Start here
The direct answer
Start a Dubai or UAE website redesign brief with the emirates served, the audience, and the action each page should support. Record which pages need English and Arabic, who writes and approves each version, and who checks enquiries in both languages. For an existing site, map the URLs to keep, redirect, or retire. Agree the launch tests and handover responsibilities before comparing proposals.
Link to the direct answerKey takeaways
What to take from this article.
- Choose the service areas and enquiry journeys before listing page templates.
- Assign a writer and an approver for each language version.
- Map each old URL to a retention, redirect or retirement decision.
- Check that enquiries reach the right team in both languages before launch.
Working framework · 5 decisions
Five decisions before you request a website proposal
Use one brief to give every supplier the same project to quote.
Decision 01 / 05
Define the service area
List the emirates served and the customer groups each priority page must help.
Read all 5 decisions
Define the service area
List the emirates served and the customer groups each priority page must help.
Assign language ownership
Name the writer, reviewer and approver for each page version.
Map the existing URLs
Record which addresses stay, move or retire before replacing templates.
Test the enquiry journey
Check the language switch, form messages and delivery to the team responsible.
Agree handover
Confirm account access, CMS training, launch evidence and post launch support.
Create a page inventory for each language
Start with the homepage, the services buyers ask about and the enquiry or booking page. Record the audience, emirates served and next action for each page. Then decide which versions you need at launch and who will keep them current.
Give each page version an editor and approver. Record who writes or translates Arabic copy, who checks terminology, and who approves service claims. Agree specialist review where the business requires it. Keep account passwords and private customer records outside the shared brief.
- List the current page address and the proposed English and Arabic addresses.
- Name the content owner, language reviewer and deadline for each version.
- Record whether the form, confirmation and follow up need language specific handling.
A worked example for a Dubai maintenance business
Imagine a facilities maintenance company in Dubai that wants property managers in Dubai and Sharjah to request site assessments. The brief lists one English and one Arabic version of its commercial maintenance page. The same enquiry reaches the operations team in both languages.
The operations manager approves the list of services and coverage. The assigned Arabic reviewer approves the page, form labels and confirmation. The launch record includes a test from each language version, the received message, and the person responsible for answering it.
In a rehearsal for this fictional company, both forms reach the operations inbox, but the Arabic test loses the visitor’s callback language. The operations lead pauses launch until the preference appears in the received message. After the fix, the coordinator repeats both tests on a phone and confirms who will answer each one.
- Service page. Explain which properties the company serves and what to prepare for a site assessment.
- Enquiry page. Collect the site location and preferred callback details. Confirm what happens next in the selected language.
- Acceptance evidence. Save a screenshot of each confirmation and record the corresponding received test message.
Scope boundary
This example is fictional. Its pages and checks illustrate how to brief a project and make no claim about client outcomes.
Test page direction and the URLs visitors already use
If both language versions are intended for search, give each its own URL and link between versions so a visitor can switch. Ask the developer to document the matching language annotations. The W3C recommends setting the document direction for Arabic pages. Test the menu, phone numbers, form errors and confirmation on a narrow screen.
For every existing URL that moves, record the most relevant replacement and check the redirect reaches it directly. Confirm both language versions stay accessible after launch. Keep the migration map with the handover record.
Compare website proposals against the same brief
Ask each supplier to separate page templates, writing, translation, CMS work, redirects, acceptance tests and support. Record who approves each item, what access the business receives at handover, and which hosting or software costs recur.
Branding Tatva delivers website work remotely from India. The private written proposal defines the scope, responsibilities, commercial terms and review windows. Name any language or specialist work that needs separate approval before agreeing a launch date.
Before you use it
Questions that can change the recommendation.
What should a Dubai or UAE website redesign brief include?
List the emirates served, audience, priority pages, page languages, and what visitors should do. Name owners for the copy, approvals and accounts. For an existing site, record URL changes and the tests required before launch.
Link to this answerShould English and Arabic pages have different URLs?
If both versions are intended for search, Google recommends a separate URL for each language. Link between the versions so visitors can choose, and ask the developer to document which pages match.
Link to this answerWho should approve Arabic website copy and enquiry messages?
Name an Arabic reviewer and an authorised business approver before writing starts. Give them the service pages, navigation, form labels, error messages and confirmations to review. Assign any specialist checks to the appropriate reviewer.
Link to this answerWhat should we test before launching a bilingual website?
Run one labelled enquiry on a phone from each language version. Check the language switch, reading direction, form errors and confirmation. Ask the responder to verify that the site location and contact details arrive, along with any reply language the visitor selected. Check changed URLs and redirects, and assign someone to monitor issues after launch.
Link to this answerResearch record
What this guide draws from.
Each source note describes what the reference supports. Platform guidance, research findings and Branding Tatva's practical suggestions have different scopes.
- Managing multilingual and multi regional websites (opens in a new tab)
Google Search Central
Supports separate language URLs and visible links between versions.
- Structural markup and right to left text in HTML (opens in a new tab)
W3C Internationalization
Explains document direction for Arabic pages and directional considerations for forms.
- Site moves with URL changes (opens in a new tab)
Google Search Central
Supports mapping moved URLs, relevant redirects and post launch checks.