MEET BASMA ABOU ASSAF

BASMA ABOU ASSAF

SENIOR ARABIC SEO SPECIALIST @ RBBIWWW.RBBIDEAS.COM

Basma is currently managing multiple SEO projects for top Middle East brands in

various sectors including Qatar Airways and Jumeirah Group. She has

successfully developed International SEO strategies to reach an international

audience by targeting multiples countries and languages.

MEET AMMAR BADR

AMMAR BADR

SENIOR ARABIC SEO SPECIALIST @ RBBIWWW.RBBIDEAS.COM

Ammar joined RBBI in 2013 as an Arabic SEO expert. He is currently managing

SEO projects for highly competitive industries like Health, Automotive & Real

Estate. He recently contributed to the successful Arabic site launch for multiple

brands like Emaar & Al-Futtaim Automotive.

MEET RAWAN HAMED

RAWAN HAMED

CLIENT PARTNER MENA @ FACELIFT BRANDBUILDING TECHNOLOGIESWWW.FACELIFT-BBT.COM

Rawan has worked in Social Media in the region for 5 years, helping leading brands develop and

implement successful social media strategies. Currently Client Partner - MENA, she works closely with

top brands in the region to adopt the necessary technologies that help them implement their social media

strategies.

Summary

• Global Internet Stats

• Local Search targeting

• Content localization

• International SEO targeting

• Mobile Websites

• App Indexing

• Social Media

Global Internet Stats

Source: Internet Live Stats

How to Stand Out from Digital Competition in MENA

Go Local!

Go Mobile!

Go Social!

LOCAL SEARCH RANKING FACTORS

Content is the 1st point of contact betweenthe users and your website

Go Local!

Understand Customers Behaviors

Can’t read, Won’t buy…

• 72.4% of people prefer buying a product provide information in their native

language

• 72.1% prefer visiting websites using their native language.

• 56.2% of internet users prefer to use their mother language to get information

Source: Google Event

Go Localize!

Engage your customers!

Go Localize!

Write your content for the users in the

market you are targeting

Go Localize!

Understand how peoplethat you are targeting

search for a product or service.

Phrase Search Volume Language

حياةنمط 110 Arabic

ستايلاليف 3,600English/Arabic

characters

Go Localize!

Don’t rely on the translations only!

Arabic Localization!

• Arabic is the 4th most used language in the web

• there are more than 136 million Arabic-speaking internet users globally

• By 2017, over half of the Arab world [nearly 366 million] will have access to the internet, an increase from the 32% that were online in 2012

• About 97% of users in Saudi Arabia and Egypt are searching and prefer to browse content in Arabic according to the statistics

Source: Google Event

Arabic Localization!

Beware of auto translating tools

Go Localize!Translator

Fresh salad = سلطة جديدة

Arabic nativeFresh salad = سلطة طازجة

Go Localize!

Arabic localization =

Localize the Arabic search terms so users can

search by using their accent

How to say Tomato?!

طماطم

بندورة أوطة

مطيشة

INTERNATIONAL SEO TARGETING

Go Mobile!

Nu

mb

er

of

use

rs (

Mill

ion

s)

Source: www.smartinsights.com

Go Mobile!

• 74% say they are likely to return it is a mobile-friendly site.

• 52% are less likely to engage with a company that has no mobile

website.

• 42% of researchers use a mobile device during their purchasing

process.

• Mobile users spend more money per purchase than desktops

customers.

Source: SearchEngineLand & Google

Go Mobile!

Mobile Health Check:

• Does it load in less than 3 seconds?

• Is the content easy to read?

• Is it easy to recognize the call to action and you key

selling points?

• Does it provide a good user experience?

“Ensure your mobile contentIs accessible not only on

Mobile websiteBut in Mobile App as well”