The verdict in three sentences
A bilingual Arabic and English website for a Riyadh industrial group costs 60,000 to 110,000 SAR excl. VAT in 2026, with a timeline of about 10 weeks. The premium over a single-language site has less to do with translation than with native RTL layout, optimised Arabic typography and managing a 150-item catalogue in both languages. A site that serves both distributors and government tenders must be designed for both reading directions from the first mockup, otherwise one version ends up as a clumsy copy.
What RTL bilingualism costs, item by item
For a building materials group with 4 subsidiaries, the typical scope includes a group page, one page per subsidiary, a filterable catalogue, a project references section, a tender documents area and a distributor form. Here is a realistic breakdown.
| Item (2026 estimate, Saudi Arabia) | Low range | High range |
|---|---|---|
| UX design and EN + AR mockups (RTL mirror) | 10,000 SAR | 18,000 SAR |
| Native RTL front-end and development | 17,000 SAR | 30,000 SAR |
| 150-item catalogue, bilingual sheets, filters | 13,000 SAR | 25,000 SAR |
| Technical Arabic translation and proofreading | 8,000 SAR | 15,000 SAR |
| Tender documents area (PDFs, datasheets) | 5,000 SAR | 9,000 SAR |
| Bilingual SEO, hreflang tags, structured data | 7,000 SAR | 13,000 SAR |
| Total excl. VAT | 60,000 SAR | 110,000 SAR |
Native RTL means the grid, directional icons, carousels, specification tables and forms flip cleanly. A dir="rtl" attribute added at the end of the project leaves arrows pointing the wrong way, misaligned tables and mixed-up numerals. On typography, an Arabic font such as Noto Kufi Arabic or IBM Plex Sans Arabic, split into subsets, weighs 40 to 80 KB instead of 300 KB and keeps the site fast on mobile.
Local or international hosting: the comparison
The group targets two audiences: Saudi distributors who browse mostly on mobile, and public buyers who download tender files. The hosting choice affects speed and compliance with the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), enforced by SDAIA.
| Criterion | Hosting in Saudi Arabia | International hosting + CDN |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative annual cost | 3,000 to 9,000 SAR | 4,000 to 12,000 SAR |
| Latency from Riyadh | 5 to 20 ms | 60 to 120 ms (CDN: 15 to 30 ms) |
| PDPL compliance (collected data) | Straightforward | Cross-border transfer rules apply |
| Target availability | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Automatic backups | Daily on most plans | Daily as standard |
| Billing | SAR, local invoice with VAT | Foreign currency, card |
For a site that collects distributor forms (name, city, phone), local hosting simplifies PDPL compliance. International hosting with a CDN remains relevant if the group exports across the GCC or to Europe.
The choices that matter to buyers
| Element | Impact on distributors | Impact on tenders |
|---|---|---|
| Bilingual product sheets with standards (SASO, EN) | Quick comparison | Verifiable compliance |
| Downloadable PDF datasheets | Field sales material | Part of the bid file |
| Geolocated project references | Proof of capacity | Technical scoring criterion |
| Distributor form by region | Qualified lead | Not applicable |
| ISO certificates and approvals | Trust | Required in the specifications |
Mini case study
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Faisal, marketing director of a Riyadh building materials group, receives two quotes: 62,000 SAR for a site translated after the fact, 92,000 SAR for a native RTL site with a bilingual catalogue. He estimates that a new distributor brings in an average of 1,200,000 SAR in annual revenue at a 10% margin, i.e. 120,000 SAR. If the clean bilingual version wins one extra distributor per year, the 30,000 SAR premium is covered in about 3 months. He chooses the native version. This case is illustrative.
FAQ
Why does an Arabic-English site cost more than a single-language site?
You have to design two reading directions, translate with technical vocabulary and test every template in RTL. Expect 35 to 60% more than an equivalent single-language site.
What timeline for a bilingual industrial group website?
About 10 weeks for 4 subsidiaries and 150 items: 2 weeks of scoping, 3 of design, 4 of development and 1 of testing. Translation runs in parallel.
Should the whole catalogue be translated into Arabic?
Yes for names, uses and key specifications, because distributors and many public bodies search in Arabic. Standardised datasheets can remain in English if clearly labelled.
Can French or another language be added later?
Yes if the multilingual architecture is planned from the start. Adding a third language then costs 20 to 30% of the initial budget, mostly translation.
Where should a Saudi industrial group host its website?
In the Kingdom if you collect personal data and mainly target the domestic market, for 3,000 to 9,000 SAR per year. Internationally with a CDN if exports weigh heavily.
Let's scope your project. Describe your subsidiaries, catalogue and tender deadlines: we scope the bilingual build, the budget in SAR and a 10-week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
