Google Ads in Saudi Arabia: Structuring Bilingual Campaigns
Should Arabic and English keywords share a campaign in Saudi Arabia? A practical structure for bilingual Google Ads, from targeting to reporting.
By Priya Raman
When you run Google Ads in Saudi Arabia, language is the first structural decision. Yes, in most cases Arabic and English keywords in Saudi Arabia should live in separate campaigns, or at the very least in separate ad groups. The two languages behave differently: search volumes, costs per click, intent and landing page needs all vary, and mixing them makes it hard to see what is working.
The cleanest structure is one campaign per language per major theme, with language settings that include both Arabic and English, ad copy written natively for each audience, and landing pages that match the language of the query. The rest of this guide explains how to build that structure, and where advertisers in the Kingdom most often go wrong.
Why bilingual search matters in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is an Arabic-first market, but English is widely used in business, technology, education and retail. Many people switch between languages depending on the topic. A user might search for a product in Arabic, then search for the brand name in English, then compare prices using a mix of both. For more on this, see our guide to Arabic keyword research across dialects.
Device language adds another layer. Plenty of Saudi users run their phones and browsers in English while typing queries in Arabic. If your campaign language setting only includes Arabic, you may miss people whose browser is set to English even though they search in Arabic. This is why language targeting and keyword language are two separate decisions.
How Google Ads handles language targeting
Google Ads uses language settings to decide which users can see your ads, based on signals such as the languages a person understands and their search activity. It does not translate your ads or keywords. That means you must write the Arabic and English keywords and ads yourself, and select the languages your audience actually uses. For Saudi campaigns, selecting both Arabic and English is usually the safe default, while the keywords themselves decide which queries trigger which ads.
Why mixing languages in one ad group causes problems
When Arabic and English keywords share an ad group, the same ads serve both. An English headline shown against an Arabic query looks out of place and tends to earn a lower click-through rate, which in turn affects Quality Score and cost. Reports also blur together, so you cannot easily tell whether Arabic or English searches are driving conversions.
Recommended campaign structure for Google Ads in Saudi Arabia
A simple and scalable approach is to mirror your structure across both languages. Each theme gets an Arabic campaign and an English campaign, with naming that makes the split obvious at a glance.
| Level | Arabic side | English side |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | KSA | Search | AR | Furniture | KSA | Search | EN | Furniture |
| Ad group | Sofas (Arabic keywords) | Sofas (English keywords) |
| Ads | Arabic responsive search ads | English responsive search ads |
| Landing page | Arabic page, right to left | English page |
When to split by campaign rather than ad group
Split at campaign level when you want separate budgets, separate bidding targets or different locations for each language. This is common when Arabic searches are far more numerous but convert at a different rate. Split at ad group level only when budgets are small and you need to pool data so automated bidding has enough conversions to learn.
Brand campaigns in both languages
Brand names are often searched in both scripts, and in several spellings. Create a brand campaign that covers the English name, the Arabic name, and common transliterations. Keep it separate from generic campaigns so brand traffic does not inflate the performance of non-brand terms.
Building Arabic keyword lists that reflect real searches
Arabic keyword research needs more care than a direct translation of an English list. People in Saudi Arabia use Gulf dialect terms, formal Modern Standard Arabic and loanwords from English, sometimes in the same session. Our piece on Snapchat and TikTok ads covers the related details.
Spelling variants and normalisation
Arabic has letters that people type inconsistently, such as different forms of alef, taa marbuta versus haa at the end of words, and yaa versus alif maqsura. Google handles many of these variations, but your search terms report will show which forms people actually use. Add the variants that bring meaningful volume, and review match types so you are not paying twice for the same intent.
Arabizi and transliterated queries
Some users type Arabic words in Latin letters, often with numbers representing Arabic sounds. These queries are usually lower in volume but can be cheap and relevant, especially for brand terms and colloquial product names. Check your search terms report for them before deciding whether they deserve their own ad group.
Practical steps for keyword research
- Start with Keyword Planner using Saudi Arabia as the location and Arabic as the language, then repeat with English.
- Ask sales and customer service teams what words customers use on calls and in chat.
- Run broad match with tight negatives for a short period, then mine the search terms report.
- Group terms by intent, not by literal translation, so each ad group has one clear purpose.
Writing Arabic and English ad copy that converts
Translated ads rarely perform as well as ads written natively. Arabic copy should read naturally to a Saudi audience, use a confident and respectful tone, and fit the character limits, which can feel tight because Arabic phrasing is sometimes longer.
- Lead with the offer or benefit, such as fast delivery within the Kingdom, cash on delivery, or instalment payment options, where these are true.
- Mention cities when relevant, for example Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam, because local signals improve relevance.
- Use sitelinks, callouts and structured snippets in the same language as the ad.
- Keep prices and numbers consistent between the ad and the landing page.
Plan seasonal copy early. Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year, and Saudi National Day, Founding Day and White Friday each change search behaviour. Prepare Arabic and English variants together so neither language lags behind.
Landing pages, tracking and bidding
Every Arabic ad should lead to an Arabic page with correct right to left layout, and every English ad to an English page. Sending Arabic searchers to an English homepage is one of the most common and costly mistakes in the region.
Conversion tracking by language
Use the same conversion actions for both languages, but make sure you can segment results by campaign. Because the campaigns are split, Google Ads reports will show cost per conversion for each language without extra work. In GA4, confirm that the page language is captured so you can compare behaviour after the click.
Bidding strategy choices
Automated bidding such as Maximise conversions or target CPA works well once each campaign has steady conversion volume. If the English campaign is small, consider a shared budget or a portfolio strategy, or start with manual bidding until data builds up. It also connects closely to GA4 consent tracking.
Common mistakes in Saudi bilingual campaigns
- Selecting only Arabic as the campaign language and missing users with English device settings.
- Machine translating ads without review by a native Arabic speaker.
- Using one landing page for both languages.
- Ignoring negative keywords in Arabic, which lets irrelevant queries such as job or free searches through.
- Reporting on blended numbers that hide a weak language.
Frequently asked questions
Should I target Arabic only for Saudi Arabia?
Usually not. Selecting both Arabic and English as campaign languages captures users with English device settings who still search in Arabic. Let the keywords control which queries trigger each ad.
Can one responsive search ad include both languages?
It is possible but not advisable. Mixed headlines can combine in confusing ways. Write separate ads for each language.
Is Arabic search cheaper than English in Saudi Arabia?
It varies by industry and competition. Check Keyword Planner estimates and your own data rather than assuming either language is cheaper.
How often should I review search terms?
Weekly in the first months of a new campaign, then at least monthly. Arabic spelling variety means new terms appear regularly.
Putting the structure into practice
Start with one theme, build matching Arabic and English campaigns, and compare them for a few weeks. Once the structure proves itself, roll it out across the account. A clean bilingual setup takes a little longer to build, but it pays back in clearer reporting, better relevance and smarter budget decisions across the Kingdom.