Not long ago, my colleague Sara obtained quotes varying between 22,000 to 58,000 SAR for basically the same company website. The variation? The pricier quotes contained unique design elements rather than themed methods.
Recently, a retail client consulted me after using over 500,000 SAR on web promotion with minimal results. After restructuring their approach, we achieved a seven hundred forty-three percent growth in return on investment.
If you're creating or redesigning a website for the Saudi market, I advise consulting specialists who truly understand the nuances of Arabic user experience rather than simply translating Western layouts.
Recently, a entrepreneur expressed frustration that his social media best digital marketing agency in Saudi Arabia was burning through thousands of riyals with minimal performance. After reviewing his strategy, I identified multiple serious mistakes that are surprisingly common among Saudi businesses.
My cousin Khalid originally chose the least expensive proposal for his analyze business competitors website, only to find out later that it omitted content development – adding an extra 8,000 SAR charge for quality copywriting.
For a high-end retailer, we developed a cultural segmentation strategy that uncovered several unique traditional categories within their target market. This strategy improved their campaign effectiveness by over one hundred seventy percent.
Valuable approaches included:
- City-specific classifications beyond simple areas
- Neighborhood-level concentration
- Urban vs. rural differences
- Expatriate concentration areas
- Tourist locations vs. resident neighborhoods
For a luxury brand, we created a locally-relevant attribution approach that recognized the unique buying journey in the Kingdom. This approach uncovered that their social media spending were truly generating nearly three times more results than earlier measured.
- Locate the most important content in the right upper corner of the viewport
- Organize information segments to progress from right to left and top to bottom
- Apply heavier visual weight on the right side of equal compositions
- Ensure that directional icons (such as arrows) orient in the appropriate direction for RTL layouts
At a business networking in Riyadh, I questioned 17 entrepreneurs about their website creation experiences. The price range was remarkable – from 2,500 SAR for a basic site to over 150,000 SAR for complex e-commerce platforms.
Essential components:
- Protracted decision periods in Saudi purchase journeys
- Group decision aspects in purchase decisions
- Messaging as a major but challenging-to-attribute effect platform
- In-person verification as the ultimate conversion step
Valuable segments included:
- Individual vs. collective decision patterns
- Knowledge accumulation levels
- Value consciousness differences
- Product faithfulness tendencies
- Innovation adoption rates
After years of implementing universal consumer categories, their improved Saudi-specific division approach produced a two hundred forty-one percent increase in campaign effectiveness and a substantial decrease in marketing expenses.
For a apparel store, we performed a thorough platform efficiency evaluation that discovered their highest ROI channels were completely different from their worldwide norms. This finding permitted a reallocation of investment that improved their overall ROI by two hundred thirteen percent.
- Created a figure visualization approach that managed both Arabic and English numbers
- Restructured data visualizations to progress from right to left
- Implemented visual indicators that matched Saudi cultural meanings
Someone I know who runs a café in Riyadh at first hesitated at the additional 12,000 SAR for an booking system, but subsequently shared me it recovered its cost within 90 days by decreasing employee hours spent on phone reservations.
Successful methods:
- Incorporating local payment methods like STC Pay
- Enhancing local details
- Showcasing Saudi assistance availability
- Incorporating credibility indicators specific to Saudi consumers
Remarkable results:
- Temporary channels exceeding Instagram for particular merchandise
- Late advertising substantially surpassing afternoon efforts
- Dynamic content producing superior ROI than static imagery
- Mobile efficiency surpassing laptop by considerable margins
Rather than concentrating only on getting the most affordable price, evaluate the likely outcomes that a quality website will deliver for your business. A well-designed site is an advantage that will keep paying dividends for years to come.
- Choose fonts purposely developed for Arabic screen reading (like Dubai) rather than classic print fonts
- Enlarge line leading by 150-175% for enhanced readability
- Set right-justified text (never centered for body text)
- Avoid narrow Arabic text styles that compromise the characteristic letter shapes
As someone who has developed over 30 Arabic websites in the recent years, I can confirm that applying Western UX principles to Arabic interfaces simply doesn't work. The special features of Arabic text and Saudi user expectations require a specialized approach.