26 April 2010 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter

Google and Microsoft prioritise Arabic web

Both Google and Microsoft have set their sights on expansion of the Arabic language web, with the former planning new initiatives to enhance content such as e-commerce and news sites in developing Arab countries.

Despite rapid internet growth being experienced in the Arab world since 2000, the level of content is still comparatively low. Although Arabic speakers make up five per cent of the world's population, the Arabic language accounts for less than one per cent of the web. However, this figure is poised to grow substantially now that more people in developing countries are logging on and access costs have fallen.

Google's regional marketing manager, Wael Ghonim, told Reuters: "There is a lot of Arabic content but it is not well structured." He cited the example of the Arabic portal of Wikipedia, which features fewer words than its Catalan site.

"We want more structured content. We want more of the professional, niche sites, more businesses," Mr Ghonim continued.

"One of our biggest missions is to enable Arabic users to find the right tools to enrich Arabic content.

"It would be great to see more e-commerce in the region, more publishers, more news sites. We are committed to help them."

The marketing director did not explain how Google was planning to enhance this regional growth, but stated: "We have a very ambitious plan in the next few months, we are working on many initiatives."

Microsoft also places the Arabic language in its top priority list. The company's chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, explained: "(Microsoft CEO) Steve Ballmer and I a few years ago talked and believed Arabic would be an increasingly important language.

"And yet, because of the way the internet was evolving, it wasn't a language that was getting a lot of use."

One of the major advances in the adoption of the Arabic language web came late last year, when regulator ICANN voted to allow non-Latin script in domain names. With Egypt and Saudi Arabia registering the first web addresses written in right-to-left Arabic script, non-English speakers are gaining increasing access to the internet.

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