SEMrush and Ahrefs are the reference tools for most SEO projects. They work well for English, Spanish, French, German. For Arabic, they have structural limitations that make the data they return incomplete at best.
This article explains why, with concrete data, and what methodology to use instead.
The underlying problem: how they build their databases
SEMrush and Ahrefs build their keyword databases primarily through two sources:
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Clickstream data: browsing behaviour data purchased from providers. The sample of Arabic users in these panels is significantly smaller than that of Western European or North American users.
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SERP crawling: the crawler indexes Google SERPs for different countries. The crawl frequency for Google.sa, Google.ae or Google.eg is lower than for Google.com or Google.co.uk.
The result: for an Arabic keyword, SEMrush may show volume “0” or “10-100” when the real volume in Google Keyword Planner is several thousand. This is not a one-off error — it is a systematic gap.
Concrete examples of the gap
Real comparisons between tools and Google Keyword Planner with an active account segmented for Saudi Arabia:
| Keyword | SEMrush (SA) | Ahrefs (SA) | GKP (SA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| شراء عقار في إسبانيا | 0 | 10 | 1,300 |
| فندق في برشلونة | 70 | 90 | 8,100 |
| رخصة قيادة إسبانيا | 0 | 0 | 590 |
| زيت زيتون إسباني | 10 | 30 | 2,400 |
| دراسة في إسبانيا | 110 | 200 | 4,400 |
The gap is not marginal. In some cases, the tools show zero where there are thousands of real monthly searches.
Additional limitations specific to Arabic
1. Non-consolidated spelling variants. Arabic does not have a completely standardised spelling. The hamza, alef and ya without dots have variants that generate semantically identical but orthographically distinct keywords. Ahrefs and SEMrush do not consolidate these variants — they treat them as different keywords.
2. Keywords in Arabic mixed with Latin script (Arabizi). In Morocco and the Levant among young users, “Arabizi” is used: Arabic written with Latin characters and numbers. SEMrush and Ahrefs have no coverage of this phenomenon.
3. Ramadan seasonality not correctly reflected. Ramadan generates massive search spikes in food, fashion, electronics and travel. The tools show annual averages that smooth out these spikes. A keyword with 200 searches/month on average may have 3,000 during Ramadan and 50 the rest of the year.
4. Unreliable difficulty data (KD) in Arabic. Keyword Difficulty is based on the backlinks of ranking pages. The backlink database for Arabic sites is also incomplete. Real difficulty is assessed by looking at the SERPs directly, not by trusting the tool’s KD.
What to use instead: alternative methodology
Google Search Console (your own data). If the site already has Arabic traffic, GSC is the most reliable source. It shows exactly which Arabic keywords trigger the site, with real impressions and clicks, segmented by country.
Google Keyword Planner with a segmented account. Keyword Planner shows real volume data from Google. For Arabic it must be configured correctly: access from an account with Arabic language activated, segment by specific country and search in both Arabic and transliterated English.
Manual searches on Google.sa and Google.ae. To validate the real SERP, the only reliable method is to search directly using a VPN with a Saudi or UAE IP address. This reveals whether competitors are local media or company websites, whether there are capturable featured snippets and the real quality of the content that ranks.
Arabic-specific tools:
- Keyword Tool Dominator: has a specific module for Arabic Google with autocomplete data by country.
- Google Trends: useful for comparing relative volume between variants and detecting seasonality.
- Arabic competitor analysis: if a local competitor has been ranking for years, their best-ranking pages are a source of keywords that the tool does not detect.
The practical process for Arabic keyword research
- Seed keywords in Arabic: generate the initial list with the service/product translated into Arabic by a native. Not with Google Translate.
- Expansion with GKP: enter the seed keywords into Keyword Planner segmented by market. Export suggestions.
- Filtering by spelling variants: review with a native to identify variants and consolidate them.
- SERP validation: for the highest volume keywords, verify the SERP on Google.sa/Google.ae to assess real competition.
- Cross-reference with GSC (if data available): compare the list with keywords already generating impressions. Keywords with high impressions and low clicks are direct opportunities.
- Intent classification: separate informational, navigational and transactional. Each type requires a different content strategy.
If you want native Arabic keyword research for your sector, request information here.