Bilingual Website in Jordan: Building Arabic and English

· 5 min read · Orbitronix

A good Arabic and English website for a business in Jordan is really two complete sites sharing one design: a true right-to-left (RTL) Arabic version and a left-to-right English version, each at its own URL, each written for its reader. Add local search setup in both languages and you reach Arabic-first customers in Amman as well as expats, tourists and partners who search in English.

We build in Arabic and English every week from our Amman base, and the same mistakes come up again and again. Here's how to avoid them.

Why does a business in Jordan need both languages?

Your customers don't all search the same way. Many people in Jordan search in Arabic, some search in English, and plenty switch depending on what they're looking for. A clinic, restaurant or retailer that only shows up in one language leaves the other group to a competitor.

Common reasons to go bilingual:

What makes a proper RTL Arabic website?

Translating the text is the easy part. RTL means the whole page reads from right to left, so the layout has to mirror.

Layout and navigation

Typography

Arabic needs a font designed for Arabic, with sizes and line heights tuned for its shapes. Using a Latin font's fallback makes text look cramped and inconsistent. Pick an Arabic typeface that pairs visually with your English one.

Mixed content

Phone numbers, prices, product codes and English brand names inside Arabic sentences need careful handling so they don't jump to the wrong position. This is where cheap builds tend to break.

What not to mirror

Photos, logos, video players and some charts usually stay as they are. Mirroring everything blindly causes its own problems.

How should you structure a bilingual site for search?

Search engines need to understand that you have two versions and which one to show to whom.

  1. Give each language its own URL. For example, yoursite.com/ar/ and yoursite.com/en/. Don't switch languages with a button that keeps the same address.
  2. Use hreflang tags. They tell Google that the Arabic and English pages are versions of each other.
  3. Let visitors switch freely. A clear language toggle on every page, leading to the matching page in the other language, not the homepage.
  4. Translate the hidden parts. Page titles, descriptions, image alt text and structured data all need both languages.
  5. Don't auto-redirect by location. Someone in Amman may want English; someone in Ohio may want Arabic. Suggest, don't force.

How do you write Arabic content that people trust?

Machine translation is fine for a first draft and poor for a final one. It often misses tone, uses awkward formal phrasing, or gets industry terms wrong. Readers notice immediately.

Better approaches:

Our team works in both Arabic and English, so the same people who build the site can check both versions.

How do you show up in local search in Jordan?

Local search works much the same in Amman as in Columbus, with a few local wrinkles.

AI tools increasingly answer questions in Arabic too. Clear, structured pages in both languages give them something accurate to quote. Our post on what AEO is explains how that works.

What does a bilingual website cost?

A second language adds design, writing and testing time, and Arabic RTL adds more than most languages. Typical bilingual builds cost noticeably more than single-language ones, mainly because of content work.

At Orbitronix, web design and development is $999 to start, then $99 a month, covering hosting, backups, updates and small changes. Sites go live in 3 to 4 weeks, you edit content yourself, and tracking is set up. If your project needs more than the standard build, we scope it and put the price in writing before any money moves. See the general picture in how much a small business website costs.

A quick bilingual launch checklist

Start with a free evaluation

Already have a site in one language, or a bilingual site that doesn't feel right? Request our free site evaluation for a one-page report within 24 hours on speed and mobile, what Google and AI see, and the top 3 fixes. Or contact us in Arabic or English.

Frequently asked questions

Should my business website in Jordan be in Arabic or English?

Usually both. Arabic reaches most local customers and matches how many people search, while English serves expats, tourists, international partners and customers who prefer it for business. Which one is the default depends on who your main customers are.

What is RTL and why does it matter for an Arabic website?

RTL means right-to-left, the direction Arabic is read. An Arabic page needs its whole layout mirrored, including navigation, icons and alignment, not just translated text. A page that keeps an English layout with Arabic words feels broken to native readers.

Can I use automatic translation for my Arabic pages?

It's a starting point at best. Machine translation often gets tone, dialect and industry terms wrong, which hurts trust. Have a fluent person review or write the final Arabic, especially headings, prices and calls to action.

How do Google and AI tools know which language to show?

Each language should live at its own address, such as /ar/ and /en/, with hreflang tags that link the versions together. That tells search engines which page to show to which searcher, instead of guessing.

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