By Khalid Namra15 min read
Why Arabic is harder
- Dialect variety: four different words for a phone, each dominant in a different market.
- Diacritics and hamza spelling: users type without correction, producing many variants.
- Similar letters: ta marbuta versus ha, and ya versus alif maqsura at word ends.
- Code-mixing: many type the technical term in English inside an Arabic sentence.
- Arabizi: Arabic written in Latin letters and numerals in some queries.
The practical takeaway: cover common variants naturally inside your copy rather than building a page per spelling. Google understands near-matches, and readers dislike stuffed text.
Free sources of ideas
- Google autocomplete: start typing your question and read what the engine completes.
- The People Also Ask box: a direct mine for your section headings.
- Related searches at the bottom of the page.
- The Search Console queries report: terms already reaching you that you never planned.
- Your customers' WhatsApp messages and social comments: their real, unpolished language.
- Competitors' headings and sub-sections: which questions they judged worth answering.
- Niche communities and forums: phrasings no tool surfaces.
Classify intent before writing
| Intent | Phrasing signals | Right page |
|---|---|---|
| Learn | what is, how, why, explain, difference between | A deep explainer |
| Compare | best, comparison, alternatives, review | A list or comparison table |
| Buy | price, cost, company, service, subscription | A service or product page |
| Local | near me, in Cairo, in Riyadh | A city page plus the Maps profile |
| Brand | brand name, login, contact | Home or a dedicated page |
The decisive test: search the term yourself and look at what Google ranks. If the top ten are articles, your service page will not rank no matter how you optimize it — and vice versa. Google tells you the intent for free; just look.
Prioritisation: which term comes first?
Do not sort your list by volume. Sort it by a simple equation: closeness to a purchase decision × your realistic ability to compete. A 200-volume term with clear buying intent is worth more than a 10,000-volume informational term dominated by three giants.
- Start with long, specific phrases; they are the fastest route to first real results.
- Group near-identical terms into one strong page instead of fragmenting them.
- Separate markets: a winner in Egypt may have no demand in Saudi Arabia.
- Review the list quarterly; language and demand shift.
From keywords to a content map
The output of keyword research is not a table of numbers but a map: one specific page per intent group, with a proposed title, a page type, and inbound and outbound internal links. Structure it as clusters: a pillar page for the broad topic surrounded by sub-pages each covering one facet, all linked in both directions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid keyword tool?
Not at the start. Autocomplete, People Also Ask and the Search Console report give you most of what you need. Paid tools help with volume estimates and larger-scale competitor comparison.
Are search volume figures accurate?
They are estimates, not measurements, and differ between tools. Use them to compare terms relatively, not as absolute traffic forecasts.
How many keywords per page?
One topic and one intent, under which dozens of near-variants are covered naturally in the text. Never target two different intents on one page.
Related SADARA services
- Search Engine OptimizationWe build a clean technical foundation and content that deserves the top spot, then measure and refine weekly until you hold the lead.