Building a Hebrew and Arabic website in Israel: cost, structure and SEO in 2026
A real bilingual website is two written versions, Hebrew and Arabic, not a translate button. In Israel in 2026 a brochure website typically costs ₪3,500–₪15,000 and a larger site ₪5,000–₪30,000, according to price surveys published in Israel in 2026. At Nava Digital, a bilingual agency in northern Israel, a Hebrew and Arabic site costs from ₪2,500, usually ₪2,500–₪4,000, and up to ₪15,000 for large businesses or sites with systems, ready in 7–14 working days once content arrives.
What is a real bilingual Hebrew and Arabic website?
A real bilingual website is two complete versions of the same site, one in Hebrew and one in Arabic, each at its own address, with a language switcher that opens the same page in the other language.
A translate plugin swaps text only in the visitor's browser, so Google has no Arabic page to index, and visitors get machine Arabic. In a written version, every Arabic page is written the way the audience speaks, with its own title and description.
Three technical pieces hold it together: hreflang, a tag telling Google that the Hebrew and Arabic pages are the same page in two languages; a switcher that leads to the matching page, not the home page; and right-to-left layout in both, with a font, line spacing and testing that suit Arabic's connected script.
Who needs a website in Hebrew and Arabic?
A bilingual site fits any business whose customers speak Hebrew and Arabic: an Arab-owned business that also wants Jewish customers, and a Jewish-owned business that also serves Arab customers.
According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, on the eve of Independence Day 2026 about 2.157 million Arabs lived in Israel, 21.1% of the population. A Hebrew-only site gives up part of that audience; an Arabic-only site gives up most of the market.
The Arabic version does not have to be the same size: start with the core pages and a campaign landing page, then add pages as customers ask.
How much does a Hebrew and Arabic website cost in 2026?
At Nava Digital a Hebrew and Arabic website starts at ₪2,500 and usually costs ₪2,500–₪4,000; a large bilingual site or one with integrations costs up to ₪15,000.
The price surveys published in Israel in 2026 do not list a separate line for a second language, so a bilingual site falls within the brochure-site or larger-site ranges.
| What we build | Market price (2026) | At Nava Digital | Our build time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brochure website in Hebrew and Arabic | ₪3,500–₪15,000 for a brochure site | From ₪2,500; usually ₪2,500–₪4,000 | 7–14 working days once content arrives |
| Large or system-connected bilingual site (10+ pages) | ₪5,000–₪30,000 | Up to ₪15,000 | Set at diagnosis |
| Arabic landing page for a campaign | ₪1,000–₪8,000 | ₪1,000–₪1,500 | 3–7 working days |
| WhatsApp chatbot replying in Hebrew and Arabic | Depends on the type of bot | ₪3,500 one-time | 1–2 weeks |
| Appointment booking system | — | ₪2,500 | Depends on scope |
| Replacing an old site with a bilingual one | — | 20% off the new site | Same as a new site |
Market prices according to price surveys published in Israel in 2026 (checked October 2026). If we write the second language for you, it is priced in the written quote before work starts. Payment can be split into up to 12 instalments. For website costs in general, including the three-year cost, see the separate guide.
What makes a bilingual website cost more?
A second language mainly adds content work: who writes the Arabic, how many pages each language has, and which systems must work in both languages.
Code and design are shared between the versions, so a bilingual site does not cost twice as much. What grows is text, testing and upkeep:
- Who writes the second version: your own texts make the job shorter; if we write it, that is priced up front.
- Pages per language: the Arabic version can start smaller, with the pages that bring enquiries.
- Systems: forms, appointment booking (₪2,500) and confirmation messages need wording in each language.
- Online store: every product needs a name and description in both languages. See the store guide.
- Images with text: need a version per language; real text over the image is better.
- Maintenance: every change is made twice; optional plans cost ₪199, ₪499 or ₪1,450 a month.
How to structure the URLs: subfolder, subdomain or one mixed page?
For most businesses the best structure is one domain with a subfolder per language, for example Hebrew at the main address and Arabic under /ar/; this site is built the same way.
With subfolders, everything the domain earns, links, age and trust, serves both versions. A subdomain or a separate domain makes sense only with a clear business reason, and one mixed page confuses both visitors and Google.
| Structure | Example | Pros | Cons | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subfolder per language | example.co.il/ and example.co.il/ar/ | One domain, simple to manage, shared domain authority | Needs accurate hreflang and switcher | Most businesses; recommended |
| Subdomain | ar.example.co.il | Technical separation | Usually takes more work to build its own trust; double management | When each version runs on a different system |
| Separate domain per language | Two domains | Separate branding per audience | Two sites to promote and maintain, two domain fees | Only when the brand differs by language |
| One mixed page | Hebrew and Arabic side by side | Cheap and quick | No separate title and description per language; long and confusing | A small landing page or one-off event |
| Automatic translate button | A plugin in the corner of the screen | Almost no cost | No Arabic pages for Google; machine translation | Not a substitute for a written version |
The URLs themselves (slugs) can stay in Latin letters and identical in both languages, which makes redirects and hreflang easier to manage.
RTL design in both languages: fonts, numbers and Latin words
Hebrew and Arabic both run right to left, but Arabic needs a different font, different spacing and its own testing, or the layout breaks in the Arabic version.
A Hebrew font often lacks Arabic letters, so the browser swaps in a default that looks out of place. We use a font that supports both, such as Rubik, or a matched pair, in a weight that reads well on a phone, with extra line spacing so Arabic dots and marks are not clipped in buttons and headings.
Mixed text is the other trap: phone numbers, prices and English brand names inside a right-to-left sentence can jump to the wrong place, so every page is checked in both languages on a phone.
SEO for a Hebrew and Arabic website: who searches in which language?
In our Google Keyword Planner check in October 2026, Arabic-language Google searches for business services in Israel were very low, so most Google traffic, including from Arabic speakers, arrives through the Hebrew pages.
The Arabic version works elsewhere: as the landing page for Arabic campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as the link you send on WhatsApp, and as something AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity can cite when asked in Arabic. Hebrew serves Google search; Arabic serves the conversation with the customer.
Technically: a written title and description per language, hreflang in both directions with a default, self-referencing canonicals, Schema with the page language, both versions in the sitemap, and submission to Google Search Console. Basic SEO is included; ongoing SEO with GEO is ₪900 a month. Nobody can guarantee first place on Google.
Spoken or Modern Standard Arabic? It depends on the section
There is no single answer: headings and formal pages work in simple Modern Standard Arabic, while marketing copy, buttons and WhatsApp work better in clear spoken Arabic.
Literal formal Arabic reads like an official letter. Many Arabic speakers in Israel use Hebrew business terms such as שיווק (marketing), and copy written that way sounds local. The Arabic version of this guide follows the same rule.
| Section of the site | Recommended style | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Main headings and menu | Short, simple Standard Arabic | Readable by everyone, looks professional |
| Marketing copy and service pages | Clear spoken Arabic with the audience's own terms | Sounds like a local business, not a translation |
| Buttons and forms | Short, clear words | Visitors must instantly know what a click does |
| FAQ | Questions phrased the way people ask them | That is how people search Google and ask ChatGPT |
| Terms, privacy and accessibility statement | Precise Standard Arabic | Legal text must be unambiguous |
| WhatsApp and chatbot | Spoken, like an owner replying from their phone | A conversation, not an ad |
Accessibility law in both languages: Israeli Standard 5568
A website that serves the public in Israel generally has to meet Israeli Standard 5568 and publish an accessibility statement, and we build both the Hebrew and the Arabic version to that standard.
The duty comes from the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 2013. According to Kol Zchut, responsibility lies with whoever operates the site, not whoever built it, and an operator who receives notice of a violation has 60 days to fix it or faces compensation of up to ₪50,000 without proof of damage. Exemptions by business size and turnover are listed on Kol Zchut's exemptions page.
The regulations do not distinguish between Hebrew and Arabic pages, so a rushed Arabic version is a weak spot. In practice: correct language and direction on each page so screen readers use an Arabic voice, alt text and form errors in each language, and an accessibility statement in both. A plugin alone does not make a site accessible. This is general information, not legal advice.
Common mistakes and red flags in a bilingual website
The common mistakes are machine translation, a layout that breaks in Arabic, Arabic text inside an image, one Hebrew form for both languages, and a WhatsApp line that only answers in Hebrew.
- Machine translation or a translate plugin: sounds foreign, and gives Google nothing to index.
- A layout tested only in Hebrew: clipped letters, switched fonts, misplaced numbers and prices.
- Arabic text inside an image: unreadable to Google and screen readers, and hard to fix.
- One form for both languages: Hebrew errors on an Arabic page, and no way to tell an enquiry's language.
- No Arabic reply on WhatsApp: a customer answered in Hebrew, or not at all, goes elsewhere. A prefilled message per language and a chatbot that replies in the customer's language fix this.
- A switcher that goes to the home page: the visitor loses the page they were on.
- A stale Arabic version: prices and opening hours updated only in Hebrew.
- Promises of first place on Google or a number of leads: nobody controls the algorithm.
How Nava Digital builds a Hebrew and Arabic website, step by step
Our team speaks Hebrew and Arabic, and each language is written separately; the process takes 7–14 working days from the moment the content in both languages is ready.
We are a marketing and web agency in northern Israel, working with businesses nationwide, mostly online and on WhatsApp. Sites are written from scratch, not from a template. The steps:
- Free diagnosis: the audience and pages for each language, and one agreed price in writing.
- Structure: a page map, subfolder URLs and a switcher to the matching page.
- Content: you supply texts, or we write each language separately.
- Design and build: fonts for both languages, a form per language, and a WhatsApp button with a prefilled message in the page's language.
- SEO: titles per language, hreflang, Schema, a sitemap and Google Analytics tagged by language.
- Testing: every page in both languages, on phone and desktop, including accessibility.
- Launch: Google Search Console submission and handover to the business's own accounts.
After launch you can add a WhatsApp chatbot that answers in Hebrew and Arabic (₪3,500 one-time) or a campaign in both languages; see the guide to marketing to Arab audiences.
Examples: sites and stores we built in Hebrew and Arabic
You can check the work yourself: Lumière is a full demo website for a dental clinic that we built from scratch in Hebrew and Arabic, and Roselia is a beauty store that runs in Hebrew and Arabic.
Lumière has a dark mode and an appointment form in both versions. Roselia has more than 12,000 products, an AI shopping assistant and a third, mixed version: a Hebrew interface with Arabic product descriptions, for Arab customers used to mixing both languages. The right structure depends on the audience, not on a template.
This site itself is written in Hebrew, in Arabic under /ar/ and in English under /en/, not machine-translated. Switch languages on this page to see how the same guide is written differently in each.
Questions about price
How much does a Hebrew and Arabic website cost in Israel?
Which agency in Israel builds websites in both Hebrew and Arabic?
How long does it take to build a bilingual website?
Can I just add a translate button to my existing site?
Is an /ar/ subfolder better than a subdomain?
Do Arab business owners search Google in Hebrew or Arabic?
Does the Arabic version have to match the Hebrew one?
Which Arabic should the website use?
Does the Arabic version also have to be accessible?
Will the site rank first on Google in both languages?
Sources
The numbers on this page come from these sources, which we read directly. Checked: October 2026.
- Price surveys by Israeli suppliers published in 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Central Bureau of Statistics — Israel's population on the eve of Independence Day 2026 (Hebrew) — about 2.157 million Arabs, 21.1% of the population (April 2026)
- Kol Zchut — website and app accessibility (Hebrew) — accessibility duty, Standard 5568, accessibility statement and penalties (updated 17.5.2026)
- Kol Zchut — exemptions from website accessibility (Hebrew) — exemptions by business size and turnover (updated 26.8.2026)
- gov.il — Service Accessibility Regulations, 2013 (Hebrew) — text of the regulations
Market prices change, so every number is shown with the date it was checked. Nava Digital's prices are the prices published on its website. Legal information on this page is general and is not legal advice.