FR/EN/AR multilingual SEO: what Google actually recommends

Google is explicit: for a multilingual site, each language must have its own URLs — /fr/, /en/, /ar/ — rather than cookie or browser detection. The crawler must be able to explore each version as a full site.

The hreflang attribute then links versions together: it tells Google which URL to serve to which user based on language. Without it, your versions cannibalise each other.

Third foundation: content. Raw machine translation shows, reads poorly and ranks poorly. Arabic in particular demands real adaptation — RTL direction, suitable typography, natural phrasing.

Finally, track each language separately in Search Console. Queries, positions and opportunities differ radically from one market to another.