardly cost more trust than a clean English-only site. If you cannot commit someone to updating the Arabic pages whenever the English ones change, start with a small set of key pages done well: the home page, your main service or product pages and the contact page.

The language decision also affects your platform choice. If you are weighing WordPress against a custom build, our comparison of Next.js and WordPress for business websites covers how each handles this kind of extra structure.

What gets forgotten after launch?

• Form emails. The confirmation a customer receives after filling in an Arabic form is often still in English. While you are checking forms, make sure they send at all; our guide to why a WordPress contact form stops sending email covers the usual causes.
• New pages and posts. Anyone adding content needs to know a translation is part of publishing, not a later job.
• Google Business Profile and social links that only point at the English site.
• Plugin updates, which can break right-to-left styles in ways nobody notices until a customer mentions it.

If you would like a second opinion on whether an Arabic version is worth it for your business, or help setting one up properly, you can get in touch with us.

Is machine translation good enough for an Arabic website?

It is a useful first draft, not a finished page. Automatic Arabic often reads stiffly, mixes registers and gets industry terms wrong. Have a fluent Arabic speaker, ideally one who knows your field, review every page before it goes live.

Can I add Arabic to my existing WordPress site without rebuilding it?

Usually, yes. Most multilingual plugins work with an existing site. The real question is your theme and page builder: if they handle right-to-left well, it is mostly content work; if they do not, some layouts will need rebuilding or a theme change.

Will an Arabic version help my site rank in the UAE?

It can help you appear for searches made in Arabic, which an English-only site will rarely win. It will not lift your English rankings, and it only works if the Arabic pages are properly written, linked with hreflang and kept current.