A few days ago, a business owner complained that his online presence was consuming considerable sums of riyals with little return. After examining his approach, I found several critical errors that are extremely typical among Saudi businesses.

Their strategy included:

• Ephemeral platforms: Energetic presence elements
• Professional networks: Expertise-centered information
• Instagram: Lifestyle-oriented identity narrative

• Conversation platforms: Thought leadership

• Choose fonts specially created for Arabic screen reading (like Dubai) rather than classic print fonts

• Enlarge line height by 150-175% for better readability

• Use right-justified text (never center-aligned for primary copy)

• Prevent condensed Arabic text styles that compromise the characteristic letter forms

Last month, my friend’s online shop was struggling in search results regardless of offering exceptional products. After implementing the techniques I’m about to describe, his search visits improved by one hundred sixty-four percent in just two months.

1. Local knowledge - This is CRITICAL and often disregarded. Saudi consumers engage with completely different approaches than Western audiences. The best digital marketing agency will understand nuances like the importance of Ramadan campaigns, regional preferences across different Saudi cities, and how to connect effectively with the Saudi demographic you’re targeting.

As someone who has developed over 30 Arabic websites in the recent years, I can tell you that applying Western UX standards to Arabic interfaces falls short. The special features of Arabic script and Saudi user behaviors require a totally unique approach.

• Position the most essential content in the right upper area of the page
• Arrange page sections to flow from right to left and top to bottom
• Use heavier visual weight on the right side of equal layouts
• Ensure that pointing icons (such as arrows) direct in the correct direction for RTL layouts

Working with a luxury brand, we identified that their local language identity was substantially inferior than their international communication. After creating consistency between the linguistic approaches, they achieved a 93% growth in brand perception among Saudi consumers.

For a multinational apparel brand, we developed a regionally-focused virtual presence methodology that incorporated tasteful cultural references. This strategy enhanced their brand affinity by one hundred sixty-seven percent in a short period.

If you’re developing or improving a website for the Saudi Competitive Market Analysis, I strongly recommend hiring designers who truly understand the complexities of Arabic user experience rather than just adapting Western designs.

1. Honest reporting systems - My biggest annoyance with my previous agency was the confusion around results. Now we get consistent reports that actually make sense, showing exactly what’s working and what isn’t.

• Moved product images to the left area, with product details and buy buttons on the right-hand side
• Adjusted the product gallery to move from right to left
• Added a custom Arabic typeface that preserved readability at various sizes

Last month, I was helping a major e-commerce platform that had poured over 200,000 SAR on a beautiful website that was converting poorly. The issue? They had simply translated their English site without addressing the basic experience variations needed for Arabic users.

The journey to finding the top marketing partner in the Kingdom isn’t simple, but getting it right will transform your business results. Just make sure you benefit from my mistakes rather than making your own!

During a marketing workshop in Al Khobar last month, I was astonished when a business owner told me he was paying 5K SAR monthly to his “digital expert” who turned out to be a young amateur running campaigns from his bedroom! No judgment on hardworking students, but professional certification and training matter enormously in this field.

• Redesigned the data entry sequence to follow right-to-left cognitive patterns
• Developed a dual-language data entry process with automatic language switching
• Improved smartphone usability for one-handed Arabic input

Last year, I was sitting in this elegant office in Riyadh (you know, one of those places with the glass walls and extravagant modern art), agreeing as an agency guaranteed me the world. Six months and 50K SAR later, our traffic had increased by a whopping… wait for it… 3%. Not exactly the result I was expecting! ������‍♂️

1. Proven local success stories - Not just generic case studies, but real results with Saudi businesses in your particular sector. When I met with our current agency, they showed me exactly how they helped a company like ours grow their Riyadh customer base by two hundred fifteen percent in 8 months.

I’m running a small business meetup in Riyadh next month where we’ll be talking about more about finding and working with marketing partners. If you’re having trouble with this too, drop me a message - always happy to share insights over some good Saudi coffee!